Your Autistic Life

Tag: ZenBuddhism

  • Snowflakes In The Storm

    We are so many snowflakes in the storm. Such is our lives. As I write these lines, it is snowing softly outside my apartment. However, I do not wish to talk about the present, but about the past. I want to talk about one night, back when I was in my early twenties. At that…

  • The Dawn Of Understanding

    I’m just beginning to understand that the masters said. Good news! You’re already enlightened. Bad news. You still need to practice, for a long time, and most likely until you die. Ain’t this fun? Oftentimes, Zen practice beings with a desire for enlightenment. I’ll get enlightened. Then I’ll show them! Not a very wholesome thought,…

  • My Suffering Is For All Sentient Beings

    Although my life used to be lived for myself, it is now lived for others. When I began to practice Zen, my goal was to reach enlightenment as fast as possible. I was sitting, mostly for my own benefit. I’ve sat in meditation on and off for over 27 years. Furthermore, I’ve been to seven-day…

  • Neurodivergence And Spirituality

    Is it possible that neurodivergent people experience spirituality differently than neurotypical folks? The answer is obvious. Yes, we experience spirituality differently than neurotypical folks. Why should spirituality be any different from the other realms of existence? I’ll remind you that I used to think that we perceive the world in more or less the same…

  • The Self: A Vibratory Phenomenon

    That which we call the self is not as solid as we’d like to believe. This article is about this thing we call “the self.” We tend to think about the self as this solid thing. I think this belief is mistaken. I don’t think I’m being original with this contention that it is a…

  • Adversity Does Not Make You Stronger

    The reality of it is much more complex than what the saying would have you believe. Adversity has visited me often. So much so, that by all rights, if the saying were true, I’d be Superman by now. Alas, I’m no Superman. Adversity nearly killed me. Adversity has had a beneficial effect on me, but…

  • Alcohol Does Not Reveal Someone’s “Real” Personality

    Contrary to what some people hold, I do not hold this to be true. I’m going to explain why. I’m a Zen Buddhist. As such, I don’t believe that there is any real self that can be uncovered. Everything we call a self is an ever-evolving set of causes and conditions. Forcibly, there cannot be…