conditioned thinking Archives

Annie Dillard celebrates humanity by taking the widest view of its activities, hopes, dreams and values. She then asks, what would we really do with this new, expanded perspective?

Book Bits, Chinese Texts, Texts, The Masters

The Dexterous Butcher – Zhuangzi

May 18, 2020December 29, 2020 Vanessa Able

Zhuangzi's story of the dexterous Cook Ding who teaches a lord a profound life lesson through the workings of his knife.

What is Meditation? Shinzen Young on How to Deepen Our Focus
Shinzen Young on the most basic principle of mindfulness meditation: the cultivation of focus that can be practiced at any moment of the day, during any activity.
The Most Beautiful Thing We Can Experience Is The Mysterious: Albert Einstein’s Living Philosophy
Albert Einstein lays out his living philosophy and the set of ideals that he held in his personal, spiritual and political life.
Joseph Campbell On Experiencing Mystery
Joseph Campbell takes on the notion of experiencing mystery and considers how religious narratives can actually stymie the expansive human experience of transcendence.
You Have To Say Something: Dainin Katagiri on What To Say When There Is Nothing To Say
According to Katagiri, it can be difficult to find the words or modality to enter back into the world from a place of silence, but it is something we ultimately have to do.
Astronomer Pippa Goldschmidt on Seeing Far and Seeing Up Close
Astronomer Pippa Goldschmidt on working in the starry deserts of Chile during a time when new technologies meant a more remote relationship to the act of stargazing.

Jane Hirshfield – All The Difficult Hours and Minutes
In Hirshfield's poem, calamity turns to calmness when things turn into themselves, a principle that goes to the heart of transformative practice.
Shangyang Fang – Chaconne
Fang's beautiful and complex poem addresses the questions of sin and redemption against the background of a young monk entering a monastery.
Jericho Brown – Bullet Points
Jericho Brown's poem talks to the weight carried by black Americans who live under the constant threat of police violence and injustice.
Leonard Cohen – Roshi
Leonard Cohen on how the teachings of a Zen master can manifest in unexpected and obtuse ways.
Seamus Heaney – Wheels Within Wheels
This very personal and autobiographical poem of Seamus Heaney's harks back to the objects and curiosities of his youth.

Tag: conditioned thinking

This is the Life: Annie Dillard Asks, Then What?

The Dexterous Butcher – Zhuangzi