Strategies For Success & Change

How you make change

Life and motivational coaching is all about you feeling empowered to make the right choices so that you can move forward in life with optimism, enthusiasm and a feeling of more confidence.

So how do we know what choice to make and how do we implement these new choices into our lives?

You need a strategy

For any successful change to be made we need a strategy. I would like to discuss the word strategy as an analogy or simile if you will. A strategy isn’t a frightening word and should be considered to be like a road map. We know where we are, point A, and if we know where we want to go, point B, then all we do is follow the clearly defined roads to get there, the strategy. It doesn’t matter what or where you want to be, there will be a route, a way, a path that has been trodden many times before, giving you something to follow.

As I’m sure you are aware if we look at a road map we will see not just one road, or approach to our destination but many possibilities for you to choose. In our analogy of the road map as our strategies, all these different roads are all the many different life coaching and motivational techniques you have at our disposal. There are many such techniques to help us learn and reevaluate our lives and there isn’t one approach fits all type of style. Some of the exercises you may find a little to wishy washy for your taste, others however will resonate with you and motivate you to succeed.

The technique shared today is powerful and takes real courage, the results however will speak for themselves. The results from this exercises can identify possible limiting belief systems that might be holding you back from achieving what you desire. So stick with it.

Understanding your Value Systems.

A value system is a personal thing, no two people hold the exact same values, yes we have many similarities and share many common values and morals with others. As an example of how individual our value systems are, I would like to use the extreme yet simple example of killing. I think that you can agree with me that No killing is a good value to hold and not matter how you sugar coat it, to kill is wrong. However what maybe your and my values others may not share. And even the value of No Killing can been seen with many eyes in as many different ways. It seems ok for humans to kill animals and this is justified because we need food, however a vegan would wholeheartedly disagree. And it seems fair game to swat a pesky mosquito or fly that irritates us, yet to some this is still seen as killing and taking a life. As you can see each and everyone of us holds values personal to ourselves, and of course these can change as we grow older.

As your reading this do have any idea of some of your values that you hold dear to yourself? Perhaps you’ve never really given it much thought before?

So first of all what is a Value System?

A value system can be described as our own inner compass, a compass that judges what we believe to be morally right or wrong, good or bad and wether it is acceptable or not. We all know the feeling of compromising our values, when we say, do or even think in conflict with this personal value system it makes us feel bad, guilty and upset. On the other hand we also know what it feels like when we do, say or even think something in align with our core value system, it makes us feel positive, happy and leaves us feeling good about ourselves.

Your value system should be personal to you, and not because of what the media or society say you should have as a value, it is your personal view so there is no wrong answer. Your values can be emotional, mental, physical or even spiritual in nature.

By now I’m sure you can think of thousands of values, big ones as well as all those tiny little ones you have. What I want you to focus on is certain values you place on certain areas and aspects of your life. So we are going to be focusing on just five main categories in your life. What are your values with your Friends, family & loved ones? What are your financial values? What spiritual Values do you hold? What sort of values do you place on your health and fitness? and finally what are your work values?

Here are some examples of certain values within these five categories, just so you get an idea of the values we hold. Notice how all the questions start with “I Believe” this is a great way to get our minds thinking on the right track. If you also start “I Believe” then after a couple of statements just let your thoughts take over. Remember this is personal to you so there is never a wrong answer.

What are your values with your Friends, Family and Loved ones?

I believe in unconditional love for my family. I believe in mutual respect between partners. I believe it is my job to keep the family together.

What are your financial values?

I believe all rich people are idiots. I believe if I had lots of money I’d be happier. I believe Money is easy to come by. I believe finances frighten me. I believe I’m not very good with money.

What spiritual values do you hold?

I believe in a god. I believe what the Buddha taught. I believe all spirituality is airy fairy and for hippies. I believe in Karma and what goes around comes around. I believe in treating others the way you want to be treated.

What sort of values do you place on your health and fitness?

I believe in keeping a balanced diet. I believe in looking after my body with plentiful exercise. I believe I don’t eat well. I believe my body is a temple.

What Work values do you have?

I believe work to be just that, work. I believe work should be a fulfilling activity. I believe creativity should be high on the agenda for the work I do. I believe money is the most important aspect of my work. I believe in doing something that makes a difference for a job. I believe work is just for money.

Taking Action

Before you take a piece of paper and pencil to write some of your values running through your head right now. I want to make one point very clear. You are looking for your values that you hold dear to you. This is Not about what you think would be a good value, or a value you want to work towards in the future. This about the values you hold dear now. The reasons for this will become perfectly clear latter and trust me you will get far more benefit doing it this way around. So to clarify this all important point, we are looking for what you believe not what you should believe or want. What you believe Now!

Now grab a sheet of paper and pencil and write down the five categories leaving enough space in between for your answers. To remind you again of the categories I want you to focus on are: What Values do you Have for Your Friends, Family and Loved Ones? What are Your Financial Values? What Spiritual Values do you hold? What Values do you place on your Health and Fitness? And what values do you have for Work?

Now let’s have a look at your answers

Analysing your results

Before we examine your results, if you have actually done the exercise, I’m sure you are starting to see some of those limiting beliefs that you may have. The financial values questions always throws ups some interesting and sometimes some deeply ingrained core beliefs and values that defiantly hold you back.

Now we have the answers for the five fundamental categories, let’s take a look at them in a little more detail. If you have been truthful in your answers above, the results will be worth so much more than if you have been a little shy of that truth. A quick way to find out how truthful and accurate you have been with your answers is to add a percentage to each of those answers in turn. To get that percentage figure, ask yourself, truthfully, how much do I truly believe in this value? If the answers 10% that’s fine, if it’s 70% that’s also fine. As always there is no wrong answer with this exercise. Generally speaking the higher the number the more it means to you.

Once we have our list with our percentages along side, we can now really start to break it down and analyse it fully. You may be easily starting to recognise areas in our life where perhaps you need to improve. There maybe certain aspects you want to change and you may be beginning to see how certain values and core beliefs might be holding you back.

Now because this is a really deep and truly personal choice too what values you hold most dear, there are a million and one answers, and as such some of the examples I use below may align with your values, however some will not. If you find a strong disagreement arise inside you when reading some of the examples, ask yourself, does this apply to me?

Some of the limiting beliefs you may have

Values around Family, Friends & Loved Ones

I believe Family are the only ones that matter. This is too much emphasis one one group and will always end in disappointment. Friends are as equally important, sometimes more so. Especially if we have one or two really close ones. And sometimes family can be the ones that are holding us back.

I believe love is hard to come by. Love is something you freely give, how long that takes is entirely up to you. What has happened to make you feel this way? Has that happened every time or was it just the once? Love can be as easy as you want to make it, the choice is yours.

I believe it is my job to keep the family together. This can cause immense amounts of suffering and a very stressful value to have. It is no ones job to keep a family together, every family I have ever met has issues and problems. Including my own. And to take on the role as task master isn’t going to win any favours with anyone, unfortunately it only comes with abuse and no thanks. Ask yourself what would happen if I were to maybe drop my input so much?

Your Financial Values

I believe all rich people are idiots. There maybe a lot of idiots with money but there are also a lot of kindhearted ones as well. The choice is yours

I believe if I had lots of money I’d be happier. Happiness comes from within and not through a bank balance. Rich people have rich persons suffering and poor people have poor persons suffering. A middle of the road bank balance is way better.

I believe finances frighten me. There are plenty of courses to learn that are friendly and aimed at people like yourself. There is no need to be scared.

I believe I’m not very good with money. This is a very limiting factor. Ask yourself Why? What is it that makes you keep spending again and again?

Your Spiritual Values

I believe all spirituality is airy fairy and for hippies. Not all

Motivational and life coaches won’t help me one bit. Well if your reading this, then it means you are absorbed by what is being discussed and nodding along with it. If not you would have switched off a long time ago.

Most people are fakes who believe in this spirituality. There are many fakes around in life, everyone of us though is doing our best. No one spends their time on this planet deliberately trying to mess their life up. Everyone is trying to make the best choice for themselves and there families, those choices are made from the accumulated knowledge pass on or learnt. None of us are perfect. But then that would become boring.

Your Health & Fitness

I believe I can eat what I want. A balanced diet will look after your mind and body far better.

I believe fitness is something you have only when your young. I’ve known marathon runners that only started when they retired. I also remember a lady that climbed mountains in her 80,s Now that’s also not my thing, the secret is finding something fun that you enjoy doing, then the fitness naturally comes without feeling like it’s a strain or fitness plan.

Eating all this wholewheat stuff is only for hippies. Her it seems the hippies get there first most of the time. Wholewheat food are good for your heart and colestreall and if that alone should be enough to start eating them. We are all getting older. A healthy body a healthy mind.

Your Work Values

I believe work to be just that, work. Where’s the satisfaction in that? We are filled will so many choices today that it is difficult to know what career to choose. However if this is your belief then doing the same thing day in day out to pay for a mortgage and your kids wellbeing is going to cause major depression at some point. Life must have a focus, a real meaning and purpose for us to be happy, content and peaceful people.

I believe work is just for the money. Again the same advice is given as for the above belief. Work needs to be more than just money, it’s something we all have to do for a long time, if enjoyment can be found happiness will follow.

I believe my job sucks. Like a lot of people, perhaps you fell into your job and have sort of got stuck. What is it you want to eat doing? What would fulfil you? Maybe you have a mortgage and there is no way things will change. Impermanence is a law in life, all things change then change again. Everything is in a state of movement, never rule anything out. Change can happen at any age we just need the right determination.

Conclusion

The most important thing to understand with life coaching or motivational advice is that YOU have to do the actual work. I can show all the techniques and motivational advice I know, each one will help in some way or another. It is YOU however that must do the work, you must fill in the questions, with your answers. YOU must grab a piece of paper and pencil and ask those tricky questions.

Every successful person I have ever met has always had strategies to propel themselves forward. Every leading business man or successful leader looks constantly at there lives to make sure they are heading in the overall desired direction.

Nothing in this life comes without having to make some effort, when it comes to improving your life the more you put in, the more the rewards there will be, trust me I know from personal experience. And doing the hard work now pays dividends in the future.

Kind regards

Dhamma Tāpasā

A 5 Minute Meditation with Dhamma Tāpasā

“Meditate with a Monk”

Freshly uploaded to our YouTube channel, a 5 minute silent meditation with Dhamma Tāpasā

Meditate with Dhamma Tāpasā with this simple 5 minute silent Meditation. Relax and unwind with the tweeting of the birds in the company of a monk.

https://youtu.be/5J8oFCYGc0c

Meditate with a monk Dhamma Tāpasā, — Dhamma Tāpasā

Dhamma Tāpasā starts this silent meditation with 3 slow strikes of the gong. Take this time to get yourself comfortable in your chosen position and begin to feel yourself unwind.

Breathing in try to become truly present in the experience. feel your lungs expand, the air dance across the hairs in you nose. Feel it and be present.

Breathing out try to remain mindful and present.

https://youtu.be/5J8oFCYGc0c

Remember to be kind to yourself if you find your mind wanders. Don’t scold or punish just be gentle, kind and compassionate and slowly the power of mindfulness increases.

Kind regards and happy meditating.

Dhamma Tāpasā

The little Boy who was Cursed to Breath fire

One day not so long ago there lived a very angry little boy. Everything in life and everything about life made him angry. The more angry he became the more frustrated he became and the more frustrated he became well that just made him more angry.

He began to hurt the people around him who loved him the most. With each new insult and angry outburst he was hurting those that cared. He wasn’t seeing the consequences of his anger. He couldn’t understand that his actions were causing others pain and hurt, he was too consumed by his own rage to even notice.

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After a particularly bad outburst his mother had sent him to walk in the woods and think about things until he had calmed down. It was on this day, walking in the woods, that he met a witch that was about to change his life for the better.

The witch was out collecting her herbs and spices for potions and magical spells when she heard the little boy. He was cursing and kicking stones, making an awful racket as he went.

The little boy cursing and kicking sticks as he went, was so engrossed with his emotion of anger he didn’t see the witch until he was standing right in front of her.

“Who are you!” He angrily muttered “your in my way!”

“I’m a witch capable of turning you into a frog or making your tongue talk like a parrot, maybe I turn you into a mouse or something worse. so I would drop the attitude” replied the wise witch

“Well your in my way!” Barked the angry boy “and you smell”

“Your an angry little man” replied the witch “I think you might need to be taught a lesson”

“Oh shut up and get out my way” angrily demanded the little boy

“I did warn you”

And with a great flash of light and a kinda whooshing sound the witch threw one of her most powerful spells she had for years, it seemed this angrily little boy was about to be taught a lesson.

“There, it is done! You have been cursed, now every time you find yourself angry and about to hurl insults and abuse you will blow fire like a dragon”

And with this the Wise witch walked away leaving the little boy feeling a little dazed and slightly confused.

When the boy finally arrived back home his mood of anger had passed and he was feeling a lot more calmer. He’d forgotten about the witch and the curse and was feeling happier.

It was around the evening dinner table that he started to loose his temper. Just as his father had poised on his fork a particularly nice looking potato ready to pop in his mouth the little boy burst into anger. As the little boy opened his mouth ready to curse, suddenly, just as the witch had said, a burst of flames as impressive as any dragon came raging out of his mouth instantly turning the potato on his father’s fork to crumbly dust.

Shocked and surprised the boy quickly put his hands over his mouth to spare anymore carnage. His anger had now been replaced by horror and surprise as to the damage he had just caused.

That evening as the little boy was told it was bed time, anger reared it’s ugly head once more. Once again the instant the little boy opened his mouth to vent his rage a massive burst of flames came shooting out. The walls were scorched black and the television taking a direct hit was left melted and deformed.

Our little boy went to bed that evening thinking for the first time in his life, how his anger was having a direct effect on those around him.

Over the course of the next few weeks, little by little our boy started to see first hand how ever time he was angry or had an angry outburst the flames raged from his mouth burning everything to a crisp as it went, hurting and harming those around him.

The other town folk were now becoming afraid of the little boy who was now famous for blowing flames every time he was angry and as so would try to avoid any direct contact with him.

Our poor little boy was becoming very sad and lonely indeed.

However this curse the wise witch had bestowed upon our little angry boy was turning out to be a very clever curse indeed.

As more time passed the little boy was slowly beginning to control his angry outbursts.

Gradually over time his anger became less and less. At first he managed to control his anger for a day, then he could managed two days in a row, then three, and four then an entire week went by without the little boy becoming angry in the slightest way.

And as our little boy began to control his anger a fantastic transformation was also unfolding. He was also beginning to become calmer and happier person. The other town folk could also see the wonderful new change in our little boy and so they had started to include him once again. This was just the encouragement the little boy need to finally rid himself of the old wise witches curse.

With a massive concerted effort and intense control our little boy expelled the last remaining flakes of anger left in his body, he had truly conquered his curse of blowing fire and in doing so had also mastered his anger.

His curse was lifted!

Our little boy decided to leave some of the destruction and scorch marks his anger had created. A reminder as how a quick small outburst of anger can cause far longer lasting damage.

Words we say in anger can cause deep emotional scars that may take many years to heal or be covered over. Be carful what you say!

Author: Dhamma Tāpasā

Author: Dhamma Tāpasā*

*Dhamma Tāpasā a trained ex Buddhist Monk and the spiritual name given to Andrew Hallas. An inspirational teacher of mindfulness and meditation techniques through the art of storytelling. Dhamma Tāpasā is able to capture our imaginations whilst teaching us valuable moral principles and deepening our understanding of the human consciousness and the everyday problems we face.

The Two Three Headed Eagles

Once upon a time there lived two very unusual Eagles whom both had three heads.

The two Eagles both had the same affliction, one head was always good, one head was always bad and the poor third head couldn’t decide between the two.

Both the two Eagles and their three heads were often found talking amongst themselves, the good heads that represented love, kindness and compassion often fought with the bad heads, that represented Anger, hatred and loathing. The good and bad heads always argued as to the best solution to any given problem, and the poor third head always felt stuck in the middle and unable to make a decision as what to do.

The first head, the one that was good, always wanted to see the honesty and trust in everything exploring the problem with an open heart. The second head, the one that was bad, always found the negative side of the argument usually wanting to be cautious waiting to see what unfolded.

The third head listened to the other two but could never decide between them, both raised valuable points that couldn’t be ignored, and as such a decision could never be found and our two poor Eagles would spend many hours in confusion, never making their minds up as to what was the best choice.

One day this all changed

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Once again both our three headed Eagles found themselves in a moral dilemma and became stuck in their thinking. The good heads were adamant they were correct and the bad heads were positive they were right and so the arguments pursued.

It was at this exact moment that one of our Three Headed Eagles had an idea. It decided that the only way to live a normal life, like all the other Eagles, was to cut off the other two heads. Only doing this, thought the Eagle, would it sever their constant arguing and bickering between what was always right and wrong, good or bad.

The other Three Headed Eagle didn’t agree, they thought this idea wasn’t such a good plan, but agreed that something should be done.

Our first three headed Eagle makes their plan to separate themselves from the other two heads. With careful timing and precision our three headed Eagle takes a sharp knife and quickly cuts the other two heads off in one fell swoop.

For just a moment all is content in our Eagles world. There is no more fighting and arguing between the other two heads and our Eagle feels at peace.

However as our Eagle leaps from the tree tops, stretching his wings ready for a celebratory flight, he suddenly finds himself completely off balance and totally out of control. Try as he might our Eagle cannot gain composure without his other two heads. With the ground rushing ever closer there is only going to be one inevitable outcome and our Eagle hits the ground with a nasty thud.

The second of our three headed Eagles has a different kind of plan. His plan is to use kindness and compassion toward his situation and so begins to meditate. He focused his attention on his breathing, breathing in, breathing out, becoming truly present in the moment. Slowly he witnesses a calming with the chatter of his other two heads.

With this calming came a quietness slowly the other two heads began to shrink every so slightly. Seeing the other two heads become smaller and smaller was all our Three headed Eagle needed to know that his plan was working.

With a determined effort, closely following every breath and the silence that comes with it, the two heads shrink ever more slightly and became increasingly quieter, until finally they disappeared altogether, our three headed Eagle had found his true freedom.

Author: Dhamma Tāpasā*

Moral of the Story:

Our inner speech is just like that of our three headed Eagles, always chattering away and seemingly never ending. The fundamental reason for all of our life’s problems is this inner speech, our inner speech creates all of our fears, anger, hatred, boredom, guilt, anxiety and depression. And the exceedingly high regard we place onto this inner speech, onto our own thoughts, is, and has become, the main obstacle in our lives.

Our inner speech is just like from our story The Monk and The Grasshopper, always jumping from one thing to the next. And just like our poor Three Headed Eagles, this inner speech that jumps around from one thing to the next can cause us extreme amounts of personal torment and suffering.

When the mind is full of thoughts and wanders around jumping from this to that, sooner or later it finds itself in negativity. It is like having a lengthy conversation with a dear friend, you may start the conversation with praise and positivity but gradually, sooner or later it turns to negativity, criticising the world around us or our own lives at that of others. The exact same thing happens with our inner thinking and inner speech.

To help us still and calm this inner speech we practise meditation and mindfulness. We focus our attention on our breathing, either at the tip of our nose or on the rise and fall of the abdomen. In doing so we gradually witness the silence that lies between this inner speech. To begin with this silence is ever so subtly and needs pure focus on our breath. Gradually as you see one thought subside and another just begin, there, right there in between those two thoughts is a silence a stillness and calm. A silence so sweet your mind will begin to want more.

Meditation and mindfulness take practice but just like anything you practice at you get better and better. And the better we get at meditation and mindfulness your inner speech becomes quieter. And the quieter you become the more happiness you will have.

Let’s Talk Meditation

Meditation and the Truth

Most of us have heard about meditation and mindfulness over the last few years, but how many of us truly understand how to practice this ancient art form passed down for thousands of years. This article is where I want to correct the balance and put straight some of the facts about this noble way to practice.

Most of the information I see on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram is given freely but at the cost of heavily advertised websites, Click baited headlines to draw your curiosity in to only find a half hearted explanation and little to no advice. Most of these websites are written by wanna-be social media stars and there is a growing concern that meditation and mindfulness has become, or is becoming, a watered down version of a truly remarkable aid in the development of our human consciousness. An aid, that if understood correctly, can and will change your life dramatically for the better.

What can Meditation do for me?

Meditation has the ability to reshape your life towards a more peaceful, respectful and compassionate way to live. A life with less worry and less anxiety, a life where gossip doesn’t amuse or intrigue and fear struggles to reside. Meditation can calm and clear your mind like that of a still lake and reflect back a better version of yourself. And by searching within for that elusive happiness we truly can change the world around us.

My experience with Meditation

My experience with meditation has completely changed my life for the better. I have been practicing meditation for well over 15 years, a large number for some but a small number for others. In this time I have gone from a lost soul not understanding the way of the world, feeling like I didn’t fit in, or that something was wrong with me. I now have a life living completely satisfied and fulfilled, a life full of love and compassion. I now have a relationship with my father something that in my early life I did not and this is something I cherish dearly.

In these 15 years I have been trained by meditation masters such as Thich Nhat Hanh and from the direct descendants of the forest monk Ajahn Chah. I have been an ordained Buddhist monk for many years practicing in the seclusion of the northern forests of Thailand. I now wander the European countryside as a monk still searching the depths of my mind and all its wily tricks and parlour games it plays. I am totally addicted to meditation and mindfulness like a smoker is to cigarettes. Everyday I practice watching or observing the play of consciousness and it’s relationship to our experiences. Everyday I grow and learn more.

I am not enlightened and don’t pretend to be, I am enjoying the search tremendously and as so I have for a long time dedicated my life to understanding the truth of our human condition.

How to truly meditate

We have all heard that the art of meditation is to follow the breath. Breathing in, you really observe and feel the breath coming in. We need to be invested in this process of observance, completely absorbed and focused. See how the air passes through you nostrils, tickling the hairs in your nose, watch and witness the abdomen enlarge and the lungs expanding gently as a response. Breathing out observe the process as you would a movie get yourself involved and watch the lungs deflate as a response to you abdomens movement. Observe the air as it comes out through your nose, tickling those nostril hairs. And then the slight pause before we breath in once again.

This is just one step in meditation and is the foundation of all training it is called Samantha or Samadhi meditation. However this is just a foundation and only when our foundations are solid and secure can we start to build upon this to investigate and discover the real interplay between our thoughts and there corresponding actions. This is known as Vipassanā meditation. Translated as ‘truly seeing‘, or insight meditation.

Vipassanā Meditation

Vipassanā Meditation is an observance of the our thoughts within the consciousness. We watch, without interference, how each thought arises from something and then passes away. How one thought leads to another and to another and then to another. Vipassanā Meditation is the observance of the minds three facts of existence, impermanence, suffering and non self as they reveal themselves through consciousness. Truths that once experienced as reality changes your whole way of life. Knowing this is not enough, experiencing this for yourself is the true purpose of meditation and one that can take minutes or sometimes a life time.

Vipassanā is an art form that takes a long time to develop and should only be attempted after many hours of Samantha meditation as described above. The reason is to develop the skill as an observer without interference so as to experience these truths for yourself. There is no point in just mere understanding, one must truly experience this birth and death for ourselves, experience the ever changing impermanence that exists in everything.

For another explanation of Vipassanā Meditation from a more scientific view point Click Here

What to do now

The most important factor to remember with meditation is to always be kind towards yourself. When we loose focus on our breathing, gently laugh or chuckle to yourself and bring back your attention. Try not to be harsh with yourself it is the journey that is far more important than the destination. Kindness goes an incredible long way in this world and something that if practiced towards ourselves helps elevate a lot of our problems.

Practice breathing meditation or Samantha meditation until you have got a solid foundation, a foundation where you feel present in the moment, grounded in the breath. Once this has become established then allow your mind to investigate, to clearly see with Vipassanā Meditation.

For any help or advice please feel free to contact me using the contact form provided in the menu. There is no pressure on your behalf and I am here to help. I have been lucky enough to be guided by Masters over my time and it would be a delight to help in anyway I can.

kind regards

Dhamma Tāpasā

Words of wisdom and Moral Principles

Words of Wisdom & inspirational quotes

These Words of Wisdom or inspirational quotes have all been selected to try and ease our suffering, to bring about a calm within our minds. There is an unprecedented amount of pain and suffering going on in the world today and it is each of our responsibility to help in any way we can.

The world we all live in is an ever changing, impermanent entity and today this seems more so than ever before. Coronavirus or Covid19 has altered our entire way of life in a very short period of time. No matter what country you come from, no matter what colour your skin, no matter the religion you believe or disbelieve everyone has been touched by this deadly virus. Masks are starting to become an everyday aspect of our lives, social distancing is necessary or enforced and millions of people are suffering as a result.

Myself, Dhamma Tāpasā, and my adopted stray dog, Marley Moo, spend our time wandering the European countryside, what the Buddhists call Tudong, in search of spiritual enlightenment. Each day we meet scared individuals, frightened for there very lives and that of their families. My job as a Monk and Meditator is to help in anyway I can, through my unique Moral Stories created from real life experiences we come across during our week. We create words of wisdom or inspirational quotes that have been passed down through the ages and we teach meditation and mindfulness techniques to calm the mind from worry and try and alleviate our own suffering. Meditation is more than just a relaxation tool and I urge you to find out more.

Learn more about Meditation

To learn more about mindfulness and meditation techniques, we have included FREE within these pages a complete Beginners Meditation guide, advancing to the more sophisticated Vipassana meditation practice. We have sections to help with our posture and sitting position for meditation, mini meditations that can be practiced for people with busy lives. Body scan meditation to learn how are body feels at any given moment, and many many more meditation tricks and tips that help with any problems you may be facing along the way.

A New Set of Moral Principles through Moral Stories

I believe the world needs a new set of Moral principals to help us progress, develop and thrive in this 21st century. Our time on this planet is short and at the moment it seems the manipulation of large corporations, the absurdity of immoral sports personalities, lying governments and the wealthy elite are gaining ever more popularity of followers all dreaming that this is the correct way to live our lives.

The results or our Karma following this way of life are very clear to me. With more and more searching for Youtube star sensation and Facebook fame we are all starting to fall victim to an immoral set of principals that only harm others in favour of ourselves.

We share this planet with 7 billion other humans and more than 7 times that number of other mammals, insects and birds, something we have all seemed too of forgotten. If we keep chasing greed of wealth, and the constant wanting of more things and stuff we will be the generation that brings the end to life as we know it.

I urge us all to change our ways and learn more about peace, happiness from within ourselves and not from external situations. For none of us can become truly happy by external happiness, only by looking deep within can we truly escape the suffering we are causing ourselves and others.

Morality seems to of been casted aside in this century and I wholeheartedly believe a new set of principles needs to be found by all of us. This is why I try to write a Moral story each week to show clear examples of our behaviour and it’s direct consequences. Most of these short sweet Moral stories are from inspiration on our wanderings, designed to be read by children and adults alike.

Kind regards

Dhamma Tāpasā

The Monk and The Grasshopper

Original inspirational Moral story

The Monk & The Grasshopper

One fine day, whilst out and about, hopping here and there, a little grasshopper happened across a monk who was meditating.

He hopped his way around the motionless monk for some time. He was struck by how calm, still and peaceful the monk appeared but he wasn’t really sure what he was doing.

The grasshopper hopped here and there, back and forth, keeping his eye on the monk and slowly gaining courage to get closer and closer until finally he was almost at the monk’s side. Just at the moment when he was about to hop on his knee and clear his tiny grasshopper throat, the monk opened his eyes and looked down at the grasshopper.

“Hello little grasshopper” the monk said in a warm and friendly manner. “How may I help you? ”

Surprised that the monk knew he was there, the little grasshopper, hopped back a little, and, plucking up all of his little grasshopper courage, he asked his question.

“I have been watching you for some time and would like to know what it is you are doing?”

“Meditation little grasshopper” said the monk “we meditate to calm our wandering minds”.

“Wandering minds, the grasshopper repeated, What do you mean?.

“Our minds can be like that of a little grasshopper that hops from place to place, always moving, never still and calm”

“Oh, said the little grasshopper, trying hard to be still for a moment. “I like that. I would like to try to calm my wandering mind, and my wandering legs, for that matter. Do you think I could learn?”

“Of course, little grasshopper. Its quite simple. We start by getting comfortable, then sitting with crossed legs and our backs straight, we close our eyes”.

The little grasshopper immediately sits down and after spending a little time working out how to cross its little legs, it closes its little eyes.

A few moments pass before the grasshopper opens one eye and looks up at the still and calm monk. “But what now? ” he asks a little impatiently.

The monk chuckles “steady little grasshopper, not so fast. When we close our eyes we watch our breath, Breathing in we are truly aware we are breathing in. Breathing Out we are truly aware we are breathing out”

“OK, that sounds pretty simple”, says the little grasshopper and does as the monk says, making himself comfortable again and crossing his little legs, he slowly closes his eyes and takes a deep in breath.

A few moments pass. “Wait!” shouts the grasshopper “I think it would be better to meditate over there on that lovely grass stalk” and off he hops. He jumps onto the blade of grass and looks around in satisfaction.

“Ok I’m ready now”

The monk and the grasshopper get themselves comfortable again, the monk crosses his legs and the little grasshopper does the same, they both slowly close their eyes and take a deep in breath.

A few more moments pass. “Wait!” Shouts the grasshopper “I think it would be better to meditate over there on that lovely rock” and off he hops. He jumps onto the rock and looks around in satisfaction.

“Ok I’m ready now”

The monk and the grasshopper once again make themselves comfortable the monk crosses his legs and the little grasshopper does the same, they both slowly close their eyes and take a deep in breath.

A few more moments pass. “Wait!” shouts the grasshopper

Author Dhamma Tapasa*

Edited by Sophie Mars

Moral of the Story:

Our minds can be like that of the little grasshopper, always hopping off to here and there following the next big distraction. We meditate to calm our minds, stilling and quietening ourselves to live more in the present moment. When we become present in the moment we start to learn and experience the fundamental truths to that which causes us to suffer

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Original inspirational Moral story

The Monk & The Grasshopper

Author Dhamma Tapasa*

Moral of the Story:

More Inspirational & Original Moral Stories

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