Weaving Blue Canvas
Alex Wilding

What this essay is for

Although I am not highly qualified, I have been on the "Buddhist scene" for quite some time. My interest in Buddhism goes back to the early 1960s, and it is 25 years since I took refuge and "officially" became a Buddhist. I've done some practice, a bit of retreat, received teachings from some famous masters, done my time in administration and read quite a lot of books; I even obtained a research degree in the subject (MPhil, Leicester, 1979)! Over the years, therefore, I've picked up an impression of the kind of questions that often worry people. This essay is meant to offer some answers to a few of them. It is not intended to present the "first steps in Buddhism" - there are enough of those already, such as the very clear teachings presented by KTD, over in New York State, and the teachings at Samye Ling in Scotland. But what I do rather hope is that it might provide a few suggestions as to how to pick yourself up the first few times you trip over.