I recently watched a documentary about Carlos Castaneda, the legendary anthropologist who sold millions of novels about his experiments with Mexican Shamanism. I love Castaneda's universe and … [Read more...]
Champagne VS Bullshit
If it's not called Champagne, but "sparkling wine", you can tell something's been lost. Same thing if it's called "Mindfulness Meditation" and not Samatha or Vipassana (the original Buddhist … [Read more...]
How not to go completely Berserk
I live in New York city. Here everybody hustles. For the non-native english speakers (like me), Hustling means running around trying to make money, one way or another. "You gotta do what you … [Read more...]
In between the lines
I'm surprisingly cool when I wait in line. It sounds like a really arrogant thing to say but it's true, you'd probably feel comfortable queuing up with me. Even if I was right behind you and your … [Read more...]
True grit and awareness
It's right in front of you, but you avoid it all the time, often for lack of courage. "This" is called the present, it's what happens to you the moment it happens, whether it's a strange wave of … [Read more...]
Getting better at just being yourself
Today, I had to take the train, but the frakking train didn't come. I waited on the platform, feigning casualness as minutes passed, each one drawing me closer to missing my appointment. I … [Read more...]
How to attack anxiety with a chainsaw
I was laying down on the couch, brooding on my precarious financial situation, worrying about paying the taxes, worrying about the job market screwing me over again. The phone rang, I didn't pick … [Read more...]
3 meditation keys that work in daily life
The more I spend time meditating, the more it impacts my "regular" life: whether I'm squished in the subway on peak hour or on the phone trying to cancel a phone plan with a virtual assistant I see … [Read more...]
Emotional self-reliance
"If OK, then OK. If not OK, then OK anyway!" - An Indian man I met in the bus. That was a while ago. I had been working full time with a respected Buddhist teacher for two years and didn't notice any … [Read more...]
If it doesn’t hurt, watch out.
There's a very rare disease that fascinates me, it's called Congenital insensitivity to pain. CIP prevents you from feeling physical pain. You don't want to be born with that genetic … [Read more...]