Music, Art & Engineering
It happened in a bookstore café in Midtown—of all places. James had wandered in while visiting a friend. He was sipping black coffee and thumbing through a used copy of Leaves of Grass when a voice rang out: “Lyons? Is that really you?”
It’s not until you schedule an intentional “digital detox” that you’ll see how much compulsive behavior punctuates your life and how much willpower it will take to permanently change it.
A colleague recently told me about an interesting interview he read with Ed Catmull, who just published a book on Pixar. One of the key insights was that he observed how poor management allows organization to smother the creative genius of important company talent. I’ve been fortunate, and intentional enough to avoid traditional organizational structures … Continue reading Zen Business & Creativity (Or six ways to die as a creative)
As an on-again off-again meditator for years, I’ve often suggested the ancient art of “sitting still and doing nothing” to my friends and associates. The most common reply is that either they don’t know where to start, or have tried it and found it difficult or pointless. Recent scientific research has laid to rest any … Continue reading Meditation Makes You Better
Hindsight is 20/20, but it’s high time that Hank Paulson gets his act together or steps aside before the next administration chooses his successor. The US markets are gyrating wildly to the hastily cobbled together ‘bailout’ that was supposed to dampen things down.
Detachment as it relates to daily practice is probably one of the most misunderstood aspects of zen discipline. People often ask, “if my goal is to reach a state of detachment, then why wouldn’t I just go hide in a cave somewhere?” After all, isn’t the lazy pot-head or drunkard on the side of the … Continue reading Detachment, Abundance, & Success: Just Another Day At The Beach
I have more or less been interested in the teachings of the Buddha since I was a teenager. I don’t recall precisely what my introduction to to the tradition was, but when I read the core concepts of Buddhists, I identified with them immediately. Throughout my life I may have gone through phases where I … Continue reading Buddhism & Christianity: Is there Compatibility?
Buddhism teaches us that suffering is caused by attachment. This idea is easy to understand, but difficult to apply in our daily lives. Suffering is caused by attachment? Simplistic? Elegant? Axiomatic? Whatever the case, the further along I go in my journey, the more this rings true. Perhaps it is just easy enough for some … Continue reading Get Happy: Let Go.