The Importance Of Discernment.

The importance of discernment.

So I’ve gotten a bunch of asks and tweets asking me whether or not we should be worried about the impending explosion of the largest volcano on Earth (which I happen to live very nearby). No, you should not.

This latest round of speculation was sparked by a YouTube video…yes, literally a single...

Hi there! I have a question. I think you are a very smart and enthusiastic when it comes to stuff you do. So I have been wondering how do you keep up the "I can study all of this and I have enough energy" attitude? I am trying to be always enthusiastic (medical student) because I always loved science but lately I am kinda NAH i dont feel like learning new stuff anymore and I don´t know how to motivate myself. Any advice? thanks anyway:) and have a nice day!

You shouldn’t aspire to be always enthusiastic - it’s a state of being that is quite impossible to constantly maintain and is an unrealistic expectation for yourself, as detrimental as wanting to look like skinny beautiful photo-shopped celebrities or the images that fast food companies put out of their mouth-watering foods. The truth is, I get totally bummed out sometimes. My job can be draining, confusing, and demanding on occasion. I’m in a new city and I miss my friends, familiarity.  I spend weekends on my couch alone zoned out on reddit when I know I should be reading, researching, proactively doing. I’m learning to accept that sometimes it’s completely okay to do nothing. Your body needs time to process what you’ve learned, to ingest the information, and most of all to contextualize it.

I can’t tell you how to motivate yourself because I don’t know you, but partially what motivates me is my own frustration. After a while I get frustrated that I’ve been doing nothing, dissatisfied with watching the world continue while I sit idly by, seeing events and discussions carrying on which I am ultimately then compelled to contribute to. And I pick myself up and rejoin the conversation, I meet someone to start a dialogue with, I begin participating in collaborations. I go outside. 

Don’t force yourself, and don’t feel guilty when you’re taking a break. You will last much longer if you don’t burn yourself out in the beginning. 

Hello! I was wondering about your opinion on how mental illnesses are viewed from a taoist perspective. As much as I love this philosophy and as much as it has influenced my life, sometimes I get the feeling that it doesn't really take mental illnesses into account and disregards them as "not working enough on yourself". Especially thinking about depression and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I don't know how to deal with these issues from a taoist perspective. Thank you in advance & have a good day!

Hi! I am so glad you asked this question because I think about this a lot. I suffer from anxiety and periods of depression, so I know how frustrating it can be. Taoism is actually one of the two main things that have helped me deal with it. I can’t think of anything in either the Tao Te Ching or the Chuang Tzu that specifically addresses mental illness, but I definitely don’t think that Taoism disregards it.

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Good words.

How to heal a broken heart?

Healing doesn’t mean going back to the way things were. Once broken, a heart never goes back to what it once was.

And that is a good thing.

A heart that hasn’t been broken is a heart that hasn’t been used.

The experience of this body and this world displays a whole array of phenomena from the wondrous beyond dreaming to the seemingly endless night of sorrow.

Any heart that genuinely exposes itself will be broken open.

If you wall the heart off and lock it away, the wounds fester and infect your sanity. But if you stay open with the wounded heart, taking care of it but not resisting and running away, then your communion with love becomes stronger than ever.

There is sadness but there is great love.

"There is no remedy for love but to love more." ~ Henry David Thoreau

A cut isn’t made to heal. You give it what you can and the healing happens in its own time. It is similar for the heart. You can’t force it to heal but you can give it what it needs.

Daily meditation and tonglen is the place to begin. I’d also recommend the book The Places That Scare You by Pema Chodron.

Namaste much love

I have a fear towards Islam. I get nightmares where an Islamic radical tries to kill me. This fear originated after moving to an Arab country where I live now. Despite having Muslim friends, I am still hateful towards the religion. How can I stop?

What you’re afraid of is terrorism and murder. Islam is simply a religion. 

You can hate on the followers of a religion, their misinterpretations, and their personal prejudices. But the religion itself is purely philosophy and doctrine. 

In my experience with Christianity and Islam, what you look for is what you find. If you are looking for archaic and even cruel philosophies, you will find aspects of that in their canonical texts. If you are looking for insightful and moving wisdom, you can find that too. 

I feel we live in an era that is incapable of being fully served by the religions of the past. While we may learn much from them, the future must come from the present. 

Much of that may depend on each and every one of us to discover our own paths. That is why I encourage meditation. It is like giving you a flashlight in the dark. Where you decide to go is up to you but at least you will be awake and aware. Your mind and heart will be healthy and in balance. 

You don’t have to approve of Islam or any other religion in order to be at peace with its presence and the presence of its followers.

My advice to you is to meditate daily. But also maybe to explore a bit of Islam’s mystical tradition called Sufism. There you will find a mysterious tradition of unknowable love. Read poetry by Rumi and Hafiz.

I find that when I have received some sort of wisdom from a religion, I can feel grateful for it. 

Namaste!