A special moment indeed. Feeling rather proud that my little stories of morality and life lessons have relieved 500 likes.
A massive THANK YOU to everyone thats taken the time to press that like button or share with your friends.
Here’s to the next 500 likes!
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.
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
*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.
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
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.
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.
*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.
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.
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.
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
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
Edited by Sophie Mars
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
*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.
It’s been quite a while since I posted an update as to myself, Dhamma Tāpasā and my faithful companion Marley Moo, we were about to embark once again on our walking or wanderings then the coronavirus struck everyone, first Asia then Europe and then followed by the rest of the world, everywhere went into lockdown.
Marley and myself have been in Portugal for the last few years, a wonderful country full of inquisitive hospitable and extremely tolerant people who have slowly stolen my heart. This post is not going to try and be all political or which countries have done better than others. All I know is this has been an extraordinary world event that has caused massive amounts of suffering. Nowhere and no one on our awesome planet has been left untouched by this one event.
This is more of what we marley Moo and myself Dhamma Tāpāsa have been doing during this time. How a monk, living a simple and austere life has managed to survive.
As someone who relies on the kindness of strangers for food and our basic needs, corona and the lockdown effect has been an interesting journey. At first I tried treating the lockdown as an extended retreat and continued meditating as if I was on a rains period. We were extremely lucky to be living on 88 hectares of land during the winter months and continued to stay during corona, allowing me and Marley to also spend long days walking. We have of course had our ups and downs just like everyone, but understanding the reality of seeing the impermanence in everything we knew this too shall pass.
As lockdown eased slightly we started to wander a little further each day, always returning to our chosen base. We have struggled money wise and have lost our internet connection for, sometimes, long periods at a time. It has been difficult to fund this website or keep it regularly updated as library’s shut to the public. Even now trying to organise enough time on the internet to revamp the website after a disastrous change of service caused page crashes and broken links, but we are managing slowly, just like the rest of humanity, to get back to normality.
We have been extremely lucky here in Portugal and have seen relatively low numbers of people infected. Even with these low numbers there are hundreds and thousands of people who are suffering greatly. My heart goes out to everyone, around the world as we all try and get to grips with this changing world.
As someone who practices meditation everyday, I would highly recommend at least giving this new age, hippy dippy, concept a go. Not only will your anxiety and stress reduce, it will help us all become calmer and more tolerant of people and our surroundings. Just the simple task of sitting comfortably and closing our eyes for ten minutes will have a tremendous effect on our well being. Meditation for Beginners is a great place to start if your contemplating dipping you toe into this wonderful exercise of mindfulness.
We would still like to continue our walking and maybe one day soon the conditions will be just right again for us to do just that. As for the moment myself and Marley Moo have wandered and travelled away from our sanctuary of 88 hectares in Portugal’s Algarve and have moved a little further to central Portugal and close to the Estrella mountains. We have a couple of friends here and will use this area as a base for the foreseeable future.
We really can see first hand how dangerous this virus really is, not just as a disease that can kill and cause millions of us to die, but the act of social distancing on our mental health, frightened to see older parents in case we pass on a disease. People scared to go to hospital for normal regular stuff, the loss of work and income for millions of families around the world and small business, the push for a cashless society so small independent people can be controlled and monitored more easily. Corporations begging for bailouts to save even more loss of jobs. Unprecedented times indeed.
There are millions and millions more people who our suffering greatly in this time than the actual disease will kill. We are asked to care for a system so that it can care for us, and by doing so must self isolate, social distance and loose household income. It has created a divide between old and young, different nations, different politics and even caused differences of opinion amongst friends and family. This one event we all share in common has and is causing more suffering to millions than anything in my living history.
This is a very very scary time and I urge each and everyone to take time to breath, meditate and relax. Take a look at your life values and reassess your ideas, dreams and look at what is truly important for you.
Kind regards
To help support Dhamma Tāpasā and Marley Moo with this website and the creation of unique Motivational Moral Stories perhaps you could help by donating the price of a coffee or cost of a newspaper using this PayPal Link below.
Please note that Dhamma Tāpasā is a real life Monk and the spiritual name of Andrew Hallas, I have been continuously using my spiritual name Dhamma Tāpasā, the name given to me upon full ordination as a Buddhist monk in Northern Thailand, however it wasn’t until I needed a bank account did I realise I had to use my birth name as well..
The world has seen its fair share of spiritual teachers, as tribal groups there would always be someone we could seek advice, the shaman, witch doctors and wise sages. As humanity settled into greater societies we developed philosophy, meditation, and ever more sophisticated ways of exploring the mind and our consciousness. We have consistently and constantly throughout time sought advice from others. 
This ever changing impermanent world we populate has given rise to some amazing Guru’s, sages, philosophers and spiritual teachers through out the centuries. We have seen the birth of Socrates, Aristotle, the Buddha, Jesus Christ and Confucius to name just a mere few of these wonderful people who shared there knowledge and understanding to help others.
Today’s spiritual teacher or guru can, as always, be difficult to separate from the hum drum of the real world. Some ask us to invest our time and energy into something they say produce staggering results in next to no time, but at a cost. Some seem to walk the walk or talk the talk but seldom practice that which they preach. 
There are of course in the 21st century some wonderful teachers out there, it just may seem a little crowded with wanna be YouTube stars, or Pinterest and Facebook hero’s quoting or misquoting life lessons, people who may have little to no life experience.
Before I became an ordained Buddhist Monk in North Thailand I went through many frustrating years following the advice of one teacher then the next, only to find my own life experience differed from those teachings.
I travelled in search of answers looking first towards South America and the Indian shaman’s, who taught me that The Earth is our Mother. I ventured further and sought out our ancestral roots within Africa, finding some of the indigenous tribes people still left who taught me wisdom doesn’t come from school.
After all this searching, as if by chance, I met a simple Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, one of the greatest spiritual teachers alive today. Thanks to his wonderful compassion, wisdom and guidance, I found my search for a teacher over. Every word he spoke to me resonated deep within my soul, sparking a realisation I had been seeking for years.
I really hope you find your spiritual teacher, someone that can also spark that magic Thich Nhat Hanh did for me. To help you out we thought it might be useful for a small list of trustworthy people, alive today, who really do know there stuff. Please feel free to help with any suggestions, someone special to you. Click on the highlighted name for more information.
Is a Buddhist monk who set up Plum village monastery in France, as well as many others. He was nominated for the noble peace prize and a prolific author of some 100 books. A true real life saint.
A trained Buddhist monk under the tutelage of Ajahn Chah, one of the original 1960’s hippy trail travellers caving a path towards a spiritual East. A wonderful author of many many enlightening books of meditation and mindfulness.
Indian born American spiritual author, public speaker and advocate of alternative medicine, and a celebrated author in the self help category
Jamaican born Mooji is a spiritual guru filled with loving kindness. He became a spiritual teacher in 1999 when a group of spiritual seekers became his students, and began to produce books, CDs, and videos of his teachings
Is a British born Australian Buddhist monk from the Thai forest tradition and tutored under the auspicious Ajahn Chah. He now resides in Perth, Australia and Abbot Of Bodhinyana Monastery, a wonderfully entertaining and funny speaker and lecturer.
The 14th Dalai Lama, born as Tenzin Gyatso and is the current spiritual leader of Tibet. Tenzin was born in the small village of Taktser in Tibet and became the spiritual leader at the tender age of 15 years old. A remarkable man of humble origins.
My life dramatically changed after meeting Thich Nhat Hanh and from that moment onwards. I committed wholeheartedly to practice meditation and mindfulness and discover the workings of my own mind. I travelled to Asia and ordained as a Buddhist monk, a journey that took many years in itself, I spent many happy years living and training in meditation and mindfulness within the monastic surroundings of Thailand.
I decided to return to Europe, where I wander the countryside with my adopted street dog Marley Moo, together we teach and write moral stories, however it has come at the cost of loosing all monetary assistance from my monastery. This caused a few problem and made me question my beliefs and ideas, I am now in my 12th year, or 12th rains, as a Monk and I spend my days in continuous practice of the discovery of myself. It is again only by chance I find myself now in the position where it is I who can give back.
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Kind regards
