APN23 - Maseratis & Blind Dudes

You're listening to Optimize with Bryan Johnson. More Wisdom in Less Time this is a mini chapter from Brian's book A Philosopher's Notes. You can find it on Amazon. Maseratis and Blind Dudes Dukkha. It's the word Buddhists use to describe the suffering inherent to life, and comes from the ancient Pali word that describes a potter's wheel that isn't quite spinning right, the axle's a little off and it screeches as it turns. Eek. That's basically what happens to us way too often. We get stuck on a thought or in a certain perspective and can't quite let it go. Dukkha. It's that stuckness that creates our suffering. The essence of the Buddha's teachings is how we can get unstuck and experience the freedom of a mind that moves freely. How about a couple Buddhist stories to help bring the point home? First, Zen master Genpo Roshi tells us to imagine we're driving a sweet Maserati and it's stuck in first gear. We may be stuck in first and not able to get out of bed in the morning, or stuck in reverse and unable to drop something from the past. Or maybe we're stuck in fifth and and can't slow down. In any case, if we can't easily shift gears, we're going to suffer. Dukkha. So next, load up six blind dudes in that Maserati and drive them to a zoo where they can all experience an elephant for the first time. The first guy touches the tail and is certain that an elephant is like a rope. The second guy touches the leg and ensure the elephant is like a pillar, while the third guy goes for the tusk and says the elephant is like a spear. The other three go for different parts and have different perspectives. The back is like a throne, the trunk is like a tree branch, and the ear is like a hand fan. Now, what's fascinating is that they're all 100% certain their perspective is the only possible reality. Dukkha. Has anything like that ever happened to you? Here's the lesson we need to slide into Suka by noticing when we think our perspective is the only one possible as we train ourselves to see multiple perspectives. In short, next time you're stuck, remember to shift gears and to see the whole elephant. How Try to see the other person's perspective. Little footnote here. Check out Big Mind, Big Heart by Genpo Roshi for all kinds of Zen goodness. Plus you can check out my philosopher's note on it for my favorite gems. We hope you enjoyed this mini chapter from Brian's book, A Philosopher's Notes. Want more wisdom in Less Time delivered in your inbox? Sign up for Brian's free daily newsletter, the Optimizer, and get the full ebook and audiobook at brianjohnson Me APN.