Buddha Matrix

23/02/2022

dear friends

It has been a long time since I posted anything on here. Some of you may have wondered where I had disappeared to.

So here’s a brief explanation of what’s been happening.

Early in 2020, I had a wonderful visit to Thailand, where I was welcomed and hosted by Danny Taylor and friends and colleagues. I met many great people, and was able to share some of the things that I do.

Unfortunately, the covid-19 pandemic was closing in around the world and I realised I had to cut my trip short. Flights were being cancelled, and borders closed and it was touch and go whether I would make it back to the UK at that time. I had two flights with different airlines cancelled, and ended up having an overnight wait in Moscow airport. Half of the flights the next morning were cancelled and I met an Indian man who had been stranded at the airport for 5 days trying to catch a flight home to India. Eventually I made it back home to Brighton, but somewhere on that return journey I caught covid-19.

The actual virus wasn’t too bad for me, like normal flu pretty much. But a month or so after I had largely recovered, my health crashed and I found myself with what is now called Long Covid. I had to stop doing everything for some time. And then, after several months, I slowly began to recover. Recovery was slowed due to having to take care of my mum who’s health was declining. It has only been in the last few months that I have felt mostly back to normal physically.

So apologies for my absence. It’s been a strange time for all of us. I hope to be able to reconnect with many of you one way or another in the coming months.

Love to you all

17/12/2019

04/10/2019

Coming up in the next two months: a workshop on the Bardo at Into the Wild Samhain Festival 1-3rd November in East Sussex; a weekend of two workshops in Swansea 23rd/24th November, a workshop in Stroud on 1st December. More details to follow

11/09/2019

Workshop with Jonny at Into the Wild Festival in August

Into the Wild Festival 2019

11/09/2019

Into the Wild Festival 2019

15/08/2019

06/01/2019

I will soon be offering my next online course exploring the realms of awareness and non-duality. Starting in the second half of February, the 100 Day Challenge will be intense, engaging and transformative. If you think you might be interested check out the post. I'm intending to run 3 or 4 of these courses through this year. Contact me for more details.

28/08/2018

This autumn I will be running an online course that is intended to provide ideal conditions for radical transformation. The basis of the course will be a variety of meditations and awareness exercises, taught and guided by me, group meetings, discussions etc, as well as individual guidance and mentoring. If this might be of interest then read more details below...

Searching for a greater contentedness, joy, aliveness and a pervading sense of connectedness/oneness with life? You may have had some kind of contemplative practice for years, decades even, but feel that you haven’t made the breakthrough you hoped for, or you just know there is more to do. Or you may be relatively new to any kind of search or practice, but feel that this is what you want, that you are ready to focus on deep transformation and are looking for ways to help you move towards that.

This course will consist of live weekly online group meetings, regular Question and Answer sessions, a wide variety of techniques and exercises to practise in your own time, and one to one online sessions with Jonny.
The live group meetings will feature instruction and guidance on various practices and approaches to awareness and non-duality, collective practice, opportunities to share and discuss personal experience, ask questions and so on.
The main emphasis throughout will be on practical engagement, exercises and practices to try each day, backed up by some background and theoretical perspective.

Included will be body practices that ground us and enable us to be fully present with whatever is happening in our experience in the present moment; heart based practices to expand our sense of connectedness with others and with life; insight type practices to untangle the knot of our deep conditioning and unconscious impulses, as well as to shine a clear and penetrating light on the deeper reality of our experience; awareness based exercises to allow ourselves to be both fully in the normal day to day activities of our lives, while also reaching into infinite spaciousness.

The intake of the course is deliberately small to allow for personal interaction both within the group and with the guide and teacher, Jonny Baker. As it will require full engagement for the duration of the 100 days, participation is by arrangement only and initially requires a personal meeting with Jonny in person or via online video.
The 100 Day Challenge will be intense, profound and potentially life-changing. Ultimately the aim of the challenge is to create the best conditions to enable each person to bring about a fundamental and permanent shift in consciousness, radically changing their relationship to themselves and their life. Prepare to be inspired, engaged, woken up!

to enquire, contact jonny baker:
email: buddhamatrix@yahoo.co.uk
phone: +447758518411
or message here on facebook

21/08/2018

coming soon

01/06/2018

This Sunday I am doing two Sessions introducing Meditation and Mindfulness at Essence in Hove, East Sussex. The post says £5 but I'm offering each session free to anyone who asks 🙂

This Sunday is...Taster Day!

02/05/2018

There’s loads of information about Wim Hof online including this Ted talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9Cgaa8U4eY

TEDxAmsterdam - Wim Hof is a Dutch world record holder, adventurer and daredevil, commonly nicknamed the Iceman for his ability to withstand extreme coldness...

02/05/2018

dear friends, it’s been a while since I have posted anything on this page. Last autumn I found myself getting increasingly tired and very quickly I was struggling with quite a range of symptoms which made life increasingly hard work. It meant I just dropped any plans for teaching I had for the last 2/3 months of 2017 and the beginning of this year. Whatever was going on remains unexplained, but the symptoms started to lift quite dramatically when I started practising something known as the Wim Hof Method. Some of you may have heard of Wim Hof - ‘The Iceman’ - a wonderful Dutch man who has confounded science with his ability to withstand cold and consciously affect his autonomic nervous system. His method is a fairly simple combination of specific pranayama - breathing exercises - yoga, and cold water immersion. The last bit is usually what puts people off, including me, but it’s introduced really gradually so that it is relatively easy to get used to.

Anyway it has had a tremendously beneficial effect on me. Now I am back after a couple of months away, including time on personal retreat in India and Nepal. I am getting back to teaching and hope to have events to announce soon. Love to everyone x

29/07/2017

“The state we call realization is simply being oneself, not knowing anything or becoming anything. If one has realized, he is that which alone is, and which alone has always been. He cannot describe that state. He can only be That. Of course we loosely talk of self-realization for want of a better term.
That which 'Is' is peace. All that we need do is to keep quiet. Peace is our real nature.”

- Ramana Maharshi

27/07/2017

“Your own heart is the living place of the Universe’s essence.”

“The Sea
Will be the Sea
Whatever the drop's philosophy.”

- Farid ud-Din Attar

27/07/2017

“Once the awakening of pure awareness arises within the vortex of emptiness, conflicting emotions can no longer obscure it, but instead become its ornaments.

The unalterable realization of this view, which has no birth, duration or cessation, is accompanied by an enlightened consciousness that observes the movement of thoughts as a serene old man regards children playing. Confused thoughts cannot affect pure awareness any more than a sword can pierce the sky.

‘Lady Peldarbum said to Milarepa:

When I meditated on the ocean,
My mind was very comfortable.
When I meditated on the waves,
My mind was troubled.
Teach me to meditate on the waves!

The great yogi responded:

The waves are the movement of the ocean.
Leave them to calm themselves in its vastness.’

Thoughts are the play of pure awareness. They arise within it and dissolve back into it. To recognize pure awareness as the very source of thought is to recognize that our thoughts have never begun, continued or ceased to exist. At that point, thoughts can no longer trouble the mind.
As long as we run after our thoughts, we are like a dog chasing a stick. Each time we throw the stick, he runs after it. If we look at the enlightened consciousness instead, the source of our thoughts, we will see that each thought arises and dissolves in the space of that consciousness, without engendering other thoughts. Then we will be like a lion, which does not chase after the stick, but turns to face the thrower. You can throw a stick at a lion only once.”

- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

07/06/2017

“Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world.”

― Ramana Maharshi

24/05/2017

Free Introduction to Mindfulness at Essence this Thursday 25th May 7-8pm & next Thursday 1st June 7-8pm with Jonny!

Mindfulness is a natural human quality, the ability to pay attention to your experience in the present moment without judgement. It enables us to be more aware of stressful situations and how we respond to them. As you develop more awareness you can find that your responses change and stressful situations become easier to deal with. Anxiety tends to develop through repeatedly thinking about situations and events we fear, but mindfulness counteracts this by allowing you to be more present and less caught up in thoughts about the past and future. You can learn not to identify with thoughts and feelings and so become less affected by the things that would previously cause fear, anxiety, and so on. These free sessions are a clear and practical introduction to the principles and practice of Mindfulness.

Book on the course with reception now, as places are limited...
Tel: 01273 738389
Email: info@essencehove.com