Frank Liddy was a driving forces in the Twinbrook Residents Association in the seventies and eighties, taking a break for a short period to try his hand as a saxophonist in a punk band, before embracing the study of Zen Buddhism and mindfulness.
He has over 35 years’ practice-based experience with mindfulness programmes that have helped to transform the lives of many people across Ireland.
Frank is the co-founder of the Black Mountain Zen Centre and Compassionate City Belfast. He now lives in North Belfast but a return to Twinbrook is on the cards.
THERE'S a wonderful zen story that I heard some years back told by my good friend and great Zen teacher Paul Haller on one of his many visits to his native Belfast.
THE truth is that communities do grow, especially when it comes to the Colin Neighbourhood Partnership allotments. On Monday evening myself and my good friend Sean Carlin attended a meeting which was hosted by the community driving force Annie Armstrong, a legend in her own right.
ZEN master Wu Kwan’s book 'Open Mouth Already a Mistake' is a favourite of mine to read and is a true classic along with Suzuki Roshi's 'Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind'.
A COUPLE of weeks ago I attended a conference on the New Script and there I heard our local poet, Cathy Carson, recite her heart-rending poem, Praying.
IT'S a long way from the sad days of gunfire down Dover Street towards St Comgall’s school to today where that same venue is now a community treasure.
YOU know you are in good company and in a safe place when you are in the in the same venue as Marie Query, our home grown healer for the healers, a wonderful therapist and great a friend to all in Belfast and beyond.
EARLIER this week I listened to a YouTube talk given by an inspirational lady, Barbara Whelan, who is the co-founder of Silent Voices, an initiative of Alcohol Action Ireland.
When it comes to mindfulness practice, mindfulness of speech is very important. Words are powerful and can be beneficial or deleterious.
A Sunday well spent brings a week of content. I love my Sunday morning time carving out my weekly column. As I reflect over the week, what comes to mind is the sweet music that abounds in our city, from the street buskers to the outdoor festival stages and the concert halls.
BEING a Buddhist, one thing I’m guaranteed to be asked is 'Do you believe in God?' My usual reply is that I myself asked the same question of my mentor some years ago and his reply was in two parts.
Every year we make a resolution to change ourselves.This year I will make a resolution to be myself. (Author unknown.)
THINGS are easier said than done, as we know from past experience. Promises followed by broken promises, what we said we would do and didn’t do.
'TIS the season to be jolly and it’s also a season of illusion and delusion. Personally speaking, I believe we need to wake up to what’s going around us.
THERE once was a woman who lost her baby and her grief was such that she couldn’t believe that her child was dead. She brought the baby to holy men and women – gurus – in hopes of her baby being brought back to life. Each of them told the woman that there was nothing that they could do for her child.
Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside, oh, I do like to be beside the sea. I’m not sure if there is another place in the world like Bangor City, or should I say the city of Bangor?