Over a decade ago, I began practicing meditation. I am still unsure what exactly drew me to it, and to be honest, if you knew me back then, you would\u2019ve been scratching your head wondering, \u201cWhy in the world is this wild, crazy, wanna-be rockstar sitting still and silent with himself so much?\u201d Even ten years later I still ponder why\u2026 Regardless, meditation is something that resonated with me on a very deep level, and for some reason, day after day, I kept showing up to my zafu (that\u2019s a fancy word for a meditation cushion).<\/p>\n
In November of 2008, I took my practice to the next level and went on my first silent retreat. It was in the Chan tradition (basically the Chinese version of Zen), and was located deep in the woods of Pine Bush, NY. Funny thing about retreats is when you finish one you swear you\u2019ll never do it again. Of course months later, something from the depth of your being calls you back, and indeed, for me, it did. Since then I\u2019ve gone on dozens of retreats ranging from one to ten days. I even lived with the monks and nuns at the retreat center for a month-long work-study program. To summarize, I\u2019ve spent quite a bit of time sitting on a cushion in meditation.<\/p>\n
I realized quickly how transformational the practice could be, and ever since I first began, all I\u2019ve wanted to do was share what I\u2019ve learned. I also realized it\u2019s pretty difficult to get people excited about sitting around and doing nothing! But I felt I had to at least try. As the years went on, and my understanding deepened (don\u2019t let me fool you, I haven\u2019t gone that deep!), I started noticing people really connected with my radical message of accepting life \u2013 warts and all \u2013 just the way it is; and that this acceptance was in fact a practical path to freedom (or what I\u2019ve coined as actual happiness).<\/p>\n
My hope for my book is that people take this practice seriously enough to free themselves from the unnecessary, added suffering in their lives; basically from all the extra bullshit that gets thrown on top of the direct experience of this moment. I want everyone to realize we all are free from the prisons we\u2019ve created in our minds, although we may not currently realize it. We sure as hell don\u2019t need to be fixed, and what we are looking for is right here\u2026where else could it be? Why not take this journey with me down the aged path of meditation?<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n