As a man rereading Alex Kerr’s book on the Heart Sutra for a third consecutive time (and now memorizing it) this post was right up my alley - and my favorite of your posts so far señor. Good work.
I only just now realized that that is what Bandit is worrying about on that day on the beach. The job, the house and what to do. Thank you. That show keeps blowing my socks off.
I'm not a dad, but I really loved reading this. I find your work so comforting and keep sending your writing to my husband and my dad :) I just ordered the Bhagvad Gita too. We love Bluey at our house! Thank you for your kind and wise words today. Not sure why but they made me cry in a really nice way. I think a lot about all the things I want to change about motherhood and I love getting your perspective on fatherhood. Thank you for what you do.
I am almost entirely unnerved by how my general discontent with living is addressed by this. I was told recently by a beloved and trusted teacher that my latest quandary, which has taken me a good number of years to find the language to articulate, is simply a thought I’m having and not categorically true because of that. “So let it go and find new thoughts.” It’s bewildering to me the sense of ownership and identification we develop with what we feel is true (especially when we have to work a long time to discover it). The distortion and discontent that can come with this can be fatal. Is it a feeling? Is it a thought? Where do I begin and end with those two aspects of my soul (if I can call some ineffable part of me that)?
Natalie Wynn recently shared her readings of Laozi’s Tao Te Ching and what helpful ideas she has encountered therein. I’m wary of western orientalist readings of eastern cultural artifacts (especially for self-help reasons), but one new thought I have returned to more than twice is this: “He who clings to his work will create nothing that endures. If you want to accord with the Tao, just do your job, then let go."
The theme of today’s newsletter really struck me as another similar idea that I (re)heard from The Lord of the Rings recently:
Frodo says, "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened".
Gandalf responds, "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us".
It’s easy to get distracted or down with our lot in life or how someone has had greater fortune than ourselves, but ultimately it’s up to you to decide how you’ll deal with something.
What Gandalf said has been going through my mind a lot the last month or so and the quotes in today’s newsletter built upon that in a good way. Thank you.
"There’s nothing like that feeling of looking down at your kid and thinking, 'Hmm, we should probably fast-forward this bit.'"
When your 3 y/o asks to watch a docu about crocodiles...
As a man rereading Alex Kerr’s book on the Heart Sutra for a third consecutive time (and now memorizing it) this post was right up my alley - and my favorite of your posts so far señor. Good work.
I only just now realized that that is what Bandit is worrying about on that day on the beach. The job, the house and what to do. Thank you. That show keeps blowing my socks off.
I'm not a dad, but I really loved reading this. I find your work so comforting and keep sending your writing to my husband and my dad :) I just ordered the Bhagvad Gita too. We love Bluey at our house! Thank you for your kind and wise words today. Not sure why but they made me cry in a really nice way. I think a lot about all the things I want to change about motherhood and I love getting your perspective on fatherhood. Thank you for what you do.
I am almost entirely unnerved by how my general discontent with living is addressed by this. I was told recently by a beloved and trusted teacher that my latest quandary, which has taken me a good number of years to find the language to articulate, is simply a thought I’m having and not categorically true because of that. “So let it go and find new thoughts.” It’s bewildering to me the sense of ownership and identification we develop with what we feel is true (especially when we have to work a long time to discover it). The distortion and discontent that can come with this can be fatal. Is it a feeling? Is it a thought? Where do I begin and end with those two aspects of my soul (if I can call some ineffable part of me that)?
Natalie Wynn recently shared her readings of Laozi’s Tao Te Ching and what helpful ideas she has encountered therein. I’m wary of western orientalist readings of eastern cultural artifacts (especially for self-help reasons), but one new thought I have returned to more than twice is this: “He who clings to his work will create nothing that endures. If you want to accord with the Tao, just do your job, then let go."
Yeah, that line is something. Thank you for getting it in the mix here.
The theme of today’s newsletter really struck me as another similar idea that I (re)heard from The Lord of the Rings recently:
Frodo says, "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened".
Gandalf responds, "So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us".
It’s easy to get distracted or down with our lot in life or how someone has had greater fortune than ourselves, but ultimately it’s up to you to decide how you’ll deal with something.
What Gandalf said has been going through my mind a lot the last month or so and the quotes in today’s newsletter built upon that in a good way. Thank you.
Another dot to connect together! Thanks for sharing it