Author Archives: Laura Dobson

“Everything changes, everything passes,Things appearing, things disappearing.But when it is all over –everything having appeared and having disappeared,Being and extinction both transcended –Still the basic emptiness and silence abides,And that is blissful peace.” Maha Prajna Paramita Hridaya (The Heart Sutra)

“Nonviolence requires of those who practise it, from whatever religious or cultural background they may come, an extraordinary commitment. It requires nothing less than the transformation of ourselves. We have to look deeply into our own anger, our aggressiveness and our fear. It’s no less arduous than training for the Olympics. And the results areContinue reading “Thought for the day, Monday 16th October”

““Give thanks to God, who is goodwhose mercy endures forever.” We stand in awe of an infinitywhich we cannot begin to comprehendWe set ourselves to live in tune with the universe—that we may be glad with the gladness of people of faith. Yes, time and time again we have gone astray,We have despoiled this beautiful,Continue reading “Thought for the day, Sunday 15th October”

“Often when with deliberationI set out to enjoy nature with a capital ‘N’,my eagerness and expectationlead to disappointment once again.But if, without intent, I step outsidemerely to hang washing on the line,I am completely overwhelmed by the fineOctober day:the singing birds, the sparkling light,the falling leaves put to flightall introspection, I belongto the simple lifeContinue reading “Thought for the day, Saturday 14th October”

“The value of a human beingcan be measured by what he or shemost deeply wants.Be free of possessing things.Sit at an empty table.Be pleased with water,the taste of being home.People travel the world lookingfor the Friend,but that one is always at home!” Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (1207 – 1273)

“The circuits of the soul during sleep enter into a timelessness in which our past and future are inextricably mixed, in which we meet the dead, encounter the expected, and fly and dance and swim through elements that we normally do not move within. Whether or not the daytime consciousness has a spiritual framework ofContinue reading “Thought for the day, Thursday 12th October”

“Someone once asked me what I regarded as the three most important requirements for happiness. My answer was: A feeling that you have been honest with yourself and those around you; a feeling that you have done the best you could both in your personal life and in your work; and the ability to loveContinue reading “Thought for the day, Wednesday 11th October”

World Mental Health Day “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in … There is a crack in everything that you can put together: physical objects, mental objects, constructions of any kind. But that’s where the light gets in, and that’s where the resurrection is and that’s where the return, that’sContinue reading “Thought for the day, Tuesday 10th October”

“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannotContinue reading “Thought for the day, Monday 9th October”

“The heavens declare the glory of the Creator;the firmament proclaims the handiwork of Love.Day to day speech pours forthand night to night knowledge is revealed.There is no speech, nor are there words;their voice is not heard;Yet does their music resound through all the earth,and their words echo to the ends of the world. In themContinue reading “Thought for the day, Sunday 8th October”