As a creator, I’ve spent many years condemning the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for creative works; perhaps subconsciously out of my own existential fear of becoming irrelevant. I, like most other creators, thought AI was some sort of creative-abomination here to take away our jobs; rather than enhance our current way of doing things.
Read MoreWhat’s outside of the universe?
Everything we see, experience, interact with and observe is all contained within this unified system called the universe. Every molecule, compound, chemical, star cluster, black hole, blade of grass, animal, and even consciousness itself, is all contained within the universe.
Read MoreHow would you know what a “thing” is if you had no words to define it?
If there were no words for pain, love, fear, happiness, doubt, joy, yin, yang, how would you know what “it” is?
Language is how we both create and perceive the world around us. “Things” are only “real” because we can define them.
Read MoreAt the heart of the entire Practice of Meditation is Discipline. Discipline, broken down, is knowing what you must do in that moment (despite your thoughts and feelings) and doing it.
I need to go for a run. But I’ll be so tired after.
I need to eat better. But the desserts look more tasty.
I need to study for this exam. But this show is so tempting.
At its lowest level, these are just the three planes of existence. However, at its highest level, these are planes to help you achieve self-mastery; for, what else is more important to master in this transient life than your self?
Read MoreEach morning (typically from Monday to Friday) we all wake up and “get ready for work.”
Most likely, you’ll take a shower; change your clothes; eat some food; then head over to your car or local transit station (unless you work remote, in which case you’d just open your laptop).
Read MoreSo, which of the 5 tiers is the most important? None of them. Instead of thinking of them in a hierarchal fashion, think of them more like different tools in your toolbox. Some days you need Yoga; some days you need Buddhism; some days you need Zen; some days you need Tantra; and some days you need to accept everything for what it is and reside in the Tao.
Read MoreWhen we talk about Mastery, we often think about an endpoint. Some moment in time in which there is nothing left to learn because we have completed every task and unlocked every achievement within a specific skillset. Whether it’s cooking, tennis, basketball, martial arts, or yoga, we all think that the point of Mastery is some magical endpoint in which all learning stops.
Read MoreAlong the path of life, we developed a massive amount of anxiety from a myriad number of obligations that we had collected and could not drop or easily forget about. We spent the first third of our life gathering things which now served as the foundation for the rest of our lives; things which expected things from us and things that we could not ignore.
Read MoreHave you ever noticed that when you’re watch an action movie, your heart begins to race and your adrenaline goes up? Or when you’re listening to classical music, your mood starts to mellow? Or when you’re watching a mountain climbing documentary, you suddenly feel inspired?
Read MoreAstute practitioners of yoga (and Hinduism, for that matter—since they both come from the same tree) know that the primary objective is to escape the endless cycle of death and rebirth (Reincarnation) and achieve Moksha (Liberation).
Taken more allegorically, this can be better understood as escaping the endless cycle of death and rebirth in relation to one’s own suffering, or (more accurately) trauma.
Read MoreOftentimes, we don’t even realize that our ideas are so intertwined with our identity that we mistake one for the other. Because of this, we tend to become hostile whenever someone begins to challenge or reject our currently held view; believing that they are somehow attacking us, not the idea.
Read MoreAs a professional marketer, I’ve often been asked about the best way to grow an online following (so much so, that I’ve actually decided to put this up online as a reference so I don’t have to keep answering the same question over and over again, haha).
Read MoreFar too often we can becomes so overly fixated on the granular differences between ourselves and others that we fail to see the forest for the trees.
Read MoreAs someone who has also spent a lot of time pursuing more esoteric disciplines (Martial Arts, Yoga, Meditation, Shamanism, Zen), these fields are less focused on Semantic Learning (though there is still some degree of that) and are more driven by Motor Learning.
Read MoreIt’s the same function that governs things like: when your dentist appointment is coming up, all of a sudden you start seeing dentist signs everywhere. Or, a friend tells you about the new model of Tesla and you start seeing that same model drive past you everywhere on the road.
Read MoreIf I asked you to conjure up an image in your mind of the most spiritual person you can think of, you’ll probably think up a silent Zen Monk sitting under a tree; or perhaps you’ll imagine Buddha; or see an image of Christ. All universally accepted examples of highly spiritual individuals, but I contest that each of these spiritual individuals pales in comparison to a true Martial Artist.
Read MoreMy thought, much like Jigoro Kano’s thought (he used swim-rankings as inspiration for why he introduced ranks into his system), is that students at different levels need similar training partners and groups in order to focus their attention properly.
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