If you’re a traditional spiritualist, you’ll have surely heard the adage “attachment is the root of all suffering.” Coined by the Buddha, the essence of this idea is that if you can remove all attachment from your life, you can remove all suffering as well. Albeit, quite extreme in its approach, there is actually a much more grounded way of approaching the elimination of all suffering through a contemporary lens.
Read MoreClassically, we’ve all been trained to believe that the path to Wisdom is a combination of Knowledge plus Experience (W = K + E). However, when really analyzing this model, there comes a point where you realize that the equation is dangerously incomplete.
Read MoreThe totality of life holds within it both good and bad; yin and yang; positive and negative; light and dark. However, when approaching spirituality through the more traditional (dare I say, “commercial” or “Western”) method, this level of idealism eventually results in the negative taking over the positive.
How come? Suppression.
Read MoreA short axiomatic breakdown, encoded in equation form, describing one of the primary mechanisms of action in life.
Capacity (what we can take on and manage) is directly proportional to the amount of Presence we can maintain in relation to Load (stress, anxiety, distraction, resistance, etc.).
Read MoreA central component in the brain’s anatomical make up, the primary purpose of the Amygdala is to serve as the major processing centre for one’s emotions. In essence, the Amygdala is our “Emotion Factory” where we generate either positive or negative emotions.
How does this all fit together? Well, interestingly enough, the Amygdala is actually highly sensitive to (you guessed it) sound!
Read MoreWhen examined far enough, there are actually only really two main traditions that dominate our society: the Vedic tradition and the Abrahamic one.
From these two roots sprang forth a giant tree with derivative branches known as Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism (for the former); and Judaism, Christianity and Islam (for the latter).
Read MoreDon’t get me wrong—black belts are great. We live in a hierarchal world, after all. However, for all true martial artists out there, meritocracy is the only real measure; and I guess you just have to ask yourself one thing: am I a martial artist, or am I someone who just practices martial arts?
Read MoreIf we’re talking instead about Martial Arts Philosophy, then that is a totally different story, with only one true winner standing out against the rest: The Tao of Jeet Kune Do.
Read MoreAs 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?
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