A short podcast episode (mini-chapter) in which Brian Johnson defines and promotes "Blissipline"—the fusion of discipline and bliss—as a path to success and enjoyment. He emphasizes working diligently, patiently, persistently (and playfully), recounts a transformative 10-day Vipassana silent meditation retreat (about 10 hours of meditation per day), credits Michael Beckwith for the term, and cites Seneca's Stoic idea that honorable and pleasant actions converge. The episode closes with links (dhamma.org) and a call-to-action to join Johnson's newsletter and get the ebook/audiobook.
Questions this episode answers
www.dhamma.org
Ten days (10-day silent meditation retreat)
About 10 hours per day
Michael Beckwith (credited by Brian Johnson)
Brian Johnson
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.
Blissipline Discipline. It's the secret sauce in a world where we want everything right this second. We seem to have forgotten or just really like to ignore the fact that nothing of any value comes without a whole heck of a lot of work. SN Gwanka, the Vipassana meditation teacher whose organization led the 10 day silent meditation, felt like a boot camp course I attended a few years ago, said this dozens and dozens of times throughout the training. Quick FYI, for the full effect, you've got to imagine him saying this in a slow, hypnotic, lyrical, Burmese accented voice. He'd say, work diligently, diligently. Work patiently and persistently. Patiently and persistently and you're bound to be successful. Bound to be successful. Love that. Think about it. If we actually work diligently, patiently and persistently, we are bound to be successful. Now, the success may or may not come in the exact form or on the precise timeline we imagined, but we most certainly will be successful. That's hot. I'm into enjoying the whole process, so I like to throw in playfully, work diligently, patiently, persistently and playfully. And we're not only bound to be successful, we're bound to have a great time and feel really good throughout this whole experience called life. And our discipline turns to blissipline as doing what's best for us is what we most enjoy doing. We got a few footnotes in this chapter. So Vipassana is a Buddhist mindfulness meditation practice, and the 10 days of silence and 10 hours of meditation a day was not only one of the most challenging things I've done, but the most transformative. I talk about some of my biggest lessons learned in my philosopher's note on James Allen's As a Man Thinketh and you can learn more about Vipassana meditation and sign up if you dare@www.dhamma.org. that's D H A M M A.org other footnote Blissipline isn't that word awesome? I got it from Michael Beckwith in his great book Spiritual Liberation. Check out the book and the Philosopher's note on it for more Bliss Upline Goodness. And finally, Seneca, in his Letters From a Stoic, says it best. He says how much better to pursue a straight course and and eventually reach that destination where the things that are pleasant and the things that are honorable finally become for you the same blissipline. Let's go out and rock it.
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