Mystics and Zen Masters, by Thomas Merton
A Micro-Review/Essay
Why Gnosticism is Left Hemispheric
Gnosticism is logical.
In fact, it can be argued that logic and rational conclusions are the gnostic's gods.
The gnostic uses rationality to construct abstract ideas of how the world works . . . of what full reality is. The gnostic then embodies these abstract ideas into structures (the belief in
Are You Engaged in the Act of Existence? Then You’re a Man of the Tao
Introducing "The Reality Spectrum"
How to Break on Through to the Other Side
The Doors released their first single in 1967: “Break on Through (to the Other Side),” a tribute of sorts to Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception.
Huxley had been trying to break on through to the other side for years. He put together a splendid book in the 1940s
We Golf. Therefore, the Tao Is.
We intuit the Tao. That’s why our active hobbies engage us.
How to Escape the Selfishness Paradox
Hint: Stop Thinking About It
The word “selfish” trended strongly over the past few years.
People who wouldn’t lock down: selfish. People who wouldn’t get the vaccine: selfish. People who rail against economic inequality: selfish (manifested in envy).
The problem with alleging selfishness, though, is that every human
The Pseudo-Dionysius and the Tao
The Satoshi Nakamoto of Mysticism. This dude first articulated the western mystical tradition. Like the inventor of Bitcoin, we don’t even know who he was. But he pointed to the Tao.
Dr. Faustus and Mr. Lao-Tzu
When Dr. Faust insulted the Tao, the devil emerged.
How to Break a Maniac
My daughter sent that comic to me. The whole thing shows three ancient philosophers competing in the Philosophy event at the Greek Olympics: Thales, who declares everything is water. Zeno, who declares motion is impossible. Socrates, who declares they’re full of bulls***.
Socrates won.
But of course, he didn’
How to Live Like a Zen Master
Lessons from spiritual adepts from various traditions tell us the same thing: Cultivate the eyes of a child