Wisdom
Essays on Buddhist and Taoist philosophy
The AI Made Me Realize: I Might Never Have Known Who I Am
We asked an AI: "Do you have consciousness?" The AI said: "I don't have real consciousness." Something felt off. Couldn't say what. --- We asked an AI whether it had consciousness—and in that ques…
Going Through 'God Is Dead'? Don't Panic—It Was Never Alive
3 AM. You wake up. Not from insomnia—from noticing that something is gone. Maybe it's the prayer you've said for ten years, suddenly sounding like noise. Maybe it's a morning when you realize you've…
Can't Sleep at 3 AM? Anxiety Isn't the Problem — It's the Answer
3:17 AM. Fifth time checking the phone. Presentation at nine. Deck not finished. Heartbeat in the eardrums. Deep breathing, tried it. Counting sheep, tried it. "Just stop thinking" — tried that too. …
Searched for 10 Years, Found Nothing? You're Looking in the Wrong Direction
Close the browser. Open it again. Fingers moving on their own. Nothing new. Same pages. You know what you're looking for — an answer, a direction, something that makes sense. You know you won't find …
100 Books But Still Can't Figure Life Out? The Answer Isn't in Books
Add up the time you spent in the past year "figuring out life." Reading books, taking courses, filling notebooks, running the same thoughts over and over in your head. Then ask: did you figure it out…
Self-Criticism Never Worked? That's Because 'You' Don't Exist
The voice is back again. Get it together. Why can't you just do it. You know this voice well. It always arrives the same way: first, feeling not enough effort was applied, then feeling there's somet…
Tried Everything, Got Nothing? You're Pushing the Wrong Storm
Write down the time and results from the past year spent on "effort." That project you worked until midnight on every day. That phase of weekly reviews and daily reflections. The outcome that never re…
Let Go of Attachment, Then Grabbed Something New? Even Emptiness Must Be Emptied
It took a long time to accept a fact: everything is assembled from conditions; nothing has an essence that belongs to it inherently. You got it. You felt you understood. Then you started grasping at…