Sometimes we must take an exhalation through the written word. In this personal interlude, I share the challenges of balancing a career, an accelerated master’s program, and selling a home. By viewing our physical shelters as temporary structures of wood and nails, we can shift our focus to the only things that truly endure: our connections and our ability to remain an observer through life’s ups and downs. READ MORE
Tag: Zen philosophy
Purpose: Creating vs. Finding
We are conditioned to believe that purpose is a buried treasure waiting to be discovered. This belief creates immense pressure and attachment, leading to a life spent waiting for a “true calling” that may never arrive. By shifting our perspective from finding to creating, we can find peace in the mundane and value in the present moment, free from the ego’s demand for a grand destiny. READ MORE
Our Craving for Reason
We have evolved to seek patterns for survival, but that instinct has warped into a desperate need for destiny. From my professional perspective as a claims adjuster to the silent vastness of the cosmos, we explore why the ego fears randomness and how it uses “reason” as a shield against a lack of control. Act III begins with a simple truth: the stars do not shine for a reason other than to exist. When you drop the weight of “Why,” you finally find the freedom of “Is.” READ MORE
The Space Where ‘You’ Used to Be
We are like onions; we have many layers of identity, but there is nothing at the center. In this conclusion to Act II, we stand in the space where “you” used to be to realize that you are not your thoughts, your body, or your history. You are the observer through which the universe perceives itself. It is time to stop trying to be “someone” and start existing as the space where life happens. READ MORE
The Script is Not You
Don’t define your life based on a script that you didn’t even write. Others told you who you were and you listened to them, but now is your chance to break free. Awareness, not identification, reveals you are the open space in which stories appear and fade. If all of those borrowed scripts were false, if none of them were true, who remains? READ MORE
The Myth of Progress
We chase progress endlessly, but real peace comes from presence. Explore awareness, gratitude, and the illusion of advancement as Act I concludes. READ MORE
First Breath of Awareness
Between each breath lies a moment of stillness, not empty, but full of life. Awareness begins not as an achievement, but as a quiet noticing. READ MORE
Your Ego is Not Your Amigo
Discover how Zen views the ego as an illusion, contrast it with Freud’s model, and learn daily practices to live freely and more connected. READ MORE