Tag: Buddha

While it can’t be proven, I believe staying open and present is a pathway into existential transcendence–a way of dimming the illusion of space and time, and acknowledging information that isn’t held back by reductive categorizations, and/or potentially oppressive societal considerations.

I’ve tried to pin down whether existence is transactional (every gain must be paid for with suffering and/or inconvenience), or transcendent (everything I need is all around and within me, if I only relax and open myself to its presence). Maybe I’m a pollyanna, or maybe I’m just tired after trying out years of draining,…

I find it interesting how malleable my belief is, relative to whatever I’m feeling in the present moment. If I’m feeling positive, I truly believe in potential and possibility. If I’m feeling negative, hopelessness and cynicism taint everything I do. I work with this dynamic by focusing on allowance and validation of whatever I’m feeling,…

It’s easy to argue we’re stuck in a zero-sum existence. However, no one has definitively explained the nature of our reality, the fundamental truth behind consciousness, quantum phenomena, and whether or not we’re stuck in a simulation. In other words, there’s still a lot of wiggle room that allows us to choose our individual perspective.…

As much as my younger self would have argued and scoffed, I have come to believe the default state of the universe is positive and benevolent. Because when I succeed in emptying my mind, I don’t stay empty–a feeling of wellbeing inevitably follows, sometimes to the point of psychedelic bliss. But that isn’t definitive according…

Sometimes, I’ll get caught up in the idea that our lives are a series of exhausting transactions, an endless defense of our self-worth and value. Then I remember there’s enough metaphysical wiggle room to allow for the possibility we might be in a simulation, that we aren’t yet certain whether consciousness is a fluke of…

Due to the well-being that arises when my mind is empty, I’ve come to suspect that well-being is actually the default state–that it needn’t be justified or defended, and all that it requires is unobstructed passage to make itself felt. Or I could exist in an internal state of paranoia and sacrifice. Always justifying, always…

As time passes, I’ve seen “bad” things become good, and “good” things become bad. My takeaway is that I needn’t rush to condemn or praise, that I can focus more on enjoying the moment instead of obsessing over the score. From what I’ve seen of fulfillment, it doesn’t seem to be wedded to a checklist…

I like to think that any unpleasantness in my past has some potential benefit. With time and perspective, I like to think that negative outcomes can be shaped into something positive–they don’t have to be some evil ghost that lurks in the shadows and randomly messes with me. Their true purpose might be the polar…

Most prefer positivity, but opinions differ on whether to force it or be negative in the name of authenticity. When I force positivity, it feels like I’m a ceaseless ball of tension, everywhere from my muscles to my intrusive thoughts. When I deliberately justify or rationalize negativity, it grows and emboldens. In either case, I…