Polish the turd of “me” long enough and it still won’t shine. A Thursday Zen rant for anyone who’s done everything “right” and is still seeking that enlightenment fix.
Timecodes and topics:
0:00 Thursday Zen and a warning to the seekers
0:39 Zubin the miserable doctor and the seeker’s path
2:52 Meditation, self inquiry, and the I am
5:30 The spiritual industrial complex and glimpses as experiences
6:42 A slow disillusionment at every step
8:33 For anyone still seeking: there is no future
10:16 Shadow work and the nuclear reactor of unworthiness
13:00 What changed when the me was seen through
15:41 Do you need spiritual practices
17:20 Preferences remain, but nobody owns what people think
18:29 Panic, the second arrow, and life showing up as panic
20:40 When it feels impossible to the one who wants it
22:46 Tony Parsons, Jim Newman, and the mirage of water
26:30 Gradual unmasking and disillusionment with teachers
28:00 Free will and moving through the universe
29:33 A Star Trek tangent and Zoroastrian roots
31:14 Isn’t no self just another belief
31:58 How daily life has changed
33:43 Is non-duality just another form of escapism
37:36 Money, wealth, and a message with no conditions
39:03 Zen goes to war and why beliefs are useless
40:01 Spiritual bullshit, influencers, and the loving character
42:54 Money fears, doubt, and doubtless uncertainty
46:20 Let it be: supporting your kids and the fear of the street
48:48 Would mega wealth change anything
51:41 Studying Zen Buddhism
53:16 Why awakening seems correlated with practice
56:33 The descriptive versus prescriptive fallacy
58:15 Running off to pick up my kid
