i remember agonizing again and again about whether to stay or go
after leaving, i realized that leaving presented opportunities to train in certain things that i couldn't have if i stayed. so i threw myself in, and took advantage of those opportunities, just like it was training
when i returned, it was an opportunity to train in certain things i couldn't cultivate in the world. so i threw myself in, and took advantage of that situation
new circumstances, different opportunities, all taken advantage of
i didn’t fear leaving so much the second time. i knew i would train, wherever i was, whatever situation i found myself in, whatever path i chose
there are only virtues to cultivate
losing this opportunity, we gain that opportunity
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there's a good reason for a semi-unspoken social stigma against people taking out their phones when present with each other: it doesn't feel good!
but that's because people typically contract their awareness when using their phone
if you are nearby someone with their awareness contracted, so they stop being aware of you and have all their attention focused on something else, that feels awful (albeit in a subtle way)
in that moment, you don't exist to them. it's like their consciousness is saying, you don't matter. we can perceive that and it doesn't feel good
if you have a spare couch or guest room, it seems to me that offering it to trusted friends, travelers, and couchsurfers for short and long stays is one of the most underrated but commendable, prosocial, even counter-culture (building a better world) actions available to you
my life and work is made possible by the generous friends and souls who put me up for 1 night - 6 weeks and i'm so grateful to every single one of them
with each person I stay with I genuinely feel that my staying there with them is of true benefit to both of us. the exact benefits and shape of the experience with each person and place but at its best a short stay can transform both of our lives irrevocably
type of job where you just say and do kind things all day long and feel happy noticing that other people are happier for it
I am always so proud to say "that's my job" 🥰
no one could have explained to me the beauty and poetry of the intimate connection between your own happiness and that of others, between your own joy and what is god for the world
from reading a book or two and hanging around spiritual scenes and only a very short moment of practice i've picked up a number of mental models of awakening
these models are maps - and may or may not even be particularly accurate models of the territory. they're just some concepts I've acquired over time in a cluttered attic. i'm listing for my own reference + sharing in case it's useful
- no suffering: while the awakened person may experience pain or physical hardship, they will not experience psychological suffering in any circumstance. they are equanimous with their experience, regardless of their fortune or misfortune