In the beginning....

After years of stumbling about blindly through life, making all the usual mistakes, I'd managed to find a kind of peaceful equilibrium. In the space of one year I'd gone from lonely single with loser tendancies to happy engaged-person with the kind of dynamic life I'd always dreamt about. It was at this point I thought I could stand a little spiritual growth. My partner, Big G, was unfamiliar with yoga and buddhism. Being the adventurous kind of guy he is, he took the plunge and got to grips with the basics. Here I was, thinking that I'd be the wise-and-knowledgable guide who would shepherd him through and show him the way. What happened instead was a good lesson in ego-awareness.

While I watched Big G discovering the joys of yoga and the buddhist philosophy I became accutely aware of how far I'd drifted from true practice. I'd forgotten what it was all about while thinking I knew it all! It was then I decided to go back to the beginning, to review, refresh, rethink and rediscover what it was that set me on fire in the first place. This year marks the 30th anniversary of my embracing Buddhism as my core tenet of belief. It seemed somewhat fitting to start here, with the principle values for a happy life. The Eight Fold Path describes the core principles to the Buddhist "middle way". By applying these concepts to the way you conduct your life you can manifest the kind of steady peaceful happiness I think we all seek. I decided to spend one month working with dedication on each of the eight principles. The first principle is "Right View"...............,