Tag: buddhism

If there’s an intrinsic benevolence behind our actions, I believe it’s best expressed through our individual voices. When I parrot someone else, the focus is misplaced—it shouldn’t be on words or appearance.  The focus should be on the underlying spirit. Get Kor’Thank here:  Kor’Thank:  Barbarian Valley Girl.  Get Echo Vol. 1 on Kindle here:  Vol.…

Taking responsibility for your subconscious (examining your behavior over time, taking the steps to adjust it as well as paying close attention to and managing your mood, the perceptual lens which will frame an event as opportunity or defeat) is how you direct your conscious experience. Get Kor’Thank here:  Kor’Thank:  Barbarian Valley Girl.  Get Echo…

Some say you must abolish desire to achieve happiness, but I think that’s nonsense.  We are born desiring breath, water, food, and a bunch of other things.  And as we grow, so do our desires. In my opinion, it is not desire that causes us pain, but a focus on lack of desired conditions. Daydreaming…

For decades, I practiced strict discipline, regimented logic, and ignored my feelings.  It wasn’t until I learned to listen to my feelings that I was able to truly enjoy whatever I was doing.  If I feel negative, I reach for the most positive feeling that still feels true, even if it’s still negative (i.e. going…

For me, “keeping the faith” oftentimes means that I stop caring. Because when I indulge in care that is built around lack—justifying my worry with supposed nobility—I’m focusing on the problem and not the solution.  Not caring allows me to recalibrate back into lightness and ease.  When it’s all said and done, aren’t we all…

With regards to perception, I’ve seen a few different models of reality.  Most people seem to subscribe to the Religious Model:  an obligation to fill out a checklist in order to attain peace/happiness.   The Transcendental Model implies there is no checklist, that your only choice is to turn your perception toward enjoyment and fulfillment…

I suspect that “Turn the other cheek” never meant burying your head in the sand while forcing a smile.  I suspect it was more along the lines of, “Acknowledge the problem, focus on the solution,” instead of focusing on the problem and acknowledging a solution. Get Kor’Thank here:  Kor’Thank:  Barbarian Valley Girl.  Get Echo Vol.…

When I’m tangled up in specifics, wrestling with frustration, focusing on my insignificance can be an extremely cathartic state of mind.  It can ease my tension, relax my perception, and expand my perception. The fate of the free world doesn’t hinge on my actions, and even if it does, I perform best when my inward…

We can’t always choose to be happy or not, but we can choose to move toward our happiest thought—the feeling of relief that comes with moving from fear to anger, from anger to frustration, from frustration to boredom (or acceptance), and to optimism and up from there. Get Kor’Thank here:  Kor’Thank:  Barbarian Valley Girl.  Get…

For the longest time, I thought that accepting my circumstances was settling for less. But that’s not true—acceptance frees me to relax and enjoy, and opens my mind to future possibility:  “Wouldn’t it be nice if…”  without a focus on the lack of it.  The key is being easy and light, and re-focusing on the…