Vajrapala Moerman

On Friday morning I lit the candles and emptied the water offering bowls ready to be filled again. There would be just two of us practicing together. Later as we sat and joined our voices in chanting the name of the Buddha, I was reminded again that the act of making an offering is already meaningful, perfect and complete. It does not have to be…[Read more]

I’m currently reading D. T. Suzuki’s second volume of selected works which centres on the Pure Land. He’s just described four different kinds of nembutsu, or ways of practising nembutsu, and I’d be curious to hear what you think and which of these you practice yourself…

The first is to say the nembutsu as a way of thinking “…of the Buddha as…[Read more]

Our Malvern Temple Community Choir practice, February 2019

I wrote this hymn this morning following an intensive few nights of dreams triggered by learning Emotional Freedom Technique at the weekend.

In the seventeenth Vow,

I listen, silently,

To all the Buddhas,

Singing the silent, multitudinous Name.

In the eighteenth Vow,

I join in with their song.

Some say faith can only be blind

And mortal…[Read more]

Yesterday my friend Sarah asked me a beautiful question – what are my top five books on the divine?

I thought I would struggle for ages, like choosing between favourite children, but when I reached inside for an answer, it came as easily as telling you what colour trousers I’m wearing (red of course). These are also the five books I’d take with…[Read more]