Zen Stoic Path Show: Recent Episodes
Victor Pierantoni
You are here because you believe that it is better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war.
You want to conquer your goals without sacrificing your well-being, while also enjoying the things that matter most -- like spending time with people you love and pursuing your interests without guilt.
The Zen Stoic Path will guide you along the path to unshakable inner peace. You’ll be ready to conquer any challenge life throws your way -- while being peacefully present to each moment.
This unique approach blends the timeless wisdom of Zen Buddhism and Stoic philosophies--while integrating modern techniques of emotional mastery.
As you embark upon this journey with us, you can apply thousands of years of lessons...to improve your life today.
If you’re ready to: Walk the path of your highest contribution so you genuinely feel fulfilled Make decisions with precision and confidence, without wavering Have time to relax or pursue your creative gifts...guilt-free Be fully present with the ones you love, so your connections continually grow
The Zen Stoic Podcast will give you the power to use your emotions as a compass to guide you to supreme liberation. Nearly 100,000 listeners have benefited from this wisdom, and you can too.
Create unshakeable inner peace with the Zen Stoic Path today.
In this episode of the Zen Stoic Path, I discuss Marcus Aurelius's concept of the rational soul.
Philosophy is a tool that allows us to craft our character. Our job to to look honestly at ourselves, ask the hard questions, and change what doesn't serve us.
These are the 8 attributes of the rational soul.
Connect with me on Instagram at https://instagram.com/victor.zenstoic
DM me the word "LIBERATION" to get the free Sovereign Dream Meditation.
Thanks for listening. Leave a like and subscribe if you enjoyed the episode!
Welcome to "The 5 Ways The Soul Degrades Itself." Join me as we explore how our souls can slip into degradation and how we can reverse the process. We'll dive into aligning with nature, practicing gratitude, and embracing life's opportunities.
We also talk about processing emotions authentically, dropping masks of insincerity, and setting meaningful goals. By embracing life in its entirety, we align with nature, experience harmony, and uncover personal freedom.
If you liked this podcast, leave us a review on your favorite podcast player and subscribe to the YouTube channel!
Connect with me on Instagram at https://instagram.com/victor.zenstoic to get the sovereign dream meditation!
Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:15 - 1. Becoming disgruntled is an internal reflection
6:15 - 2. Causing others harm.
11:08 - 3. When we’re overpowered by our emotions
17:00 - 4. Wearing a mask
21:52 - 5. Moving without purpose
In this episode with Marcus Aurelius Anderson, we discuss his journey through the military, what it means to deal with adversity, the power of gratitude, and committing to your goals 100%.
Marcus Aurelius Anderson is a Bestselling Author, TEDx Speaker and International Keynote
Speaker, Mindset Coach to Leaders, CEOʼs and entrepreneurs and host of the top rated Acta Non
Verba Podcast.
If you want to hear more from Marcus, subscribe to his podcast Acta Non Verba or connect with him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/marcusaureliusanderson/
Connect with Victor on Instagram at https://instagram.com/victor.zenstoic/
If you got value out of this episode, leave us a review on your favorite podcast player.
0:00 - About Marcus Aurelius Anderson
1:15 - Intro / Meet Marcus
1:52 - The Gift of Adversity
7:10 - No excuses/ The Power of Commitment
13:49 - Why You should push through Adversity
17:15 - The Paths in Front of you
20:20 - How to Deal with Adversity
31:39 - How to keep your true north
37:40 - Having the Courage to overcome Adversity
41:08 - Resistance and Procrastination
47:05 - How Gratitude can Change your perception
56:01 - Perception is Everything
1:09:05 - How to be Grateful and change your perception.
Once you establish your goals, how do you actually get there? In this episode of the Zen Stoic Path, I'm talking through how to execute on the goals you set in part 1.
It's not a lack of resources, it's a lack of resourcefulness that keeps people from their goals. When we give away our power, it's impossible to achieve what we set out to do. But if we remember that we are at cause for a life, you're in a great place to begin the PATH process.
Help me grow the podcast by commenting and subscribing!
Connect with me on Instagram at https://instagram.com/victor.zenstoic
0:00 - How to achieve your goals
1:30 - Giving away your power.
6:00 - The PATH strategy
In this episode, we're going through how to properly set goals through something I call the Dream The Path Exercise. If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform!
In this episode of the Zen Stoic Path, I share the secret to finding your true purpose.
What does it mean to find your purpose and how do we know if we’ve found it? There are many ways to explain purpose and how we come across it. We need to first start with what we love to do and what we would do even if no one paid us to do it.
Connect with me on Instagram at https://instagram.com/victor.zenstoic
Timestamps:
0:00 - What does it mean to be a good human?
1:00 - Purpose changes over time.
5:30 - The different categories of purpose
8:00 - Ikigai -
11:00 - Start with “What Do I Love?”
18:46 - DM me “Liberation” on Instagram to get started.
In this episode of the Zen Stoic Path, I sit down with my great friend AJ Yager to discuss Viking lore, following your inner truth, and different coaching modalities.
AJ is an Entrepreneur, trained hypnotherapist, and all around explorer of life and I always enjoy getting to spend time with him.
If you want to join AJ in Norway this October, you can apply for the trip at https://www.awakentheviking.com
If you want to hear the free sovereign dream meditation, dm me the word "Liberation" on Instagram at https://instagram.com/victor.zenstoic
Emotional debt is something we all carry with us every single day. In this episode, I cover how to clear emotional debt and live with true freedom.
Subscribe for more Zen Stoic content!
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Instagram: https://instagram.com/victor.zenstoic
Tik Tok: ZenStoicPath
stoicism #zen #gratitude #philosophy
Scott Jackson is a master NLP trainer, friend, and mentor of mine and one of my favorite people on earth. I was so excited to sit down with him and discuss NLP, his new dream with Mandorla Ranch, and how he has learned to trust his inner voice and answer the call of the Universe.
Scott Jackson is a Master Coach that is highly effective at working with executives and companies to overcome obstacles to personal and organizational success. He is excellent at assisting managers to hire the right people for the right positions.
If you want to train with Scott and I, go to https://liberated-life.typeform.com/to/vUwHjlDd
Follow me on Instagram at https://instagram.com/victor.zenstoic
00:00:00 - Introduction,
00:01:48 - Defining NLP,
00:06:28 - Focus on What You Want,
00:10:36 - Attachment vs. Trust,
00:15:42 - The Power of Language,
00:14:59 - Perception as Projection,
00:17:20 - Trusting Internal Decisions,
00:20:15 - Making an Impact,
00:22:53 - Money as a Symbol of Value,
00:28:54 - The Birth of Mandorla,
00:29:44 - Healing the Masculine Wound,
00:36:08 - The Mandorla Mystery School,
00:39:12 - Behavioral Flexibility and Respectful Communication,
00:41:28 - The Power of Language and Disarming Conversations,
00:42:34 - The Importance of Healing and Ascension,
00:43:16 - Transhumanism and Intentionality,
00:45:07 - Intention vs Mechanism,
00:50:25 - You Are Not Your Roles,
00:56:22 - Where to Find Scott Jackson's Work,
00:57:06 - Signing Up for Mendorla Ranch,
00:58:17 - Living a Liberated Life,
00:59:06 - Scott Jackson on Embracing Pain and Negative Emotions,
This episode explains the Zen Stoic concept of intentions and delusions as well as the new 5th intention and delusion discovered by Gabriel Hansell.
Enjoying this show? Leave us a review!
Want the sovereign dream meditation? Send me the word "Dream" on Instagram at Victor.ZenStoic
Integral effort is about how to live a life of intention and presence. Integral Effort is about how we can walk a path of intentionality and presence in all we do. In this Episode, Victor explains how to live a life of presence and intention without burning out. The show also covers the Zen Stoic concept of embracing vs resisting reality and the principle of integral effort, which is being fully intentional in all actions. It teaches that effort is integral to being 100% intentional, seeking understanding and learning, prioritizing meaningful over expediency and being sincerely and wholeheartedly yourself.Subscribe to the show and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform!
A lifetime of therapy in a day?!.... Sounds impossible, but what if it could be done consistently? How would that impact you or the people you love if this was available?We frequently discuss the idea of "Liberation" and living a "Liberated Life" on this podcast. But what exactly does that mean? AND more importantly how do you create this for yourself?In this very special episode of The Zen Stoic Path, I discuss with my friend and business partner, Sean Sessel our upcoming training: The Liberation Leadership Training! We share exactly how we've been able to create life changing transformations in a fraction of the time of anything else out there!And for the first time ever, we break down exactly how we create the result that dozens of clients have described as, "a lifetime of therapy in a day" and how you can learn how to create these transformational experiences for yourself and others!If you feel like this training, sounds like exactly what you've been looking for, click the link below to schedule a call with us.https://liberated-life.typeform.com/to/vUwHjlDd
What if there was one skill that when mastered could transform your life? And what if that skill issomething you already do every single day?The very skill I'm referring to is, communication. How we speak to ourselves and others has a profoundimpact on the quality of our lives. Integral Speech is all about speaking in a manner that allows a person tobecome liberated in their expression so that they could be their most authentic selves. When we use ourwords to champion our own sovereignty we increase the power of our own free will as well as our capacityto shape our world to what we seek to create.You will move in the direction in which you speak. The more precise and specific you are with the directionyou seek to go, the higher the likelihood you will actualize your goals.
With over 20 years of direct experience in the personal transformation space, Stefanos understands peak human potential. He is a trained educator and relationship expert with a background in behavioral science. He is passionate about leading people closer to their highest potential and to each other. Stefanos’ philosophy merges the best of Eastern and Western methodologies to promote spiritual balance and empower people in life and love. From trauma release to navigating the at times murky waters of modern masculinity to helping women understand the men in their lives, he helps people escape negative patterns and cultivate a positive sense of self. Stefanos has also cofounded both a world-class coaching and education institute and global men’s empowerment movement and has been involved in multiple 8 and 9-figure startups. Stefanos has worked with thousands of men and women from all walks of life; special forces soldiers, Olympic gold medalists, elite fighters, and everyday people have relied on him to restructure and reframe their relationships with themselves and their loved ones.
https://unshakeablelife.com/
Jessie Torres is a certified Master Peak Performance Coach and Life strategist, with additional masters certifications in Meditation, HeartMath Trainer, Reiki Practitioner and Domestic Violence Counselor. She has coached thousands of high performance people from all walks of life and various parts of the world that have achieved success and the highest level of fulfillment.
Jessie is Founder of Fierce Grace Transformation, a course and coaching program that helps high performing entrepreneurs and Leaders, achieve passion, purpose and impact while, growing their businesses and maximizing their results in all areas of their world so that they can make not only their life extraordinary, but they also have a passion and conviction to love it forward and create impact in the world. She is driven to discover the truth of the client’s deepest potential and unlock the limitless opportunities that leave others in the dark ages! Bringing all levels of mindset, energy and strategy with an authentic, client driven approach.
Jessie’s journey was one filled with child abuse, the loss of a brother to murder, and a marriage that left her (as she describes) completely apathetic, emotionless, and spiritually dead. This left her living a life filled with fear, limitation and the darkness of shame every single day.
She turned her suffering and pain into purpose and passion, and now she helps men and women all over the world transform their narrative from "victim" to "victor", and find the courage to take the small steps they need and peel back the layers of fear, to realize their full potential, and live the big life of their dreams.
With this as her driving force, She now lives a committed life of passion and purpose. She will do all she can to create the biggest impact in turning trauma to triumph and shifting humanity forever.
https://unshakeablelife.com/
In this episode, we explore the four subconscious filters that can make or break your inner peace. We'll discuss how to identify these filters, and how to apply Integral Intention to keep them in check. This means understanding the meaning and purpose behind our every action.
Mark Divine is an entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, philanthropist, and one of
the world’s top leadership and coaching experts.
After a successful 20 year career as a Navy SEAL and SEAL Commander, Mark was hired by
the Navy to create a nationwide coaching and leadership program for the SEALs. The bold goal
of this program was to give the SEALs the best leadership and mental-management tools in the
world – to help them forge unbeatable SEAL teams that achieve mission success in the most
stressful, challenging environments on earth.
Divine’s leadership and coaching program for the SEALs was so effective that it’s now being
used outside of the Navy by top CEOs, Fortune 100 companies, USA Olympics, elite
universities, major league sports franchises, celebrities, and successful individuals from all over
the world.
Mark Divine is the author of 5 best-selling books, including his latest book Staring Down The
Wolf: 7 Leadership Commitments That Forge Elite Teams. He hosts a #1-ranked podcast on
iTunes (Mark Divine’s Unbeatable Mind) and he is the founder of 5 successful companies:
Unbeatable Mind, SEALFIT, NavySEALs.com, USCrossFit, and the award winning Coronado
Brewing Company in California.
Divine believes that any individual, team, or company can unlock 20X performance with the right
tools and training. His company, Unbeatable Mind, helps millions of people achieve their full
potential in life and business through their free training resources and advanced training
programs for leaders, corporate teams, coaching professionals, and high-achieving individuals.
As a philanthropist, Mark Divine founded the Courage Foundation to help our wounded
Veterans who are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS). Recently Divine and his Courage
Foundation team set a world record by completing over 22 million burpees to raise awareness,
support, and funding for our Veteran heroes.
Michelle Alderman (soon-to-be Michelle Dillard) is a certified Master Life coach, with additional masters certifications in Hypnosis, Neuro Linguistic Programming and Quantum Time Technique.
She is the co-founder of Richer Every Day, with her partner Mike Dillard, a course and coaching program that helps high performing entrepreneurs and employees reach new levels of success by re-training their brain's neurochemistry and subconscious programming when it comes to money and abundance.
Michelle has coached over a thousand clients to improve their lives by observing their thought processes and teaching a simple framework that can be used in all areas of life. Michelle teaches that in order to improve your life, you must improve the quality of your thinking.
Go to RicherEveryDay.com to learn more about the course and community.
Stuart Sovatsky, Ph.D., has been a practitioner of kundalini yoga for twenty-four years and is the director of two psychotherapy clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area. A former presenter at the World Congress on Sexology in India and the International Kundalini Research Network, he teaches at JFK University and the California Institute of Integral Studies.
In this episode Stuart shares profound stories of his work over the last 50 years. He's helped people from all walks of life transform their lives through Admiration Therapy with over 40,000 hours of experience. He's had the honor of working with leaders of countries and even had the opportunity to work with the Dalai Lama!
This episode is packed with some truly profound wisdom! Enjoy!
We all want to be successful, but sometimes we just don't know how to get there. In this episode, I'll introduce you to the Integral View – this includes 3 mental frameworks that are the foundation of success and fulfillment.
Most people believe change is difficult or even impossible! The reason being is because they're often missing 1 or more of The 3 Pillars of Change.
In order to change our lives for the better, we need three things: wisdom, action, and focus. In this episode I talk about how each of these three pillars can help us achieve our goals and create the life we want to live.
How to end self suffering? It's a question that has been asked by people throughout history. In this episode, I explore part 3 of The 4 Noble truths, "The Truth of Nirvana" (the end of suffering).
This is all about the art of letting go and learning to be comfortable in the paradoxes of life.
In this episode, we explore the root of all suffering and how to overcome it.
Detachment is one of the most important concepts when it comes to freeing yourself from suffering.
We explore the 5 ways the soul degrades itself (and how to avoid them) according to the teachings of Marcus Aurelius.
Do you ever feel like your struggles are getting in the way of your success?
In this special series we explore the Zen Stoic rendition of, The 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism.
I explore how to transcend suffering and use it to fuel our goals.
Discover how to deal with frustration, ego, and impermanence understand the importance suffering plays in the role of in achieving our dreams.
In this episode, I'll share the story of how one of my clients turned a seemingly negative obstacle into over $10,000 in revenue he didn't even realize existed! Most people allow obstacles to define them. This client applied "the obstacle is the way" in real time to generate a massive result!
As Epictetus once said "To me all omens are lucky, if I will. For whichever of these things happens, it is in my control to derive advantage from it."
We all have our share of imperfections. But if we learn to live in harmony with them, they can become some of our most precious assets. In this video I discuss the Stoic concept of Memento Mori and the Zen concept of Wabi Sabi. Both concepts combined show us not only how to appreciate the beauty in life's imperfections, but also bring gratitude to each day, no matter how imperfect!
Click The Link Below To Get Access To Our “3 Day Micro Meditation Journey”
https://www.liberation.so/lp/micro-meditations-series
Life is full of obstacles. But the Stoics showed us that these are actually opportunities in disguise. In this episode, I talk about how to use anticipation and knowing the road ahead to turn any obstacle into a chance for growth and progress. In order to achieve our worthwhile goals in life, we sometimes need to silence our fears and trust our intuition. This is what separates the greats from the rest on the road to success!
In this episode, we explore the power of metaphor. Metaphors can be used to help us understand complex concepts, or to communicate more effectively with others. But they can also be used to trap and deceive ourselves into less than we're capable of. We cover how to use metaphors strategically to intensify positive experience and dim negative experience.
Are you in a season where you keep running into challenge after challenge with no end in sight?
It's easy to feel lost and overwhelmed when looking for answers. But the Stoics believed that everything we go through in life is an opportunity for growth and learning. In this episode, I'll share some of the wisdom of Marcus Aurelius and the true meaning of "the obstacle is the way" and why it's crucial for our growth. I explain how to use challenges and obstacles to create freedom and liberation in your life.
Words have the power to liberate or enslave us. In this episode, we explore how we can use language to empower ourselves and find our true selves.
This episode is perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about using words in a positive way!
Click the link below to join the Liberated Life Community:
https://community.liberation.so/s/community/
Meditation is a great way to improve your focus, increase your self-awareness, and achieve inner peace. But like anything else, it's easy to make mistakes. In this episode I share three of the most common meditation mistakes and how to avoid them. We finish this episode with a guided meditation that gives you a powerful training experience in mindfulness!
Click The Link Below To Get Access To Our “3 Day Micro Meditation Journey”
https://www.liberation.so/lp/micro-meditations-series
Raj Jana is the founder of JavaPresse, a lifestyle brand that transforms ordinary coffee rituals into extraordinary daily experiences. He's been mentored by some of the world's most inspiring leaders and hosts the weekly show, Stay Grounded, to help listeners achieve more happiness in daily life.
Making decisions can be hard. Especially when there's a lot on the line. But with the right mindset, you can make bulletproof decisions that will help you achieve your goals.
In this episode, I talk about how to achieve inner peace through total conviction in your choices - no matter what life throws your way.
Click the link below to join The Unshakeable Goal Setting Workshop
https://community.liberation.so/c/unshakeable-goal-setting/day-3-live-unshakeable-goal-setting-workshop
In a world that's constantly changing, it can be hard to know how to prepare for the future. But with the right mindset, you can enjoy life while being prepared for anything.
That's why I've started practicing the warrior mindset – Zen Stoic Philosophy shows us how to find peace in the face of adversity.
In this episode I'll discuss how to become the "warrior in the garden" and share some tips on how you can start living a liberated life with unshakeable inner peace.
Click The Link Below To Join The Unshakeable Goal Setting
https://community.liberation.so/c/unshakeable-goal-setting/day-2-live-unshakeable-goal-setting-workshop
We all want inner peace, but sometimes we sabotage our own efforts. There are five ways the soul degrades itself, according to Marcus Aurelius. I share five ways we do this and offer some tips for overcoming them.
Click Below To Join Our Unshakeable Goal Setting Workshop:
https://community.liberation.so/c/unshakeable-goal-setting/workshop-unshakeable-goal-setting-c9994b
Click The Link Below To Get Access To Our “3 Day Micro Meditation Journey”
https://www.liberation.so/lp/micro-meditations-series
Do you ever feel like you've lost your voice? That the things you want to say just don't come out right?
It's possible that you've lost touch with your real voice. The voice that comes from a place of authenticity. A voice that is connected to your innermost self.
In this episode, I'll share how to meditate and take you through a guided meditation that can help you find your real voice and express yourself in a more authentic way. You'll also walk away with some best practices that will allow you to meditate easily and effectively, even if you're a beginner.
Click The Link Below To Get Access To Our “3 Day Micro Meditation Journey”
https://www.liberation.so/lp/micro-meditations-series
In this episode, we explore what it means to live an authentic life. Many people view ego as their enemy, but is that really accurate? Can ego actually be a helpful tool when it comes to personal growth?
You'll discover the power of ego and how to use it for your own benefit. So if you're interested in living a more authentic life, make sure to check out this episode!
- Have you ever been told that your ego is your enemy? Or been accused of having too much of an ego?
- So many spiritual teachers/ influencers through the years attempt to validate the efficacy of their teachings through the lack of their ego or claiming that they do not have an ego or that their teachings can help you rid yourself of your ego.
- Spiritual egotism is the attempt to use what is of a higher nature to fulfill the desires of that of a lower nature. To think you are somehow more spiritual or awakened than another person because of what you practice, is in itself self diminishing as anything spiritual.
- The ego is important and necessary to have an individual experience. You couldn’t say, “I’ve gotten rid of my ego” without an ego. “I” would be a meaningless concept without the ego. The ego or “I” is merely a measuring of your individual conscious experience. It is about as real as the equator or the earth. The equator is real in the sense of having a way to divide the hemispheres of the earth, but it doesn’t physically exist as a line we can see, it exists through social institution, as an agreement we share to indicate the midpoint of the earth’s northern and southern hemispheres. This doesn’t mean it is wrong or invalid. The ego is the same in the sense that it is just a word, a symbol to describe an experience.
- When you are operating through the “ego” or have “too much ego” it simply means you are over invested in the measuring device of individual experience rather than the experience itself as a whole. Similar to mistaking the dinner menu for nourishment or money for wealth.
Do you ever feel like life is throwing too many challenges your way?
It can be tough to stay positive and motivated when everything seems to be going wrong. But with the right mindset, you can turn any challenge into an opportunity for growth.
We turn to ancient Stoic philosopher, Epictetus about how to grow in spite of difficulty. If you're looking for some wisdom that will help you stick to your goals, then you don't want to miss this!
Key Takeaways:
- “Defeat is a state of mind; no one is very defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality." - Bruce Lee
- The present moment is the convergence point where everything can change. The past is a memory and the future is just speculation.
- Concluding what something will mean is a product of the mind, it is not reality. Things can always change.
- We think bringing closure to reality makes us feel safe through knowing what will be, but the reality is, that it blinds us. The way towards truly knowing is first acknowledging that you don't with full embrace.
- “My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it—all idealism is mendacity in the face of what is necessary—but love it.”
- -Friedrich Nietzsche
- Rules may give us guide rails to move towards goals, but they will not create fulfillment of what we most desire.
- Zen is not about following a set of rules or doctrines, but instead it is to be perfectly and simply human, wholeheartedly without having to keep an eye on one’s self.
- “When your philosophy becomes about philosophy, it becomes a pompous and lifeless shell. Philosophy becomes fully alive when it is about being human and truly living.” -Victor Pierantoni
- We never hold onto actual realities of events in our lives but rather abstract memories of what occurred. Carrying abstract memories weighs us down and doesn’t allow for us to move forward.
- Everything changes. Life ultimately exists in a state of impermanence. The more we attempt to cling to what was and pursue insoluble problems as a means to validate our identities, the more we will perpetuate our own suffering.
- Love your path! All of it, the good, the bad, pleasant, and unpleasant. It is the path you chose. You must play the hand of cards life gave you. You don’t play any better by looking at the cards of others or wishing your cards were different. You play best when you don’t just play your cards, but love and embrace the hand you got!
Sal is a well renowned and sought after hair stylist in Los Angeles, who seeks to find the meaning of life in all that he does. He creates magic in the “hair chair” by using his experiences of his spiritual practice and philosophy to transform his clients to express themselves fully, one hair cut at a time.
Sal moved to the United States from Mexico at 13. He touched his first pair of shears shortly thereafter and hasn't stopped since. He graduated from Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy and began working at the esteemed Sally Hershberger Salon then at Ramirez Tran Salon in Beverly Hills.
Sal continues pushing himself into being a better artist. He has had the pleasure to work with many celebrities & artists as well as children, teenagers, moms & grandmas. His focus is to create quality work and let it speak for itself. After four successful years in Beverly Hills, three at Ramirez Tran, most recently Salon Benjamin, working in New York City, San Francisco, and Mexico City, Sal is now creating all-new outpost in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles.
In this episode we dive into the third aggregate of the Zen Stoic Rendition of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path: Meditation/Concentration.
We discuss how to live in a meditative state through practicing the 3 components of the Meditation/Concentration Aggregate: Integral Effort, Integral Awareness, and Integral Concentration.
Integral Effort: Here we discuss how to find the sweet spot of effort. Following the stereotypical motivational advice of going 110% all the time is a trap!
It seems as though we’ve become obsessed with speed and the idea of “getting there”
Whether it’s the dream of finally becoming successful, meeting the love of your life, reaching financial freedom, getting your Instagram model body
Have you ever noticed though, the faster you want something to happen, the longer it feels and further away it feels?
Integral Awareness: Here we discuss how to ACTUALLY feel our emotions rather than finding creative and righteous ways to avoid them. We also go into how to use our pain as a guide to healing our traumas and creating breakthroughs.
The reality is that pain is a great teacher. The real problem to solve is “what is the pain trying to teach me.”
What if your pain held a sacred message for you? One that would set you free if you were able to fully acknowledge it. Imagine what the world would be like if you were able to welcome pain and negative emotion with presence and calm, knowing that it had something to share with you.
Integral Concentration: Here we discuss how to live in a state of flow by truly living in the present moment.
In this episode we continue with part 2 of our 3 part series of the Zen Stoic rendition of The Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path. We discuss the aggregate of morality and conduct. This is based on our outlook on life, how we treat one another, and how we go about sustaining our lives. This aggregate includes the components of:
Integral Action: This is related to how we conduct ourselves in the world and with others in a manner that is optimal for our liberation. Living a life with a sense of morality that is oriented around our humanity is key to aligning with our nature, without creating excessive or unnecessary suffering.
Integral Speech: This is related to how we express and communicate with ourselves and others. Words are our symbols for reality. We filter everything through our word choice. How we speak will either enhance or diminish our ability to live a liberated life.
Integral Livelihood: This is related to how we earn our living. We all need to accumulate food, resources, and shelter to live. HOW we do this matters. Are you earning your living in a way that supports or conflicts with your own liberation?
In this episode, we dive into the Zen Stoic rendition of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path. The path is the way of liberation for a person to end their suffering. The Buddha’s Path has 3 Aggregates: Wisdom, Morality, and Meditation.
This episode covers the Wisdom Aggregate which contains 2 components: Integral View and Integral Intention. We discuss how to have a complete view of life, self, and circumstance. Oftentimes we suffer because we are viewing life with a limited view, and having an Integral View solves this.
In addition to having an Integral View, we also break down how to live with Integral Intention. From a Zen Stoic perspective, one of the most crucial elements between ourselves and our inner peace is having delusional intentions in life. No matter how much we do and say the “right” things, we can never hide our own intentions from ourselves, and in this episode, we discuss exactly how to reconcile our own intentions and create inner peace. We dive deep into The 4 Intentions and 4 Delusions of Zen Stoic Philosophy and how to apply them in your own life.
Highlights:
- “There are things we KNOW and things we DON’T KNOW. What you do not know is an opportunity for understanding and curiosity.”
- “Humans are mortal. Remember your own mortality. It is what gives life meaning. It is what gives every individual a sense of priority in which to focus attention.”
- “At times the path may become foggy or riddled with obstructions. Absent the path, this is the path. The path is always now. The path is where the present moment and free will meet.”
Reference Links:
- Alan Watts - Buddha The Man Who Woke Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWAqyFl-QDM&list=PLUtpVD4eyUYe47RpZqyo-6IWrimlMAUMK&index=5
-
Alan Watts The Real Eightfold Path: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi0axKhWgv0&list=PLUtpVD4eyUYe47RpZqyo-6IWrimlMAUMK&index=4
-
The Noble Eightfold Path: https://www.existentialbuddhist.com/tag/noble-eightfold-path/
-
Fundamentals of Buddhism: The 4 Noble Truths: https://buddho.org/buddhism/#the-truth-of-the-way-that-lead-to-cessation
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek” - from Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung.
This episode we discuss championing the journey of the individual by first embracing the flaws and imperfections of our lives. Includes turning the pain of our past into something beautiful that contributes to the development of our character as well as discovering how to lift the limits of our identity that were the basis of much of our pain in the first place.
I discuss methods of how you can train yourself to become a “warrior in the garden,” so that you can be prepared for the inevitable storms and battles life will bring and simultaneously enjoy your highest ideals and those that you love.
References:
Kintsugi: The Centuries-Old Art of Repairing Broken Pottery with Gold: https://mymodernmet.com/kintsugi-kintsukuroi/
EASTERN PHILOSOPHY - Kintsugi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBUTQkaSSTY
From Broken To Beautiful: The Power of Kintsugi: https://concreteunicorn.com/blogs/journal/from-broken-to-beautiful-the-power-of-kintsugi
Jordan Peterson: 5 Hours for the NEXT 50 Years of Your LIFE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8e_dvbXoCQ&t=4500s
Alan Watts - Buddha The Man Who Woke Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWAqyFl-QDM&list=PLUtpVD4eyUYe47RpZqyo-6IWrimlMAUMK&index=5
Alan Watts The Real Eightfold Path: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi0axKhWgv0&list=PLUtpVD4eyUYe47RpZqyo-6IWrimlMAUMK&index=4
Are you setting goals for yourself but can’t seem to finish them? In this episode, we explore one of the major reasons why we can’t seem to finish the task we started, the concept of decluttering and creating space in your life to achieve your state of Zen. Don’t miss this episode!
In today's episode, we will be interviewing stand-up comedian Brendon Lemon who is also a proponent of Zen and Stoic philosophy. Don't miss this episode!
Are you someone who has a packed schedule yet feels like you're not really "doing" anything? Do you purposefully wear your "busyness" as your badge of honor? In this episode, we will discuss the importance of finding clarity and direction because if we don't know where we're going, no matter which direction we put our sails, no wind is favorable.
In this episode, we're going to be discussing the Chinese proverb "If you are always giving, then you will always have." I will be telling the story of how a homeless man named Paul taught me one of the greatest lessons of my life.
Important Quotes:
- “We are a meaning-seeking species. We tend to process events in light of what they mean to us. We make a value judgment: Is it good or bad in the context of my life? And it is a human habit to infer deliberate intention to events in self-referential ways.” - Ralph Lewis
- “Our guilt festers and turns into shame. It becomes something horrifying and gross and must be concealed and defended from anyone who would otherwise expose it. And it’s this hiding that ultimately hurts us. Because what this hiding looks like in real life is a deflection of responsibility. It looks like passive aggression. It looks like manipulation and unwillingness to trust. It corrodes and poisons our relationships and destroys our ambitions. And as any addict will tell you, overwhelming amounts of shame can slowly murder us from the inside-out." - Mark Manson
-
“You (hopefully) don’t go around sleeping with your friends’ partners and shitting in supermarket aisles because you fear social punishment. And that is a healthy fear—that threat of feeling ashamed keeps you, your genitals, and your bowels in check. While shame functions to keep you from doing stupid or awful things, guilt similarly motivates us to right our wrongs. When we feel guilty about something, we often set out to make it right. We apologize and in some cases, we offer ways to fix it. This feels bad. But this is also healthy. Expressing guilt for our transgressions and setting a course of corrective action shows others that:
-
We know the rules and we know we broke them, and
- We care about others in the group enough to try to fix things.
In short, shame and guilt solve a big problem inherent to living in larger social groups: they help regulate the behavior of the entire group at the level of the individual." -Mark Manson
Key Takeaways:
- Guilt often can arise from making promises we know we cannot keep just to appease someone.
- It is our own guilt that haunts our minds and makes us seek out confirmation in our environment.
References:
- Banishing A Ghost: https://truecenterpublishing.com/zenstory/ghost.html
- Coming to Terms With Coincidence: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/202002/coming-terms-coincidence
- The Best Way to Resolve Your Shame: https://markmanson.net/shame
Along with being a seasoned instructor, referee, and commentator, Alex has traveled to and trained and/or competed in numerous other states and countries, including: (states) Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, New York, Texas, (countries) Canada, Colombia, England, France, Holland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and of course the United States.
Although BJJ competition doesn’t rank as high as everyday training or teaching for Alex, it’s a close second, so he competes often to keep his skills sharp and break out of his routine. Alex is a veteran of numerous IBJJF Opens, IBJJF Masters Worlds, Pans, Euros, F2W Pro, and many other smaller events.
Competition isn’t for everyone, but it does take you out of your comfort zone and gives you some real life experience in using your knowledge when under pressure – Invaluable if you’re ever in a real self-defense situation.
https://www.insightbjj.com
@bjjinsight
@bjjinsight_lg
@bjjprof_alex
Important Quotes:
- "All the difficulties you have in zazen should not take place outside your mind. Your efforts should be kept within your mind. In other words you have to accept the difficulty as not being other than what you are." -Shunryu Suzuki Roshi
- “Dogen Zenji was enlightened when he heard his master strike and say to the disciple sitting next to Dogen, "What are you doing? You have to make a hard effort. What are you doing?" That effort is Zen. That effort is to observe the precepts. If we make our best effort on each moment with confidence, that is enlightenment. When you ask whether your way is perfect or not, there is an insidious idea of self. When you do your best to observe the precepts, to practice Zen, within the Big Mind then there is enlightenment. There is no special way to attain enlightenment. Enlightenment is not some certain stage. Enlightenment is everywhere. Wherever you are, enlightenment is there. Whatever you do with your best effort, enlightenment follows. This is very important for our Zen practice and for our everyday life. We should make our best effort in our everyday life as well as in practice of Zen.” -Shunryu Suzuki Roshi
- “In today’s standard, hustle culture can be defined as the state of overworking to the point where it becomes a lifestyle.” -Afrina Arfa
Key Takeaways:
- Imagine a what your day would look like in flow. Would it be all work and no play, or all play and no work? You’ll find the answer is neither. There is a harmony between the two that occurs when you’re in flow. A harmony between purpose driven thinking, and a purposeless ease of just being.
- If you swing the pendulum towards all things being purposeful and productive, you’ll fall prey to overworking or overtraining. If you swing the pendulum towards all things being pleasurable and fun, you’ll eventually run into the existential crisis of meaninglessness. Aim at the sweet spot that respects the value of both in your life.
- Too much of a challenge leads to perfectionism and fear of failure. To easy of a goal leads to apathy.
- Failure in a serious and rigid state, feels painful. It sucks to be wrong when you give too much significance to anything. When you fail in a playful state, you laugh, you learn, and you move on.
References:
- Joe Rogan - How To Workout Smarter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fbCcWyYthQ&t=669s
- The Flow Model: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/flow-model.htm
- Alan Watts - How To Create Without Forcing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhNRpiY1Lc0
- Right Effort in Practice: http://www.chzc.org/SR6.htm
- Why Are Young People Pretending to Love Work?: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/26/business/against-hustle-culture-rise-and-grind-tgim.html
- The Truth About the Hustle Culture: https://university.taylors.edu.my/en/campus-life/news-and-events/news/the-truth-about-the-hustle-culture.html
- Every Inspirational Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSYJ5Ehbo3U
- Important Quotes:
- “Buddhism is about liberating the mind. To accomplish this, the Buddha taught his path of morality (sīla), concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (paññā).”
- “A life grounded in morality is a life free from restlessness and remorse as a result of regret.”
- “Just as in the entire Buddhist path, when it comes to the precepts the Buddha emphasises the underlying intention. This does not mean that you can invoke ignorance or inattention to justify misconduct. You cannot say that you knew well or did not know better and that it was moral. Much more it means that your consciousness is the forerunner of your actions and that the consequences of your actions follow, as the Dhammapada (verse 1) nicely states:‘Mind is the forerunner of all things, mind is their leader, they are made by the mind. When someone speaks or acts with impure thoughts, suffering follows, like the wheel follows the hoof of the ox.’ “ -Editors at Buddho.org
- “When your mind becomes demanding, when you long for something, you will end up violating your own precepts: not to tell lies, not to steal, not to kill, not to be immoral, and so forth. If you keep your original mind, the precepts keep themselves.” - Shunryu Suzuki
- “We should be very grateful to the rigid formal way of practicing Zen and Zen precepts. You may think these precepts are useless if we cannot observe them perfectly. But they are the traces of human efforts based on the great mercy of Buddha.” -Shunryu Suzuki
- “Lies make you weak and you can feel it. You cannot get away with warping the experience of being.” -Jordan Peterson
- “Men have come into being for one another; so either educate them or put up with them.” -Marcus Aurelius
Key Takeaways:
The 5 Precepts
- Not to destroy life
- Not to take what is not given
- Abstain from exploiting my passions
- Abstain from false speech
- Abstaining from intoxication
- These are not commandments or moral law laid down by some kind of cosmic law giver.
- They are vows. They are not going to make you into a good person, they are not intended to be sentimental.
- Imagine what the world would look like if we put our best effort forth to observe and practice these precepts. What would it be like if we all adopted Marcus Aurelius’s attitude of fellowship?
- The best way for us to get things done and get the most out of our experiences is to work together. The foundation of the quality of our efforts towards meaningful ends begins with our own morality with how we treat ourselves and others.
References:
- Alan Watts: The Real Eightfold Path: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi0axKhWgv0&t=684s
- Buddhism and Morality: the Five Precepts: https://buddho.org/buddhism-and-morality-the-five-precepts/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw5oiMBhDtARIsAJi0qk2dD52I2KLW7l7ZqKj0XY5EiJ9WHXmzjquusXDIcSCV7cW2fETpStYaAqEkEALw_wcB
- Rule 8: Tell The Truth or At Least Don't Lie | Jordan Peterson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n53HmC1zxVc
- Marcus Aurelius on Overcoming Anger and Developing Empathy: https://donaldrobertson.name/2013/02/25/marcus-aurelius-on-overcoming-anger-and-developing-empathy/
- Right Effort in Practice: http://www.chzc.org/SR6.htm
- Marcus Aurelius’ Ten Commandments to Himself: https://medium.com/stoicism-philosophy-as-a-way-of-life/marcus-aurelius-ten-commandments-to-himself-681a775fae84
- Dave Chappelle: Chip The White Guy Part 2: https://youtu.be/MkQGRup3E8M
Important Quotes:
- "The goal of practice is always to keep your beginner’s mind. Our original mind includes everything within itself. It is always rich and sufficient with itself. You should not lose your self-sufficient state of mind. This does not mean a closed mind, but actually an empty mind and a ready mind. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything." -Shunryu Suzuki
- “There is another way—a middle way, between too much and not enough confidence. This Goldilocks zone of confidence is where rational beliefs meet reality. It is fundamentally based on truth and good sense. It is built on beliefs that can be justified by evidence and honest self-examination. It steers between the perilous cliff of overconfidence and the quicksand of underconfidence. It is not always easy to find this narrow path; it takes honest self-reflection, level-headed analysis, and the courage to resist wishful thinking. This middle way is not the path to mediocrity—far from it. It is exceptionally rare to be well-calibrated in one’s confidence.[10] It requires that you understand yourself and what you are capable of achieving. It requires that you know your limitations and what opportunities are not worth pursuing. It requires that you act confidently based on what you know, even if it means taking a stand, making a bet, or speaking up for a viewpoint that is unpopular. But it also requires the willingness to consider the possibility that you are wrong, to listen to evidence, and to change your mind. This is a rare combination of courage and intellectual humility, which leads to actively open-minded thinking. It takes just the right amount of confidence.” -Don A. Moore
- “When you must write something to your friend, grammar will tell you what words you should write; but whether you should write or not, grammar will not tell you. And so it is with music as to musical sounds; but whether you should sing at the present time and play on the lute, or do neither, music will not tell you. What faculty then will tell you? That which contemplates both itself and all other things. The rational faculty; for this is the only faculty that we have received which examines itself, what it is, and what power it has, and what is the value of this gift and examines all other faculties” -Epictetus
Key Takeaways:
- Being intentional requires the use of the rational faculty.
- To point back to your own humanity and find inner peace requires intentionality and mindfulness
- Closing ourselves off to learning intends a sense of control.
- Even in areas we have achieved mastery in, we are all beginners in an unexplored context. Seek understanding through curiosity. Control will close our minds and stunt our development.
- It can be scary to examine your intentions for doing things, to let go of control, and be a beginner again. Have compassion for yourself, it’s okay to be scared and feel that way sometimes. Those who most realize their potential in any endeavor are those who always maintain a beginner's mind.
References:
- Overconfidence The mother of all biases: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/perfectly-confident/201801/overconfidence
- Concentration: http://users.rider.edu/~suler/zenstory/concentrate.html
- The Zen Archer: https://www.margiesmessages.com/zenarcher.html
Important Quotes:
- “The Buddha compares being afflicted with bodily pain to being struck by an arrow. Adding mental pain (aversion, displeasure, depression, or self-pity) to physical pain is like being hit by a second arrow. The wise person stops with the first arrow.” -Bhikku Bodhi
- “When we’re upset we tend to make events seem more harmful or threatening. Cognitive therapists describe this as “catastrophizing”. The Stoics question how unbearable pain is by asking themselves whether they’re capable of enduring worse.” -Ryan Holiday
- “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” - Joseph Campbell
- “Your pain is a teacher. Resist it no more. Allow it to be the very catalyst that deepens your personal insight and wisdom. Let your pain become the focus of your meditation.” -Brian Thompson
Key Takeaways:
- Life long Zen meditation practitioners requires a significantly higher level of painful stimulation to feel the same amount of pain to age matched non meditators.
- Indifference may prevent excessive or unnecessary pain, but it is self love and compassion that allows you to recover from it
References:
- All In The Stance: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/wellness/2003/08/26/all-in-the-stance/6a9f6db1-454c-401e-9af1-a0886b58fbeb/
- Stoicism and Pain Management: 4 Techniques Practiced By Marcus Aurelius: https://dailystoic.com/stoicism-and-pain-management/
- The Zen of Dealing with Chronic Pain: http://www.zenthinking.net/blog/the-zen-of-dealing-with-chronic-pain
- Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain: https://www.amazon.com/Pain-Free-Revolutionary-Stopping-Chronic/dp/0553379887/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=0553379887&psc=1
- Egoscue Method: https://www.egoscue.com/
- A Different Approach To Pain Management: Mindfulness Meditation | Fadel Zeidan | TEDxEmory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLQJJDrbj6Q&t=292
Important Quotes:
- “For can you find me a single man who cares how he does what he does, and is interested, not in what he can get, but in the manner of his own actions? Who, when he is walking around, is interested in his own actions? Who, when he is deliberating, is interested in the deliberation itself, and not in getting what he is planning to get?” -Epictetus
- “Hear Epictetus: No one can rob us of our free choice. We must, says he, hit upon the true science of assent and in the sphere of our impulses pay good heed that they are with a “reserve clause”; that they have in view our neighbour’s welfare; that they are proportionate to a thing’s value. And we must abstain wholly from inordinate desire and show avoidance in none of the things that are not in our control.” - Marcus Aurelius
- “That which holds the mastery within us, when it is in accordance with Nature, is so disposed towards what befalls, that it can always adapt itself with ease to what is possible and granted us. For it is wedded to no definite material, but in the pursuit of its aims it works with a “reserve clause”; it converts into material for itself any obstacle that it meets with, just as fire when it gets the mastery of what is thrown upon it.” -Marcus Aurelius
- “Though a man may in some sort hinder my activity, yet on my own voluntary impulses and mental attitude no fetters can be put because of the “reserve clause” and their ability to adapt to circumstances. For everything that stands in the way of its activity is adapted and transmuted by the mind into furtherance of it, and that which is a check on this action is converted into a help to it, and that which is a hindrance in our path goes but to make it easier.” -Marcus Aurelius
- “If your impulse is without an “reserve clause”, failure at once becomes an evil to you as a rational creature. But once you accept that universal necessity, you cannot suffer harm nor even be thwarted. Indeed, nobody else can thwart the inner purposes of the mind. For it no fire can touch, nor steel, nor tyrant, nor public censure, nor anything whatsoever: a sphere once formed continues round and true.” -Marcus Aurelius
- “The cool thing about dopamine is that it’s very subjectively controlled. We can all learn to secrete dopamine in our brain in response to things in a purely subjective way. If you can reward the process, the brain circuits that are associated with building subjective rewards and dopamine get stronger.” — Andrew Huberman
- “A practicing Stoic would put all of his strength in reaching the goal — not because of the outcome, but because taking the action is the right thing to do, it goes well with Virtue. The outcome, for a Stoic, is in fact secondary. Which does not change the fact, that the outcome is also a preferred indifferent.” -Rafał Albiński
- “Most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for and attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring entities.” ~Dalai Lama
- “The “reserve clause” is a way of overcoming emotional pain and as the perfect Sage cannot, by definition, be happy (eudaimon) if he is distressed, then he must act at all times according to this rule.” -Donald Robertson
Key Takeaways:
- Drivers Seat Goals Vs. Passenger Seat Goals
- If you aim at nothing, you hit nothing.
- Embrace what is in your control by using it resourcefully, while simultaneously letting go of what you cannot control.
- Pursue with sincerity of deriving your aims from within.
- Approach with discipline in HOW you take your action.
- Measure your success on intentionality not outcome. Keep your mind open by seeking understanding when things don’t go your way.
References:
- Donald Robertson- The Reserve Clause: https://donaldrobertson.name/2013/02/02/action-with-a-reserve-clause-in-marcus-aurelius/
- Stoic Philosophy Practice: The Reserve Clause Exercise: https://steemit.com/philosophy/@brado/stoic-philosophy-practice-the-reserve-clause-exercise
- Rethinking the Stoic Reserve Clause: https://medium.com/stoicism-philosophy-as-a-way-of-life/rethinking-the-reserve-clause-b03027cbb1df
- The Secret That High Performers Use to Accomplish Whatever They Want: https://medium.com/swlh/the-secret-that-high-performers-use-to-accomplish-whatever-they-want-9fa577c101bc
- Change Your BRAIN By Using These Hacks to Increase Your DOPAMINE | Dr. Andrew Huberman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLORsLlcT48
- Letting Go of Attachment: From A to Zen: https://tinybuddha.com/blog/letting-go-of-attachment-from-a-to-zen/
Important Quotes:
- “Feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.” -Pema Chodron
- “You can begin from your very weakness. That’s your strength. It’s not your big ego and your big will that is the strong thing here. It’s your it’s your sloppiness, it’s your weakness. It’s your foolish side that is your strong suit.” - Alan Watts
- “The hostile attitude of conquering nature ignores the basic interdependence of all things and events—that the world beyond the skin is actually an extension of our own bodies—and will end in destroying the very environment from which we emerge and upon which our whole life” -Alan Watts
- “What you resist persists.” -Carl Jung
- If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” -African Proverb
Key Takeaways:
- Pleasant emotion generated through delusion often will feel uneasy, contrived, or like you’re trying to talk yourself out of the agitation or discomfort the current feeling is creating. If this comes up, take a moment to reflect deeper.
- Pleasant emotions generated through intention feel effortless, balanced, and present. Often times when pointing in the direction of intention, you may not even acknowledge or even notice the feeling due to being present in the here and now.
- Look to your weaknesses and flaws. These are the parts of yourself that you attempt most to hide. Look to your anger, your sadness, your fears, your frustrations, the things you dislike most about yourself. What are these emotions really trying to tell you?
Zen Stoic Intentions and Delusions Episodes:
- Embrace vs. Resistance: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-zen-stoic-path/id1571381944?i=1000532944170
- Understanding vs. Control
- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-zen-stoic-path/id1571381944?i=1000533054692
- Discipline vs. Expediency
- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-zen-stoic-path/id1571381944?i=1000533815367
- Sincerity vs. Performance
- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-zen-stoic-path/id1571381944?i=1000533951153
References:
- Jordan Peterson - The Story of Buddha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycIAW0M2-NQ
- 101 Alan Watts Quotes: https://secularbuddhism.com/101-alan-watts-quotes/
- The Enlightenment of The Buddha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVKK-WVW2uw
- What We Resist Persists: http://www.shoshanashea.com/blog/2018/6/11/what-we-resist-persists
- Alan Watts -Waiting For Magic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ReD00p6IC8
Marcus Aurelius Quotes:
- “When jarred, unavoidably, by circumstances, revert at once to yourself and don’t lose the rhythm more than you can help. You’ll have a better grasp of the harmony if you keep on going back to it.”
- “Not to feel exasperated, or defeated, or despondent because your days aren’t packed with wise and moral actions. But to get back up when you fail, to celebrate behaving like a human- however imperfectly- and fully embrace the pursuit that you’ve embarked on.”
- “Pride and outward show is an arch-seducer of reason, when you think you’re occupied in the weightiest business that’s when it has you in its spell.”
References:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu0xDtK3g3Q&list=PLzKrfPkpj5olfny8ao7uoBTydABymwEdu
Marcus Aurelius Quotes:
- “How easy it is to repel and wipe away every impression which is troublesome or unsuitable, and immediately to be in all tranquility.”
- “Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought, for the human spirit is colored by such impressions.”
- “The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
References:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu0xDtK3g3Q&list=PLzKrfPkpj5olfny8ao7uoBTydABymwEdu
The Lion and the Boar
An Aesop's Fable
On a summer day, when the great heat induced a general thirst, a Lion and a Boar came at the same moment to a small well to drink.
They fiercely disputed which of them should drink first, and were soon engaged in the agonies of a mortal combat.
On their stopping on a sudden to take breath for the fiercer renewal of the strife, they saw some Vultures waiting in the distance to feast on the one which should fall first.
They at once made up their quarrel, saying:
"It is better for us to make friends, than to become the food of Crows or Vultures, as will certainly happen if we are disabled."
http://www.taleswithmorals.com/the-lion-and-the-boar.htm
Brandon is a certified Corporate Based Mindfulness Trainer through Potential Project, Dually Certified Mindfulness Coach with the ICF & IAC, he also holds certifications on Proper Ethics and Ethical Conduct when teaching mindfulness courses by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn. He is the founder of Modern Mindfulness, China’s largest mindfulness community with over 8,500 active members and 1,000 active members in Austin, Texas. Brandon has also founded and manages The China Trainer’s Community, China’s largest community of English speaking corporate trainers of Fortune 500 companies. Brandon has experience in Corporate Based Mindfulness Training and Mindfulness Based Coaching with a wide range of clients and organizations ranging from the U.S. Government, the New Orleans FBI, and companies such as Volkswagen, Chevron, Disney, LEGO, Alibaba, and others. He has also recently founded, and trail blazed a new service in the mindfulness industry: Mindfulness Based Consulting, with the simple goal of helping mindfulness teachers do their work full time.
https://www.modernmindfulness.com/
In this episode, Lois and Victor discuss sleep paralysis, relationships, attachment, and philosophy's ability to scale.
“The philosopher’s school is a doctor’s clinic: you should not go there expecting pleasure but rather pain.” – Epictetus
“Philosophy does not propose to secure for a man any external thing. If it did (or if it were not, as I say), philosophy would be allowing something which is not within its province.” -Epictetus
“Let philosophy scrape off your own faults, rather than be a way to rail against the faults of others.” -Seneca
"This is therefore to say that the transformation of human consciousness through meditation is frustrated so long as we think of it as something that I by myself can bring about, by some sort of wangle, by some sort of gimmick. Because you see it leads to endless games of spiritual oneupmanship. And of guru competition. Of my guru being more effective than your guru. My yogas are faster than your yoga. I am more aware of myself than you are. I am humbler than you are. I am sorrier for my sins than you are. I love you more than you love me. There’s this interminable goings on where people fight and wonder whether they are a bit more evolved than somebody else and so on.” -Alan Watts
- “Reason gives each side time to plead; moreover, she herself demands adjournment, that she may have sufficient scope for the discovery of the truth; whereas anger is in a hurry: reason wishes to give a just decision; anger wishes its decision to be thought just. … The sword of justice is ill-placed in the hands of an angry man.” — Seneca
- "You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger." -Buddha
- "Say to yourself at the start of the day, I shall meet with meddling, ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, and unsociable people. They are subject to all these defects because they have no knowledge of good and bad. But I, who have observed the nature of the good, and seen that it is the right; and of the bad, and seen that it is the wrong; and of the wrongdoer himself, and seen that his nature is akin to my own—not because he is of the same blood and seed, but because he shares as I do in mind and thus in a portion of the divine—I, then, can neither be harmed by these people, nor become angry with one who is akin to me, nor can I hate him, for we have come into being to work together, like feet, hands, eyelids, or the two rows of teeth in our upper and lower jaws. To work against one another is therefore contrary to nature; and to be angry with another person and turn away from him is surely to work against him." -Marcus Aurelius
References:
https://dailystoic.com/keeping-your-cool-40-stoic-quotes-on-taming-anger/
We’ve all felt the deep existential fear of death before. Sometimes it makes us feel alone, afraid, and even lost.
Imagine what life would be like if you could be at peace with your own mortality, so much so you could actually enjoy a strawberry in the face of death itself.
The fear of death and lack of presence is where suffering persists. Those who learn to truly become present are those free from the burden of the fear of death, and thus can truly live.
“We really shouldn’t be here at all. Considering that we are here, and considering that we really won’t be around all that long, even if we die of extreme old age, should instill a profound sense of appreciation for the present moment. There is no staying off that cliff; there is no avoiding those tigers forever. The mouse of inexorable time is chewing away at our lifeline moment by moment. The only choice is whether or not we will notice, eat and enjoy the strawberry. Because whether we enjoy or ignore it, we’re still getting eaten by that tiger.”
-Dr. Munr Kazmir
https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/the-tiger-and-the-strawberry-b73de1dccf19
“Tigers above, tigers below. This is actually the predicament that we are always in, in terms of our birth and death. Each moment is just what it is. It might be the only moment of our life; it might be the only strawberry we’ll ever eat. We could get depressed about it, or we could finally appreciate it and delight in the preciousness of every single moment of our life.” — Pema Chodron
Music
instagram.com/2.weeks.notice
instagram.com/drone_phonetik
https://2weeksnotice.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/2_weeks_notice
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0YU0zQW5R8hehPzbBy9W8s
Clothing:
@yeet.stuff
https://yeet-stuff.com/
Controlling Your Dopamine For Motivation, Focus & Satisfaction | Huberman Lab Podcast #39: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmOF0crdyRU
In this episode, I share a disorienting experience I am currently going through and think through it in real-time over the podcast, using Zen, Stoic, and Zen Stoic principles to bring myself back to my center.
In this episode, we explore a lesson from Marcus Aurelius on how to deal with the worst parts of our fellow human beings.
In this episode, we discuss a Zen story that highlights the importance of emptying our minds as it relates to learning and growing.
Sean Sessel is the head of The Oculus Institute and a voracious learner with a fervent belief in the ability of the individual to better himself or herself. Through the Awaken program (which shows people how to escape burnout jobs and craft careers that truly inspire them), Sean has found a means of enduring impact. Sean has personally worked with over a thousand different people on solving the problems discussed therein, including entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 executives, and professional athletes. His career advice has also been cited in numerous media outlets, including Business Insider and AskMen.
Before The Oculus Institute, Mr. Sessel was Director of Quantitative Research and Co-Portfolio Manager at Tectonic Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser with over $1 billion in assets under advisement. Prior to that, he worked as an Associate at Boston Consulting Group, where he specialized in consumer survey analysis and organizational structures. Mr. Sessel received his B.S. in Bioengineering from Rice University. Throughout this time, he has also been involved as a founder, equity hire, or board member in 12 different startups and 2 different nonprofit organizations.
https://www.oculusinstitute.com/
In this brand new Thursday segment of The Zen Stoic Path, the two co-founders of Zen Stoic (Victor and Lois) have a conversation about: what they're working on in their personal lives, the development of Zen Stoic, and updates for our listeners. In this episode, they discuss burnout, their morning routines, working through pain, and the upcoming launch of the Zen Stoic Community!
In this episode, we explore, the belief trap! Most of the time in life, we do react to our actual experiences but rather what we believe about them. This creates unnecessary noise in the mind and disturbs your inner peace.
“Limiting one’s desires actually helps to cure one of fear. ‘Cease to hope … and you will cease to fear.’ … Widely different [as fear and hope] are, the two of them march in unison like a prisoner and the escort he is handcuffed to. Fear keeps pace with hope … both belong to a mind in suspense, to a mind in a state of anxiety through looking into the future. Both are mainly due to projecting our thoughts far ahead of us instead of adapting ourselves to the present.” -Seneca
In this episode, we discuss a Zen Story about how working hard could actually slow you down!
Ulf Schwekendiek is the Founder and CEO of Centered, a productivity app that helps users Flow through their Tasks 30% faster. Prior to Centered, Ulf was part of the product engineering teams of Apple/Siri, Autodesk, Postmates, Descript, Detour, Ditto & Groupon. Ulf earned his Masters in Integrated Digital Media from NYU.
After leaving Postmates, Ulf took a moment to reflect on his work and how he accomplished it. He devoured books, blogs, and videos to better understand how to improve his productivity and use his time mindfully. This thoughtfulness eventually became his next venture. After designing the platform and building a team that shares the same passion for achieving mindfulness at work, Ulf launched Centered in 2020.
In this episode, we explore a quote from Seneca to help us better prevent the experience of burnout.
In this special multi-part episode, we dive into Zen Stoic Philosophy and how it can be practiced to create unshakeable inner peace in everyday life.
In this special multi-part episode, we dive into Zen Stoic Philosophy and how it can be practiced to create unshakeable inner peace in everyday life.
In this episode, we discuss how to be like water and how to have a mindset that allows you to better flow with life.
Jason has been actively involved in sports and martial arts since he was a kid. He has an intimate understanding of athletic injuries and dysfunctional patterns that can cause imbalance, pain, and sub-optimal performance.
Jason has a passion for helping people of all ages feel great and deeply cares for every client that he works with. His goal is to help people attain optimal health and wellness. When he isn’t working, Jason loves to read, swim, and practice martial arts.
www.explorationsinhealth.com
Email: explorationsinhealth@gmail.com
Instagram: @jasonbrazil_lmt
In this episode, we take a deep dive into what Zen Stoic Philosophy is all about as well as how it differs from Zen Buddhism and Stoic Philosophy. A forewarning, this episode was a bit of a rant and is also quite dense!
In this special multi-part episode, we dive into Zen Stoic Philosophy and how it can be practiced to create unshakeable inner peace in everyday life.
In this special multi-part episode, we dive into Zen Stoic Philosophy and how it can be practiced to create unshakeable inner peace in everyday life.
On this special edition week of The Zen Stoic Path, I share the story of how Zen Stoicism came to be. I discuss the death of my mother and how it inspired me to do what I do today. I go through my journey to becoming a coach and how Zen and Stoicism, revolutionized how I served my clients. Lastly, I share my deepest regrets and shameful experiences that ultimately led to the lessons that became Zen Stoic Philosophy.
- Trusting yourself and being self-sufficient are not mutually exclusive from asking for help. But there is a big difference between being someone who asks for help because you’ve become dependent on others for validation, and someone who does their part and recognizes where they need help.
- Imagine a world where people were self-sufficient AND embraced the interconnectedness of humanity.
- There is great value in being aware of where your strengths and weaknesses are. It shows you where you can help and illuminates where you can give someone else the opportunity to help.
- “Don’t be ashamed of needing help. You have a duty to fulfill just like a soldier on the wall of battle. So what if you are injured and can’t climb up without another soldier’s help?” - Marcus Aurelius
- Zen’s style of action is to enter everything wholeheartedly without having to keep an eye on itself. This is what it is to have trust.
- There is great value in believing in yourself. If you cannot trust yourself, you cannot really trust anyone.
- Trusting yourself is not necessarily for the faint of heart. Those courageous enough to do so create a very fulfilling and meaningful life because they become sincere in their expression rather than living in a delusion of performance trying to appease everyone around them.
- It can be difficult and feel foggy at times. Remember to just breathe and listen to what you’re feeling in the moment.
- When you have emotions come up, ask them what they’re trying to tell you. Trying to get rid of them is an expression of distrust towards yourself and removes your sense of autonomy.
- Remember if you’re going to say yes to an opportunity. Make sure you’re saying yes to yourself first.
- When you are mindful about your own balance in life, you reduce the chance of your mess falling into someone else’s path.
- Being self-sufficient allows you a greater capability to help others, as you can’t pour water from an empty pitcher.
- The most valuable investment you could make is in yourself. You only experience life through your own perception. You’re of little use to the world if you do not develop yourself towards your potential.
In this episode, I interview one of my oldest childhood friends, Danny Frank. Danny has been on the spiritual path for over a decade and shares with us a wealth of knowledge that will help to illuminate the path.
- Pay attention to the problems in life that stir up unpleasant emotions within you! This is where your purpose can be uncovered. Unpleasant feelings are most abundant in raw material for creativity! They point us in the direction of solving problems in a unique way that may eventually become valuable to others.
- Pay attention to the activities that feel like play or feel effortless to you.
- Fall in love with the process. Orient passion and purpose around a process you feel strong and fulfilled in. Obsessing about the outcome of your passion or purpose will only cause you to become lost.
- Love your path! All of it, the good, the bad, pleasant, and unpleasant. It is the path you chose. You must play the hand of cards life gave you. You don’t play any better by looking at the cards of others or wishing your cards were different. You play best when you don’t just play your cards, but love and embrace the hand you got!
- We’re all guilty of this to some degree. In a world where everyone’s business is all over the internet, the temptation to talk about someone behind their back seems higher than ever. But not just talking behind people’s back, sometimes it's directly too while wielding the mighty keyboard via the comments or DMs.
- As we learn more about philosophy and its place in the world, we start to see people and things in our lives differently than we used to. Suddenly what is wrong with our own environment and the people in it becomes much more obvious.
- Gossip can be a guilty pleasure or an opportunity for self-reflection. Judgments on the surface seem to be wrong, but they can also be a signal to us! If we are able to catch ourselves in the midst of judging someone else, it can reveal to us something incredibly valuable that we would have never seen otherwise!
- The most self-aware people are NOT those who express their knowledge for attention and act the most righteous, but rather those who use their knowledge to self-reflect and become better people.
- It’s easy to feel better about ourselves by pointing out the faults in others. Sometimes it makes us feel like by doing so, we move further away from the faults we’re judging. But what if we were using the judgment of others as a defense mechanism? What if it was causing us to be even more disconnected from who we are and how we feel?
- “Let philosophy scrape off your own faults, rather than be a way to rail against the faults of others.” -Seneca
- It is so easy for us to miss the forest through the trees. We live in the age of the “selfie.” The widespread perspective has become warped, where everything revolves around our own perception of ourselves. This causes us to put an undue amount of significance on everything we say and do while taking everything personally.
- One of the most valuable skills we can cultivate is self-awareness. Self-awareness is typically assumed as one’s preferences in life and “knowing yourself.” But this mentality leads more towards self-obsession. Self-awareness is cultivated by zooming out from self-obsession and seeing the nature of who you are and what you’re a part of.
- "How beautifully Plato put it. Whenever you want to talk about people, it’s best to take a bird’s- eye view and see everything all at once— of gatherings, armies, farms, weddings and divorces, births and deaths, noisy courtrooms or silent spaces, every foreign people, holidays, memorials, markets— all blended together and arranged in a pairing of opposites.” Marcus Aurelius.
- “Consider too the lives once lived by others long before you, the lives that will be lived after you, the lives lived now among foreign tribes; and how many have never even heard your name, how many will soon forget it, how many praises you but quickly turn to blame. Reflect that neither memory nor fame, nor anything else at all, has any importance worth thinking of.” -Marcus Aurelius
- Take a moment right now to zoom out from where you are. Observe your environment, the people in it, the country you live in, the planet. See yourself connected and part of existence. From this view how big do your problems actually feel?
- Remember this whenever you feel lost or alone.
- “He has the most who is content with the least.” -Diogenes
- “It is not the man who has little, but he who desires more, that is poor.” -Seneca
- “He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.” -Socrates
- What if we could find contentment and inner peace right here right now? What if everything you were chasing was just taking you further away from yourself. Imagine a world where we could all perceive this.
- The most important thing we can learn is how to be content right now. It is an instant ROI on your time and energy.
- The happiest people are those who are present in the moment and desire the least.
- “The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately. True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so, wants nothing. -Seneca
- You may not have everything you think you need at this moment, but you still have this moment. It is a moment that wasn’t promised to you, yet here you are. Alive and aware. What simple thing can you be grateful for right now?
Micah has been training in martial arts for over 28yrs. Including Muay Thai and San Shou kickboxing, as well as wrestling in high school. After discovering BJJ in 2006 he decided to dedicate the rest of his martial arts career to grappling.
Micah has functioned as an assistant striking coach for kickboxing and MMA. He has also worked as a competitive gymnastics coach for the past 12 years, as well as a strength and conditioning coach.
Micah was also an affiliated athlete for the World Freerunning and Parkour Federation. Hosting the MTV Ultimate Parkour Challenge Crash tour in Austin, TX, and one of the first certified movement/ parkour coaches in the nation certified by the WFPF.
Follow him on IG @corsairbjj
https://corsairbjj.com/
“We think that the world is limited and explained by its past. We tend to think that what happened in the past determines what is going to happen next, and we do not see that it is exactly the other way around! What is always the source of the world is the present; the past doesn't explain a thing. The past trails behind the present like the wake of a ship and eventually disappears.” -Alan Watts
- You don’t have to sacrifice all practicality in order to pursue your creative passions. There is no rule that your creative passions need to become your vocation and that you need to do what you love every day.
- What happens to that creative energy when it’s suppressed? Life is full of pain, suffering, and unpleasant emotions. Our creative energy is born out of these experiences, and failing to explore and express these things through our creative outputs can be the path to resolving what we think to be meaningless suffering. What if your creative aspirations were a form of therapy for your soul?
- Creativity is where you find your Zen. It is a place where time ceases to exist and all parts of you feel alive! This is how we make the most out of our pain and suffering.
- The best thing you could do for yourself is to express what exists within you rather than hide it. Without doing this, you will never know your full potential.
- It can be scary to show yourself to the world. We wonder “what if I’m made fun of?” or “what if someone turns this video into a viral autotune song?” This makes us feel lost and alone. As we said in a previous episode, find yourself through your practice, build your confidence through competence, connect with others by sharing your gifts.
- “Are you a born writer? Were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace? In the end, the question can only be answered by action. Do it or don't do it. It may help to think of it this way. If you were meant to cure cancer or write a symphony or crack cold fusion and you don't do it, you not only hurt yourself, even destroy yourself. You hurt your children. You hurt me. You hurt the planet. You shame the angels who watch over you and you spite the Almighty, who created you and only you with your unique gifts, for the sole purpose of nudging the human race one millimeter farther along its path back to God. Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It's a gift to the world and every being in it. Don't cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you've got.” -Stephen Pressfield “The War of Art”
- “One of the key paradoxes in Buddhism is that we need goals to be inspired, to grow, and to develop, even to become enlightened, but at the same time we must not get overly fixated or attached to these aspirations. If the goal is noble, your commitment to the goal should not be contingent on your ability to attain it, and in pursuit of our goal, we must release our rigid assumptions about how we must achieve it. Peace and equanimity come from letting go of our attachment to the goal and the method. That is the essence of acceptance." — Dalai Lama
- We need goals in order to have a sense of direction. If we don’t have goals, we don’t have any boundaries to base decision making, and ultimately get dragged around by the highs and lows of our environment.
- Life is lived in the process, not the outcome. One of the biggest problems goal settings creates is that it becomes a metric of self-worth and often times what a person attaches their identity to. This creates unnecessary noise and stress during the pursuit where a person questions their own self-worth. What if we based goals around a process that is truly fulfilling rather than the outcome itself?
- The way to get the most out of the goals you set is to fall in love with the process. Orient goals around a fulfilling process and you win whether or not you achieve the goal.
- There is no worse feeling than investing time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears into a goal and then achieving it only to be met immediately with an anticlimactic feeling of emptiness.
- Know when to say “fuck it” and move on to something else. “Never give up” sounds inspiring in a Rocky movie, but is wildly uninspiring in real life while in pursuit of something fundamentally meaningless to you.
- We all want to feel better about ourselves. Life is difficult, there is pain and suffering and sometimes, we would love nothing more than for there to be a quick fix, or for things to be easier and less difficult. And sometimes we turn to things like excessive positive thinking or pumping up our confidence as a means of making things easier on ourselves.
- We’ve become addicted to expediency and expectation. What if instead, we approached life with curiosity and appreciation?
- Building competence in an area of difficulty and developing tested principles is the best use of your time and energy. Pumping yourself up with positive affirmations without developing competency and understanding is a gamble.
- Bottom line. True confidence comes from competence, experience, and exposure. False confidence comes from delusions of grander, expediency, and conviction over our crutches. (Technology, money, food/drugs, status, relationships)
After surviving a few near-death experiences and overcoming addiction, codependency, and anxiety; Kevin has dedicated his life to sharing how he did it and the wisdom he learned in the process.
Kevin is on a mission to end trauma and assist human evolution. He utilizes coaching, visionary leadership, and trauma-informed bodywork to fuel his vision of positively impacting the trajectory of the human race.
His bold “tough love” strategy, combined with trauma-informed unique practical guidance, has helped tens of thousands of people from all over the world break toxic cycles, heal emotional and relational traumas, and live with more self-love, healthier relationships, and inner fulfillment.
Find Kevin at:
www.heartguy.com
www.dark72.com
@the.heart.guy
- We hear people say all the time, “I want to be happy,” or “do what makes you happy.”
- This advice is hardly useful in any practical way because what we think makes us happy is actually an abstraction of actual happiness. Happiness is not a thing you can go and get, it is a state of being, yet most people associate the concept of happiness with an external result or outcome.
- There’s a lot of “I’ll be happy if/when” type of mentality out there.
- You cannot pursue happiness because there is nothing to chase. It's not running from you.
- Imagine a world where we didn’t believe the lie that happiness exists outside of us? What might be possible?
- "Repeated efforts to be one-up on the universe may eventually reveal their futility. Don’t try to get rid of the ego-sensation. Take it, so long as it lasts, as a feature or play of the total process — like a cloud or wave, or like feeling warm or cold, or anything else that happens of itself. Getting rid of one’s ego is the last resort of invincible egoism! It simply confirms and strengthens the reality of the feeling. But when this feeling of separateness is approached and accepted like any other sensation, it evaporates like the mirage that it is. This is why I am not overly enthusiastic about the various “spiritual exercises” in meditation or yoga which some consider essential for release from the ego. For when practiced in order to “get” some kind of spiritual illumination or awakening, they strengthen the fallacy that the ego can toss itself away by a tug at its own bootstraps." - Alan Watts
- Spiritual egotism is the attempt to use what is of a higher nature to fulfill the desires of that of a lower nature. To think you are somehow more spiritual or awakened than another person because of what you practice is in itself self-diminishing as anything spiritual.
- The ego is important and necessary to have an individual experience. You couldn’t say, “I’ve gotten rid of my ego” without an ego. “I” would be a meaningless concept without the ego. The ego or “I” is merely a measuring of your individual conscious experience.
- “Every difficulty in life presents us with an opportunity to turn inward and to invoke our own inner resources. The trails we endure can and should introduce us to our strengths. Prudent people look beyond the incident itself and seek to form the habit of putting it to good use. On the occasion of an accidental event, don’t just react in a haphazard fashion: remember to turn inward and ask what resources you have for dealing with it. Dig deeply. You possess strengths you might not realize you have. Find the right one. Use it.” -Epictetus
- "Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one." -Marcus Aurelius.
- When we judge others, we are actually judging ourselves.
- Humans have come into being for the sake of each other, so either teach them or learn to bear them.' -Marcus Aurelius
- Continuing to judge someone after the moment of noticing their wrongdoing rather than teaching them better or giving them feedback only serves to hold you back from freeing yourself.
- Silent judgement in your own mind or gossiping continuously about others keeps the noise going. It prevents your soul from progressing in its development.
In this episode, we interview Sergeant Peña (Ace). He shares stories from his experience with the military on how to develop mental toughness and find motivation even in the toughest of times.
1. The time is ALWAYS now. Master your relationship with the present moment.
- Do things right away to prevent being weighed down and cluttered by unfinished tasks. Quick decisions.
2. Do less, but do it better. Eliminate unnecessary actions by eliminating unnecessary assumptions. Recognize the difference between urgent and important. Know your outcome.
- Take as much off your plate as possible, and focus on what is important. Simplify and reduce to essentials.
- “If you seek tranquility, do less. Or (more accurately) do what’s essential. Do less, better. Because most of what we do or say is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more tranquility. But to eliminate the necessary actions, we need to eliminate unnecessary assumptions as well.” — Marcus Aurelius
3. Meditate on your own mortality. Memento Mori
Seneca Quotes, “Letters From A Stoic: Letter II”:
“You do not tear from place to place and unsettle yourself with one move after another. Restlessness of that sort is symptomatic of a sick mind. Nothing to my way of thinking, is better proof of a well ordered mind that a man’s ability to stop just where he is and pass the time in his own company. To be everywhere is to be nowhere.”
“Food that is vomited up as soon as it is eaten is not assimilated into the body and does not do one any good. Nothing hinders a cure so much as frequent changes of treatment.Nothing is so useful that it can be of any service in mere passing.” -Seneca,
Seneca Quote “Letters From A Stoic: Letter III”:
“People who never relax and people who are invariably in a relaxed state merit your disapproval — the former as much as the latter. For a delight in bustling about is not industrious — it is only the restless energy of a haunted mind. And the state of mind that looks on all activity as tiresome is not true repose, but a spineless inertia.”
- Chrysippus The Fighter: Philosophy as “a cultivation of rightness of reason.”
- Stoicism is “a philosophy of endurance and inner strength- of transcending one’s limits and measuring oneself against a higher internal standard” -Lives of The Stoics, Ryan Holiday
- "Runners in a race ought to compete and strive to win as hard as they can, but by no means should they trip their competitors or give them a shove. So too in life; it is not wrong to seek after the things useful in life, but to do so whole depriving someone else is not just.” -Chysippus.
- Part of Chrysippus’s ethical breakdowns was the development of Stoicism’s concept of Sympatheia. This was rooted in Zeno’s belief that we all belong to one common community.
- “Meditate often on the interconnectedness and mutual interdependence of all things in the universe.” -Marcus Aurelius
- Remember human beings are made for each other.
- If it’s bad for humanity it’s bad for us.
- “Be strict with yourself, and patient with others.” -Marcus Aurelius
- If you always live with the future in mind, you’ll miss out on life. The most important moments (and fondest memories) happen unexpectedly and in the process, not the outcome or destination. Sometimes it’s nothing your mind could have even conceived… something someone says to you (a joke, a story, a compliment) or a look someone gives you.
- Follow through on what you commit to.
- Do not simply try to rush a process to expedite the discomfort of tougher times.
- Fall in love with the process of what you’re choosing to do with your time.
In this episode, we interview Eric Duran. Eric is a software engineer, mentor, and content creator. Eric shares with us how he went from humble beginnings to working as a software engineer at the top of his field, at one of the largest tech companies in the world!
You can find Eric at @champagnecoder on Instagram for content on life lessons, career advancement, work/lifestyle setup, and technical interview prep!
- One of the biggest problems we face in society is that we’ve been taught not to trust ourselves.
- Lack of trust in ourselves leads to a disproportionate amount of overthinking and indecisiveness.
- So many decisions to make, What if I’m wrong? What if I make a mistake? What if I fail?
- Indecisiveness and overthinking comes from a lack of clarity on what direction you want to move in. It comes from a lack of sincerity in yourself.
- Being performance oriented will get in the way of your intuition because it attempts to please others or present you in a different light than you truly are.
- Learn to listen to the voice of your unconscious mind. It is the quite voiceless voice that is more of a feeling and at the very most a whisper.
- Ask yourself: What do I really want? Is that really it?
- Your unconscious mind (intuition) will answer immediately. The voice isn’t loud and won’t attempt to convince you but it will make itself known via emotion.
- Detach from the outcome and be willing to be wrong.
- Decide on what you really want and go there! Have an aim and purpose in why you want to move in that direction.
- Use emotions like a compass. If your intentions aren’t in the right place, you’ll know. Something will feel off even if you’re doing “the right thing.”
Marcus Aurelius: The 5 Ways The Human Soul Degrades Itself: The Human Soul Degrades Itself:
1. To be disgruntled at anything that happens is a kind of secession from nature, which comprises the nature of all things.
2. When it turns its back on another person or sets out to do it harm, as the souls of the angry do.
3. When it is overpowered by pleasure or pain
4. When it puts on a mask and does or says something artificial or false
5. When it allows its action and impulse to be without purpose, to be random or disconnected: even the smallest things ought to be directed toward a goal.
- We have all been given the advice to act rationally and make decisions based on logic without emotion. Unfortunately, this advice sees humans in an overly optimistic light. We are ALL emotional and primarily operate within our preconceived biases, prejudices, limited perceptions (ALL of which are rooted in emotion).
- Not every decision is so simple or black and white. Thinking and reasoning are required.
- Making decisions without the rational faculty makes us take our emotions literally, and act impulsively.
- The key is understanding how to use emotion and rationality. Buddhism sees both emotion and logic as equally illusory (this is impractical for everyday use in civilized society), while Stoicism seeks to replace logic with emotion (Zen would see this as just as much a mistake to operate on emotions exclusively).
- The reality is that both logic and emotion are part of our reality and rather than choosing sides, use them harmoniously to direct you.
- It seems as though it's nearly impossible to go online these days without the inclination to start comparing yourself and your lifestyle to others.
- It’s almost as if our society has become a never-ending cycle of one-upmanship and we struggle to keep up, no matter how much good there is in our lives.
- There’s always someone who looks happier or more successful on their social media than we feel in that moment. Or who seems to be more "spiritually evolved" (whatever that means) as they take a filtered picture of their yoga pose from this morning and reciting some quotes from Maya Angelou.
- How do we stop comparing ourselves to others? Tune into this episode and find out!
Dr. Mario Garcia is the gold standard when it comes to training professional coaches and leadership development. Many of the principles he discusses are very aligned in Zen Stoicism and even enhance the application of the philosophy. He’s been in the coaching world since 1992 and today he walks us through what he has learned in the last 3 decades.
In this episode, we discuss the Zen Stoic method of defining success, moving towards that success, and becoming more productive in everyday life.
In this episode, we discuss how to keep your emotions in check when chaos, noise, and sensationalism on social media attempts to hijack your mind.
In this episode, we discuss a profound lesson from Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius and the mentality he used to keep his character pure despite being in a position of absolute power and the most powerful man in the world of his time.
In this episode, we go discuss the Zen story of, The Starfish. Through this story, you will discover the mindset needed to never waste a moment and remain peacefully present to each moment.
Growing up in the sound system culture, Nicko Rebel gained a love for music at an early age. He learned the importance of music distribution through his popular mixtapes and became intrigued with the creative aspects of music.
Check him out at https://nickorebelmusic.com/
Have you ever found yourself everything "right" yet still feeling overwhelmed? In this episode, we dive into the best ways to deal with overwhelm so that you can not only get things done but also enjoy the process along the way without being buried in your own stress.
The quality of our lives is highly correlated with the amount of uncertainty we're able to stomach at any one time. In this episode, we dive into the pain of uncertainty we all face as human beings and how to effectively bring our focus into the right place to more effortlessly move through uncertainty.
In this episode, we discuss the importance of letting go. We dive into how to become comfortable with change and minimize suffering with the changing tides of life.
In this episode, we explore the story of "Maybe." This story has the power to help you keep inner peace through the volatile times of all of the good and bad.
Learn more about Brendon's work here: https://www.brendonlemon.com/ and his book here: https://www.amazon.com/Stoic-Salesperson-Brendon-Lemon/dp/1735055204
In this episode, we answer an audience member's question on the Zen Stoic way of preventing stress.
There is one teaching that has been the focal point of most self-help programs for decades. What if this teaching is actually causing most of our suffering?
In this episode, we discuss an Epictetus quote to help overcome procrastination, how to create a worthy goal, and ultimately live a life of meaning.
A Zen story that shows us how to effortlessly let go of that which causes us suffering.
“True friendship which does not hope nor fear nor concern for personal advantage ever sunders, that friendship in which and for which people are ready to die. Something that can never happen when mutual inclination draws two personalities together in a fellowship of desire for all that is honorable.” -Seneca
In this episode, we discuss the Zen and Stoic lessons that allow you to deal with heartbreak without losing your center, and even emerge happier and more peaceful than ever!
In this episode, we'll be going through the exact Zen and Stoic lessons that helped me resolve my burnout, rebuild myself professionally after a halt in income, and ultimately exit hustle culture, resulting in professional success and a massive reduction of work-related stress!
In this episode, we discuss the Zen Stoic lessons on how to deal with the death of a loved one and how to support a loved one who is confronted with their own mortality.
"It is better to be a warrior in a garden, rather than a gardener in a war."
-Japanese Proverb
On this very first episode of The Zen Stoic Path, you will:
Discover what Zen and Stoicism are, how they differ, and how they come together to create the hybrid philosophy of Zen Stoicism.
We will also be going over how Zen Stoicism prevented me from hitting rock bottom in 2020, and how you can apply the same lessons to create unshakeable inner peace in your life!
2020 was a crazy year for everybody,
We all dealt with political polarity and a global pandemic that triggered chaos.
Social isolation and social media didn’t help, either.
We lived through it, though...but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t scary.
The scariest part of 2020 for me, surprisingly, was not the pandemic, though:
It was the fact that my personal life changed entirely.
In 2020 alone,
- My dad got diagnosed with melanoma (and I lost my mom to cancer when I was a kid, so this hit home hard for me)...
- My grandpa passed away…
- A business deal that I invested heavily into, fell sideways & the money disappeared…
- One of my close, trusted friends & I fell out…
- I had minor injuries from Jiu Jitsu (which is basically my version of therapy), and it prevented me from practicing...
- Finally, my marriage fell apart.
These experiences made me feel hopeless at the time, but because of them, I discovered an unexpected gift…
Since I was pushed to the extremes of my emotional endurance, and I had nothing else to fall back on…
I leaned on to what I DID have: Zen and Stoicism.
Zen and Stoicism essentially formed my new, internal compass…
Zen kept me fully present, meaning I actually felt my emotions and the pain of my experience, rather than blocking them out.
Stoicism helped me take ownership of the problems..so I could do whatever was in my control, to move forward with a clear mind.
...So it didn’t turn out to be a rock bottom year for me after all.
For YEARS, I had been helping others create unshakeable peace, even when it felt like the world around them was falling apart.
So in 2020,
The same methods and insights I once developed to serve my clients…
Were then the exact things I relied on -- to help myself.
And I survived a year of hell.
It WORKED.
I actually emerged more happy, peaceful, and accepting of myself than I’ve ever been.
-I was able to help my dad, who decided to take his health into his own hands (and is now healthier than ever)!
-I had my most successful financial year of business, with the least amount of work-related stress.
-My marriage dissolved, but I passed through the heartbreak without losing my own center...and everything was managed with peace and respect.
In a deeply personal sense, all of these situations illustrated how POWERFUL the combination of Zen and Stoicism can be.
It won’t keep you from experiencing hardships...
But it CAN permanently alter the way you respond to the storms you inevitably get caught in.
For months, I’ve been preparing something new to share with the world…
Prior to 2020, I wouldn’t have had the courage to share this (because I wore a mask that I thought others wanted to see).
But it seems like the protective layers I once had, have largely dissolved & revealed who I really am.
So now, I’m excited to share the new embodiment of the timeless wisdom that has meant so much to me, and I hope it serves you.
Join me on this very first episode of, The Zen Stoic Path!
You are here because you believe that it is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war. You want to conquer your goals without sacrificing your well-being while also enjoying the things that matter most.
The Zen Stoic path will guide you to unshakable inner peace through a unique approach that blends the timeless wisdom of Zen Buddhism and Stoicism.
Through this journey, you’ll apply thousands of years of lessons, while integrating modern techniques of emotional mastery. You'll be ready to conquer any challenge life throws your way while being peacefully, present to each moment.
Join us on the Zen Stoic path today.