The Naked Monk is not just a brand. It describes you as much as me. We care passionately about life. We feel the ground constantly shifting beneath our feet; we wonder what to do; we identify with no particular religion or philosophy; we feel instinctively that all truths are small-t, that life’s purpose is what we make it. We’re trying to be real, and accept anxiety as par for the course; we do not turn away; we value dignity, empathy and insight; we’re unwilling to wrap ourselves in false certainties or denial, willing to shiver in our nakedness. We aspire to be an honest product of our times.
My first great teacher Swammi Ashokananda of the Vedanta Society of San Francisco (d . Dec 1969) said:”learn to look the whole world in the face.” I later attended the Kalachakra Initiation w / Kalu Rinpoche & teachings w/ Namki Norbu @Oz in northern Ca, among other spiritual episodes. They all point to an open, fearless & compassionate mind learning to ride the streams of energy, like a surfer on the waves or a skier wafting thru powder.
Leslie,
Many thanks for your comments. It was so well said. I have been trying to put my finger on that state of being, but your surfer just nailed it.
Thanks
Ken