I want to point to just a handful of my favorite conversations from the Waking Up app. I’m not sponsored or anything like that. I just think it’s a great resource. Thanks goes to Sam Harris for creating such a valuable channel. If you’re interested in diving deep into self-understanding through the lens of meditation, … Read more
Back when I attended ten-day silent meditation retreats, I once met a man named Matt. Matt was a young man but an old student, experience which earned him a cushion at the front of the class. A newer student at the time, I sat in the back. I remember peeking around the Great Hall during … Read more
After three years of writing, I recently released my second book, True Nature.The art isn’t finished—I could have kept working on it for years.But there comes a time when something grabs ahold of us and says,You’ve held onto this for way too long.It’s time to let it go. Please, for your own sanity. I told … Read more
These last four years, I’ve kept a daily meditation practice inspired by my first vipassana meditation course in 2016. Here, I’ll discuss my personal experience with the technique, some important hindrances to manage on your path, and more recently, how I’m overcoming these hindrances by opening up to new ways of thinking and being. I … Read more
It is April of 2015, in the days leading up to a 2,650-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, when something called Vipassana is brought to my attention by my college fraternity brother and soon-to-be hiking partner, Bradley. He begins to explain these ten-day meditation retreats. My eyebrow raises. I think of meditation as a … Read more
You’ve reached a point in your life where you’re looking for change. You wish to create space for something new. Maybe a big decision looms but you aren’t sure what to do. Maybe you‘re a meditator and you’ve become too dependent on formal retreat centers and wish to regain your independence and sit outside in … Read more
In the Buddhist teaching, there are three primary characteristics of existence: impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and no-self. I’ve experienced these characteristics to varying depths and degrees in my practice of Vipassana, a body-scanning meditation technique and a Pali word meaning “to see clearly,” but no-self is far and away the most elusive insight of the bunch. No-self … Read more
When I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2015, I learned first-hand the importance of signs and maps. I relied on these references to guide me toward my goal and to stay informed on whether or not I was on the right track. Unfortunately, when the hike ended, so too did the maps. Such is … Read more
In ancient times, having power meant having access to information. Today, having power means knowing what to ignore. —Yuval Noah Harari THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTENTION My experience with attention is that it’s my most valuable resource. It’s even more valuable than my time because the quality of my time depends on the quality of my … Read more
So often I just wish that life went the way I wanted it to. Why can’t everything be perfect? That’s the way it should be, at least I think. After all, I’m doing my best. Meanwhile, here are these unwanted things happening to me and that’s never fun. Also, wanted things aren’t happening to me and I feel stuck, waiting … Read more