This is an essay about methodology. It is about the ethos with which we approach deep philosophical impasses of the kind that really matter. The first part of the essay is about those impasses themselves, and the second part is about what I learned in a monastery about addressing those impasses.
I cried a lot while writing this essay. The subject matter—the impasses themselves—are deeply meaningful to me, and I have the sense that they really do matter.
It is certainly true that there are these three philosophical impasses—each has been discussed in the philosophical literature for hundreds of years. What is offered in this essay is a kind of a plea to take them seriously, using a methodology that does not drive you into insanity but instead clears the way to move forward with the real work of your life.
The best way to test the claims of this essay would be to spend some time working with a highly realized spiritual teacher.
This is an essay about methodology. It is about the ethos with which we approach deep philosophical impasses of the kind that really matter. The first part of the essay is about those impasses themselves, and the second part is about what I learned in a monastery about addressing those impasses.
I cried a lot while writing this essay. The subject matter—the impasses themselves—are deeply meaningful to me, and I have the sense that they really do matter.
It is certainly true that there are these three philosophical impasses—each has been discussed in the philosophical literature for hundreds of years. What is offered in this essay is a kind of a plea to take them seriously, using a methodology that does not drive you into insanity but instead clears the way to move forward with the real work of your life.
The best way to test the claims of this essay would be to spend some time working with a highly realized spiritual teacher.