(Follow this link to see the January 2023 Priory Newsletter where this was recently published.)

The Chinese monk Budai (Hotei in Japanese) who is know as a manifestation of the Buddha that is to come, Maitreya.

This idea of listening, really listening form a place of stillness within us, keeps coming to mind as a practice I want to continue to work on, develop and encourage in the coming year. What is really being said in the environment around me? Can I hear the promptings of my own Deeper Self?

Here is a link to an interview with the poet Kwame Alexander which has within it a nice story about the value of listening. The part I am thinking of is at 18:40 to 23min. although the whole interview is worth listening to.

Think Out Loud Podcast: Poet and author Kwame Alexander’s new book tackles Ghana in the 1800s.