The Naked Monk was created by Stephen Schettini. His stories, books, articles and recordings are the fruit of four decades of experience. He communicates and inspires without philosophical jargon in ways that reflect your own struggles. Stephen has been a believer and disbeliever, a hippy and a Buddhist monk. He is now a husband, father and teacher. He shares his personal truths with rare honesty, warmth and intimacy.
The Naked Monk: After eight years I returned my monk’s vow to my preceptor Gen Rabten. He said, “Okay, but once a monk, always a monk.” Giving up the support of my teachers, community and benefactors left me feeling naked and anxious, but through those years of transition his words rang true and gave me strength.
Beyond Buddhism: Each culture interprets a new version of Buddhism. The challenge is to embody that interpretation while taking it beyond the limits of any particular place and time.
Expose Yourself to Doubt: When you find The Truth, contemplative life comes to an end and death sets in; but by opening the door to not knowing you forge a living path.
Perhaps like me you are drawn to the Buddha’s teachings but not to the traditions of Buddhism. We can’t wrap ourselves in dogmatic religion any more than in consumerism or the ‘new age.’ We have no way to hide our anxieties, no beliefs to dress up in. We respect science but know life is an art, that all truths are small-t and that life’s purpose is what we make it. We feel the ground shifting beneath our feet. We’re into more than mindfulness; I call it mindful reflection. We care about more than fame and fortune. We’re not afraid to expose ourselves to doubt.