📝 Noirin's Essays
Written essays and reflections by Noirin Sheahan, co-founder of Satipanya Buddhist Retreat. Short essays on practice, post-surgery reflections, and a series on climate change ethics from a Buddhist perspective.
Short Essays
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17 min readA deeply personal memoir tracing Noirin's spiritual journey from childhood Catholic rosary practice to Buddhist awakening and her 70th birthday retreat.
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2 min readA mindful exploration of eating breakfast, revealing insights into suffering, impermanence, and the transformative power of present-moment awareness.
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5 min readA vivid first-person account of working with intense physical pain during meditation, discovering how resistance and anticipation amplify suffering.
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2 min readA personal exploration of the earth element in Buddhist practice, revealing how letting go of mental fixations opens us to embodied wisdom and truth.
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2 min readA candid exploration of how irritation and self-righteousness can hijack our good intentions, and practical ways to cultivate authentic mettā through mindful awareness.
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2 min readExploring how loving-kindness practice can heal deep-seated anger and resentment, even when the heart feels completely closed to goodwill.
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9 min readAn exploration of the Noble Eightfold Path as the way to end dukkha, examining its three divisions: wisdom, morality, and concentration.
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2 min readA deeply personal exploration of the challenging journey from intellectual fascination with not-self to the visceral reality of encountering anattā in meditation practice.
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3 min readA personal account of taking temporary ordination as a Buddhist nun, exploring the challenges and insights that arise from stepping into the robes and receiving a new Dhamma name.
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7 min readA personal account of undertaking three 3-month retreats over a year, exploring the challenges of intensive practice and returning to daily life.
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4 min readA reflective exploration of returning home from retreat, examining how attachments reassert themselves and finding wisdom in the transition between formal practice and daily life.
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2 min readNoirin explores how suffering originates in mental reactions rather than physical sensations, and how meditation reveals separate sense spheres that offer refuge from mental turmoil.
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2 min readA personal reflection on discovering wildflowers at Satipanya, exploring how encounters with nature teach us about greed, aversion, and mindful appreciation.
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2 min readA reflective essay on using seasonal changes as a gateway to understanding the four elements and embodied awareness in meditation practice.
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2 min readPractical wisdom for navigating uncertainty and expectations during challenging times, using Buddhist insights about anattā and mindful acceptance.
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2 min readNoirin explores using transitions as spiritual opportunities, applying mindfulness to expectations and attachments as we move from withdrawal back into social engagement.
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3 min readExploring how the 'external' practice in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta serves as an embodied form of loving-kindness meditation through awareness of others.
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3 min readPractical guidance on cultivating full awareness during ordinary daily activities, from walking to work to simple household tasks.
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3 min readExploring the Satipaṭṭhāna practice of noting 'There is a body' to heal our complex relationship with embodied existence.
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2 min readExplores the Buddha's humanity and how true liberation manifests through compassion and wisdom in ordinary life, not transcendent bliss.
Post-Surgery Essays
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6 min readA profound reflection on facing major cancer surgery through the lens of Dhamma practice, exploring how illness becomes a messenger teaching impermanence and surrender.
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18 min readA deeply personal reflection on living without speech after laryngectomy, exploring grief, identity, and the Dhamma teachings found in physical disability.
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5 min readA personal reflection on how mindfulness transforms irritation and self-pity into deeper understanding and compassion during challenging moments of daily life.
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4 min readA meditation on finding peace through darkness following laryngectomy surgery, exploring how physical trauma can deepen spiritual understanding.
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4 min readA deeply personal account of adapting Dhamma teaching methods after laryngectomy surgery, finding creative ways to share Buddhist wisdom despite voice challenges.
Climate Change Essays
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32 min readSix adaptive ethical maxims drawn from bioethics experience to guide moral living through climate collapse and environmental devastation.
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3 min readExploring ethical maxims for facing climate change with Buddhist wisdom, examining how Dhamma principles can guide us through environmental crisis.
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3 min readExplores parallels between Buddhist contemplation of death and accepting climate change's environmental and social impacts through mindful engagement with nature.
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3 min readExplores radical hope (saddha) as Buddhist trust that transcends outcomes, preparing us spiritually for climate change challenges through mindfulness practice.
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3 min readNoirin Sheahan explores developing resolve (adhiṭṭhāna) through practicing ethical boundaries, using New Year resolutions to strengthen our capacity to uphold moral principles under pressure.
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3 min readExploring how climate anxiety can become a pathway to transcendence through the Buddhist teaching of Transcendent Dependent Arising.
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3 min readExploring how Buddhist mind-body training prepares us for climate-related despair through breathing practices, physical preparation, and transcending ego limitations.