I would like to share with every mother who is hoping to conceive that there is an incredibly effective way to pray for a child—the Buddha Dharma.
My precious little one was born safely in December 2016, filling my heart with immense gratitude and happiness. I have always been in poor health. Before becoming pregnant with my daughter, I had experienced the heartbreaking loss of a child. At that time, I believed I might never be able to have children again.
Fortunately, I had already begun studying the Buddha Dharma about a year before that happened. During that period, I diligently listened to the Dharma discourses of Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III and sincerely recited the Universal Gateway of Guanyin Bodhisattva. I dedicated the merits to the child with whom I no longer had the karmic affinity, while also praying that all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas would bless me with a healthy child.
Then something truly miraculous happened. Just two months later, I became pregnant again.
During my pregnancy, I became even more diligent in listening to the Dharma and reciting the Universal Gateway of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Before each session, I would lovingly say to my baby:
“My dear little one, Mommy is about to listen to the Dharma and recite the Universal Gateway of Guanyin Bodhisattva. I invite you to join me so that we can learn together. May you grow up healthy, wise, and well-behaved. May all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas bless us.”
Truly, my child has grown up to be exceptionally intelligent.
While she was still in my womb, I would often communicate with her, saying:
“My little one, when it’s time for you to be born, please don’t let Mommy panic. Give Mommy enough time to prepare mentally. Also, please be born weighing between 2,900 and 3,200 grams—a healthy weight that will make delivery easier for Mommy.”
I have always been someone who is very afraid of pain. Although I eagerly looked forward to my baby’s arrival, I was also extremely anxious about childbirth. After every Dharma-listening session, I would dedicate the merits and pray that all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas would bless me, because I knew the pain of childbirth was beyond what most people could imagine. I also worried that labor might begin unexpectedly before I was prepared.
Even though I had made every preparation, I still felt somewhat nervous.
On my due date, I went directly to the hospital to be induced. That day, I arrived at the hospital calmly and without panic to give birth—an experience I will never forget.
The labor ward was filled with the anguished cries of other mothers in labor. Hearing their suffering brought tears to my eyes. My husband, who was by my side, could hardly eat a bite and quietly fought back tears himself. Their cries were so heart-rending that even those nearby could deeply feel the tremendous pain these mothers were enduring.
During the induction process, I felt only mild discomfort. After receiving the epidural anesthesia, I experienced almost no pain at all. Eventually, the nurse said to me:
“You’re fully dilated and ready to deliver! It’s time to go into the delivery room. Don’t you feel anything?”
I replied,
“Honestly, I don’t feel much at all—just a little pressure.”
At that moment, however, I became afraid that because I couldn’t really feel the contractions, I wouldn’t know how to push. I worried that I might not be able to deliver naturally and would end up needing a cesarean section. The fear I felt was difficult to describe.
Even so, I was probably the quietest mother in the entire labor ward.
Then, in the midst of my fear, I suddenly seemed to hear a voice saying:
“The more fearful you are, the more important it is to remain calm.”
I closed my eyes, visualized the compassionate holy image of the Buddha Master, and continuously recited:
As I was wheeled into the delivery room, another miracle occurred.
Less than ten minutes after entering the delivery room, my baby was born.
Throughout the entire delivery, I felt virtually no pain at all. It was nothing like the agonizing, hellish pain that many people describe.
Even one of the nurses assisting me remarked,
“How did she do that? Just a moment ago she didn’t even know how to push…”
(To this day, I still find it astonishing myself.)
Even more amazingly, my baby’s birth weight was exactly 3,000 grams—precisely what I had hoped for. She was born healthy and safe.
I am profoundly grateful for the compassionate blessings of the Buddha Master and all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The entire childbirth process went remarkably smoothly, and my daughter has grown up to be an easygoing and well-behaved child.
I deeply understand that everything I experienced was made possible through the compassionate blessings of the Buddha Master and all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The empowering strength of the Buddha Dharma was something I experienced personally—it was real, tangible, and unmistakable.
With the deepest gratitude to Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III and to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout the ten directions.
Have you ever wondered if the tiny, seemingly insignificant kind choices we make in our daily lives actually matter? I used to think of the saying “Do not look down upon a tiny good deed, thinking it is of no use” as just a pleasant piece of ancient moral advice.
That was until a rainy afternoon in May, when a single act of compassion became the only reason my husband and I survived a catastrophic accident.
It was a drizzly May afternoon. My husband and I were driving to the countryside to deliver fresh cherries to my mother. The rain swept gently across the windshield as swallows dipped and glided low over the road. Watching them, I quietly reminded myself to drive slowly—I didn’t want to hurt any of these precious little creatures.
Suddenly, a grey spotted dove appeared right in the middle of the road.
Usually, wild animals will instinctively scatter or fly away when they sense an approaching vehicle. But this dove was different. Even as the shadow of our car drew close, it continued to stroll leisurely along the asphalt, completely unbothered and showing no intention of dodging.
Instead of honking or rushing, I gently pressed the brakes. We sat in silence, waiting patiently as the little bird took its sweet time, ambling step by step toward the roadside. Watching its cute, bobbing silhouette, my husband and I looked at each other and smiled. We shared the same unspoken belief: all living beings are equal, animals are our companions on this Earth, and we must never harm a vulnerable life.
We had no idea that those brief seconds we spent waiting for the dove would save us from absolute disaster.
Shortly after the dove cleared the road, we began driving up a sloping hill. Out of nowhere, a massive, ten-meter-long cargo truck appeared from the opposite direction.
Because of the slick, rain-soaked road, the truck driver hit the brakes too hard. In an instant, the heavy vehicle lost control. The massive trailer began to fishtail violently, swinging outward like an unbroken stallion. The giant iron rear of the truck swept directly into our lane, accompanied by a shower of flying debris and rain. It was a terrifying sight.
Our car is a tiny Wuling Mini EV—lightweight, compact, and fragile. To our left was a steep mountain wall; to our right, a sheer cliff. If that heavy, high-speed truck bed made contact with us, our tiny car would have been instantly crushed and sent hurtling over the edge of the cliff.
I gripped the steering wheel as my mind went completely blank. Beside me, my husband froze in terror. We watched the massive steel wall of the truck sweeping toward us, completely helpless as the cold fear of death enveloped us.
Right at that split second—at the absolute boundary between life and death—something miraculous happened.
The violently fishtailing truck suddenly seemed to correct itself. With a massive lurch, it snapped back into its own lane. Carrying its remaining momentum, the giant vehicle brushed past our car with mere inches to spare, stabilized, and quietly rolled away into the rainy mist.
The heart-stopping crisis had arrived without warning, and it vanished just as miraculously.
For a long time, my husband and I sat frozen in the car. Neither of us could utter a single word. Our hearts hammered violently against our ribs. My palms were drenched in cold sweat, and my legs trembled so hard I couldn’t even press the gas pedal. After what felt like an eternity, we finally turned to look at each other. In our panicked, wide-eyed stares, we both realized just how close we had come to dying.
As the adrenaline began to fade, a profound realization washed over me.
If we hadn’t listened to our hearts and paused for that tiny dove, our car would have traveled just a few dozen meters further up the road. We would have been positioned exactly at the fatal bend at the exact millisecond the truck lost control. There would have been absolutely no way to survive.
That slow, stubborn little dove, in its own unique way, had held us back just long enough to shield us from a catastrophic tragedy.
An ancient proverb says:
“If a person loves kindness, though fortune may not have arrived yet, disaster is already far away.”
Experiencing this brush with death made me truly understand the depth of those words. Every kind thought we harbor and every gentle deed we perform plants a seed. We may not see them grow immediately, but they accumulate.
The quiet kindness we put out into the world acts like a small, steady lantern in the dark. When we least expect it—when we face unforeseen dangers or find ourselves standing on the edge of an abyss—that accumulated goodwill quietly steps in to protect us, shielding us from the disasters we never saw coming.
All blessings begin with a kind heart. To live with compassion is to carry the greatest shield of all.
In a world where our pockets buzz every three seconds and notifications constantly hijack our attention, when was the last time you sat quietly with yourself?
We live under the collective illusion that hyper-connectivity equals success. We say “yes” to every social gathering, push ourselves to be extroverted at work, and wear our busyness like a badge of honor. But have you ever noticed the profound sense of emptiness and exhaustion that creeps in after the crowd disperses?
The truth is, modern society doesn’t have a connection deficit. We have a solitude deficit. What we truly lack is the courage to intentionally step away, embrace quietness, and meditate.
For millennia, humans have recognized the sacred link between solitude and mental clarity. From Eastern Zen practices to Western monastic traditions, sages have echoed the same truth: To understand the nature of reality and find your true self, you must first learn to be alone.
Today, cutting-edge neuroscience is finally catching up to this ancient wisdom, revealing what happens to our brains when we unplug:
The Myth of “Social Rest”: When we are around others, our brains automatically activate a “social tracking” network to read facial expressions, body language, and social cues. It’s a vital human instinct, but it’s also a constant source of cognitive drain.
True Neurological Recovery: It is only when we are genuinely alone that the brain can drop its social armor, deactivate its defense mechanisms, and enter a state of true restorative rest.
We’ve been conditioned to view daydreaming or doing “nothing” as a waste of time. Science proves the exact opposite. When you eliminate external stimuli and let your mind wander freely, your brain kicks into its Default Mode Network (DMN) to perform critical maintenance:
Heightened Empathy: Introspection allows us to process complex emotions, ultimately increasing our capacity for empathy and strengthening our relationships with others.
Enhanced Memory Consolidation: An untethered mind actively processes experiences, transforming short-term data into long-term memories.
This brings us to a fascinating psychological paradox: Intentionally choosing solitude actually supercharges our focus when we return to the world. Allowing your mind to drift during quiet moments is the secret weapon to maintaining long-term, high-level productivity.
In her groundbreaking book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain champions the profound impact of “deliberate, productive solitude.”
Modern corporate culture loves to worship the myth of the brainstorming session, pushing the narrative that creativity only sparks in noisy, collaborative open offices. But Cain challenges this notion head-on:
“Cultivating true creativity requires sustained focus and deep, uninterrupted concentration.”
As social creatures, we are incredibly susceptible to peer influence. When we stay in a crowd, we unconsciously compromise, absorbing the collective opinions, biases, and aesthetic preferences of the group.
To pioneer a truly original concept, build a unique philosophy, or discover your authentic voice, you must walk away from the crowd—at least for a little while.
You don’t need to move to a cabin in the woods to reap these benefits. You can reclaim your mental sovereignty right now through micro-habits of meditation and intentional solitude:
1. The 10-Minute Daily Digital Fast
Find a quiet corner, switch your phone to airplane mode, and spend ten minutes focusing solely on your breath. This isn’t about achieving spiritual enlightenment; it is simply about taking your brain “offline” and halting the constant evaluation of the outside world.
2. Schedule a Non-Negotiable “Date with Yourself”
Block out one to two hours every week on your calendar. Go to a café alone, take a solo walk in nature, or read a book without checking your phone. Learn to politely decline low-value social obligations and invest that time into the most important person in your life: you.
In a world that refuses to be quiet, solitude is not isolation, and meditation is not an escape.
They are the highest forms of modern self-discipline. They are the ultimate antidotes to chaos, allowing us to preserve our sanity, sharpen our focus, and unlock our deepest creative potential.
The next time you choose silence over noise, remember: you aren’t missing out on the world. You are simply meeting a more creative, fulfilled, and powerful version of yourself.
Unexpected events can arise at any moment in our daily lives. Impermanence is constantly with us, whether we are aware of it or not.
One evening, the weather was pleasantly cool. As usual, I was watching my child play with friends in our community. Seeing them happily absorbed in their games, I took out my phone and began browsing some news and information.
Suddenly, I heard an elderly man exclaim, “The child has been hurt from the fall!” I immediately looked up and saw my child crying uncontrollably several meters away. I rushed over and discovered that another child had accidentally knocked her to the ground. A large bump had already formed on her head.
It happened so quickly. In just a moment of inattention, an accident occurred.
That night, as I watched my child sleeping peacefully, I could not stop thinking about how she had cried in pain, tears covering her face. My heart ached for her. Just moments before, she had been a carefree child, full of laughter and joy. Yet in an instant, everything changed.
What if she had been seriously injured?
This incident reminded me of something that happened to my mother in 2020. She was in her seventies when she fell from a three-wheeled vehicle. During a turn, she was thrown from the vehicle and landed heavily on the ground. She could barely move afterward. A CT scan revealed that four ribs had been fractured, and her face was severely bruised and swollen. For days, the pain was so intense that she repeatedly said she could not endure it.
Reflecting on these experiences, I realized how unpredictable life truly is. Accidents and misfortunes can happen to anyone, at any time. This is the reality of impermanence.
“Without an awareness of impermanence, one cannot enter the Buddhist path. Even after entering it, one cannot engage in correct cultivation.”
These words prompted me to examine myself more deeply. Although I have studied Buddhism for many years, I realized that I had not truly developed a profound awareness of impermanence.
When I quietly reflected on my life, I saw that impermanence is everywhere. We age without noticing it. White hairs gradually appear. Our bodies lose their former strength. Family members and friends whom we once shared life with gradually depart from this world.
There is nothing we can do to stop time. We cannot bring back those who have passed away, nor can we prevent our own lives from eventually coming to an end.
Life lasts only as long as a single breath. Impermanence can arrive in a single instant.
Every day, we witness unexpected tragedies — accidents, natural disasters, illnesses, economic hardships, and countless unforeseen changes. No matter how much wealth, status, or success a person possesses, no one is exempt from the uncertainties of life.
As long as we remain within the cycle of samsara, impermanence will continue to accompany us.
This realization led me to ask myself: If my life were to end unexpectedly today, where would I go?
The thought was sobering.
I therefore made a sincere vow to cherish this rare and precious human life and to practice even more diligently the authentic Tathagata Dharma transmitted by Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. May I attain liberation in this very lifetime, transcend the cycle of reincarnation, and ultimately realize lasting happiness and freedom.
Namo Yuhua Shouzhi Wang Holy Mother the Great Mahasattva!
Namo all Buddhas in the ten directions, Vajra Beings, Bodhisattvas, Sky-goers, and Dharma Protectors!
We are gathered here today with utmost piety, sincerity, and gratitude to respectfully honor the holy birthday of Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III. On this auspicious day, we reminisce about Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III with the deepest reverence. We are profoundly grateful to Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III for bringing to all living beings magnificent Buddha Dharma and perfect accomplishment in the Five Vidyās. We are immensely thankful for the auspicious opportunity to respectfully listen to the audio recordings of the true Dharma expounded by Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III, and to study the “Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III Complete Sutra Collection.” They are supreme Dharma treasures!
Buddhist disciples know deep in their hearts that the goal of learning from Buddha and practicing cultivation is absolutely not about fame or fortune. Rather, it is to attain accomplishment and liberation, and be delivered from the cycle of birth and death. This is why, as Buddhist disciples, we must always remind ourselves that our cultivation must not be mere lip service or formality. Truly learning from Buddha is about practicing in accordance with the true Dharma, guiding our own conduct with correct knowledge and right views, walking the path of liberation, and benefiting all living beings.
During this Dharma-ending age, confused knowledge and chaotic views abound, and evil teachings proliferate. Without right faith, we are extremely likely to get lost. Having right faith is not just about believing in the magnificent compassion of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It involves understanding and believing in causality, and deeply believing that Buddha Dharma can enable all living beings to achieve true deliverance from suffering and the attainment of joy. It is about steadfastly applying the teachings of the Buddha in our own cultivation.
Therefore, we must place our complete reliance on the teachings in the “Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III Complete Sutra Collection.” This Sutra Collection is the vital refuge that guides all living beings in their cultivation practice, leading them toward liberation. We must study the Sutras with reverence, respectfully listen to audio recordings of the Dharmas expounded by Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III, practice in accordance with the teachings, strictly abide by the precepts, and earnestly cultivate ourselves. We must resolve to propagate the true Buddha Dharma, enable more living beings to listen to the true Dharma, uphold the right views, and walk the true path of cultivation.
Speaking of learning and propagating the “Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III Complete Sutra Collection,” we are deeply aware that many native English speakers have been looking forward to studying an accurate and complete translation. I, too, sincerely wish for the English translations to be published as soon as possible, so that more living beings can learn the true Dharma and develop the right views. Translating the Sutras is a profoundly reverential and serious undertaking. In the process, we have encountered many adverse karmic conditions and obstacles. However, no matter how great the difficulties and challenges, we should vigorously drive the English translation forward with utmost reverence, a devoted sense of responsibility, and unwavering determination. In doing so, we wish to enable many more living beings with affinity to encounter the true Dharma, learn the true Dharma, and walk the path of liberation.
All of us should clearly understand that a Buddha’s descent into this world and entry into Parinirvana are due to the good karmic rewards, causes and conditions, and shared karma of all living beings. The coming of the Dharma-ending age is due to the causality and shared karma of all living beings. We can therefore understand that nothing escapes causality. Likewise, it is by virtue of our own causality that we have the opportunity to learn from Buddha and practice cultivation in this lifetime, so as to attain liberation and accomplishment.
The Buddhas compassionately expounded the true Dharma, pointing living beings toward the path of liberation. Even though Buddha Dharma can lead us onto the path of liberation, it cannot replace our own cultivation. Liberation cannot be attained through pleading or waiting; nor is it something that can be bestowed upon us. It must come through our own genuine cultivation, accumulated day by day.
A person who wishes to cross a river will never reach the other shore if they refuse to board the raft ready to take them. A person who is lost will not reach their destination if they do not move forward when pointed in the right direction. The same applies to learning from Buddha and practicing cultivation. Ultimately, truly moving step by step toward the other shore is something only we can do for ourselves.
This is why we must always reflect upon what we do with our body, speech, and mind, sincerely repent of our own sins, strictly abide by the precepts, earnestly cultivate our conduct, and diligently practice Dharma. We must not do any bad deeds, and do all kinds of good deeds. Only by applying Buddha Dharma in our daily lives can we truly transform what we learn from the Dharma into virtue and merit, and reap the benefits. Only then can we continue to make progress, and eventually attain liberation and accomplishment!
Moreover, not only must we cultivate ourselves to attain liberation, but we must also give rise to a mind of great compassion and beneficence. We must apply our own cultivation to uphold, protect, and propagate the true Dharma. We must enable more living beings with karmic affinity to listen to the true Dharma, increase their merit and wisdom, and together plant the cause of liberation.
Finally, may all living beings fulfill their kind wishes, increase their merit and wisdom, live auspiciously, and soon attain liberation!
May all nations flourish and all countries enjoy stability! May there be peace on earth, may the true Dharma eternally abide, and may the Dharma wheel turn forever!
Let us once again pay obeisance!
Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III!
Namo Shakyamuni Buddha!
Namo Yuhua Shouzhi Wang Holy Mother the Great Mahasattva!
Namo all Buddhas in the ten directions, Vajra Beings, Bodhisattvas, Sky-goers, and Dharma Protectors!
Before attending the Dharma Assembly Honoring the Holy Birthday of Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III, I knew very little about Buddhism and had never participated in such a large-scale Buddhist event. I accepted an invitation out of curiosity, expecting to observe a traditional religious ceremony. What I experienced, however, far exceeded my expectations and left a lasting impression on me.
From the moment I entered the venue, I sensed an atmosphere of dignity, serenity, and profound respect. The beautifully arranged altar, the graceful floral decorations, and the orderly seating reflected meticulous preparation. Despite the large number of attendees, everything proceeded with remarkable precision and harmony. Volunteers guided participants with genuine warmth and courtesy, always wearing welcoming smiles and patiently assisting anyone who needed help.
What amazed me most was the extraordinary level of organization. Every part of the Dharma Assembly unfolded smoothly and reverently. There was no confusion or disorder, even though people from many countries and cultural backgrounds had gathered together. The entire event demonstrated an impressive spirit of cooperation, discipline, and mutual respect that is rarely seen at gatherings of this size.
As I observed the ceremony, I was touched by the sincerity of everyone present. The participants were not merely attending an event—they were expressing heartfelt reverence and offering prayers for world peace, the well-being of humanity, and the happiness of all living beings. It was inspiring to witness so many people united by compassion and goodwill rather than personal interests.
Although I am not a disciple of Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III, attending this Dharma Assembly gave me an opportunity to learn more about Him and the values that His teachings encourage. As I listened to those around me speak about His teachings and observed the compassion, humility, and kindness reflected throughout the event, I began to understand why so many people deeply respect and appreciate Him. The atmosphere itself conveyed a powerful message—that genuine spiritual practice should inspire people to become more compassionate, more considerate of others, and more dedicated to creating harmony in society.
One aspect that particularly moved me was the selfless dedication of the volunteers. They worked quietly behind the scenes without seeking recognition, ensuring that every participant felt welcomed and cared for. Their humility, patience, and willingness to serve others demonstrated values that many people, regardless of their religious beliefs, would admire and respect.
As the Dharma Assembly came to a close, I found myself reflecting on the experience. In today’s fast-paced world, opportunities to witness such sincerity, harmony, and mutual respect are increasingly rare. This gathering was much more than a ceremonial celebration; it was a powerful reminder that kindness, compassion, and selfless service have the ability to bring people together across cultures and backgrounds.
I left the venue with a heart full of admiration and gratitude. Although I came simply as a visitor, I departed with a much deeper appreciation for the positive influence that Namo Dorje Chang Buddha III has had on so many people’s lives. Seeing thousands of individuals inspired to cultivate kindness, serve others, and pray for the well-being of the world was deeply moving.
I am grateful for the opportunity to have attended this remarkable Dharma Assembly. It was an unforgettable experience that broadened my understanding of Buddhism and demonstrated how genuine compassion and harmony can unite people from all walks of life. The solemnity of the ceremony, the exceptional organization, and the sincere spirit of everyone present will remain in my memory for years to come.
How many times have you found yourself on a Friday evening, sighing, “Wow, this week went by so fast”?
We often live under the illusion that time is an endless reservoir and that tomorrow’s sun is guaranteed to rise. Because of this, we generously surrender our hours to mindless social media scrolling, infinite short videos, and the trivial daily tasks that drain our energy by day and leave us feeling empty by night.
Recently, I came across an ancient, striking Latin concept being discussed online: Memento Mori—“Remember you must die.”
To turn this abstract philosophy into something physical and undeniable, someone created an incredibly simple yet visceral tool: the Life Calendar.
It is just a standard sheet of A4 paper covered in a dense grid of tiny squares. Each square represents one week of your life.
If we assume an average lifespan of 80 years, that is 52 weeks multiplied by 80 years, which equals exactly 4,160 squares.
When you print this sheet out and sit before it, the visual impact is startling. You realize with a jolt that our long, passionate, complex lives, when stripped down to their absolute essence, can fit onto a single sheet of paper—with room to spare.
Now, at the end of every weekend, I take a pen and firmly cross off a square.
The scratch of the pen against the paper sounds like the quiet, relentless step of passing time. As the ink buries those past seven days, a few inescapable questions rise to the surface:
“Is this really all the squares I have left?”
“What did I actually do with the seven days I just crossed off?”
“If life is this brief, am I truly willing to trade my remaining squares for superficial social obligations and mental clutter?”
“Is where I am pouring my heart and energy truly worth the exchange?”
Admittedly, this ritual might seem extreme, even cold—like a daily countdown to the end. But when daily life becomes numb and repetitive, radical measures are often the most effective way to wake up.
Throughout history, those who achieved mastery in their fields often held onto habits that others found bizarre. They were willing to appear eccentric because they understood a fundamental truth: life is too short, and what truly matters must be fiercely guarded.
Steve Jobs: Every morning, he looked in the mirror and asked, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” If the answer was “no” too many days in a row, he knew it was time to change.
Yuval Noah Harari: The author of Sapiens goes on a strict 60-day silent meditation retreat every single year. For 10 hours a day, he completely disconnects from the digital noise—no phones, no talking.
As Cal Newport notes in Deep Work, a personal ritual might seem strange to outsiders, but if it works for you, it is absolutely worth it. These extraordinary individuals weren’t being quirky; they were aggressively reclaiming their finite time.
Since adopting the Life Calendar, my daily habits have shifted dramatically.
Previously, whenever boredom or fatigue crept in, my hand would instinctively reach for my phone to mindlessly scroll through YouTube or social media feeds. Now, the moment my fingers hover over the screen, that dense grid of 4,160 squares flashes in my mind.
A voice pulls me back: “Careful. You are about to trade a portion of your remaining squares for a few seconds of cheap dopamine. Is it really worth the swap?”
This instant awareness acts as a powerful pattern-interrupter. It keeps me focused and intentional during the day, and gives me the resolve to step away from empty entertainment in the evenings to focus on personal growth and long-term aspirations.
But my practice of crossing off a square each week has a deeper, more profound purpose. It has anchored my spiritual path and Buddhist practice with absolute clarity.
The world is full of dazzling distractions—wealth, achievements, and praise. Yet, looking at that slowly darkening sheet of paper, a quiet truth settles in: when the final square is crossed off and impermanence claims us, not a single cent of wealth or ounce of worldly fame can be taken with us.
I do not want my limited squares to be filled with things that vanish like smoke.
Instead, I want to use this finite life to cultivate eternal value. By practicing the Dharma and dedicating myself to genuine spiritual cultivation, I am building the kind of merit and wisdom that transcends this single lifetime.
The calendar silently urges me every day: Be diligent! Do not waste time! Only by practicing mindfully in the present can we transcend the cycles of suffering and cultivate true, lasting liberation.
As you finish reading this, take a moment to draw your own grid in your mind. Count how many squares you have already crossed off, and look at how many blank spaces remain.
Life is brief, and this world of ours has no shortage of struggles. Stop spending your most precious squares on people and things that do not serve your deeper purpose. Plan wisely, live intentionally, and make every square count. May we all find true freedom and peace within the pages of our finite lives.
In this life, none of us can escape the torments of birth, aging, illness, and death. As the old saying goes, “Even the strongest man fears the toll of disease.” When our physical bodies face the pain of a terminal illness and our minds plunge into the fear of death, we often feel incredibly small and hopeless. However, the true, orthodox Tathagata Dharma possesses the magnificent power to enable sentient beings to completely sever the cycle of dark karma, achieve liberation in this very lifetime, and attain freedom over life and death.
This article is compiled from an actual radio interview with Ruzun Ruohui, the Abbot of Hua Zang Si in San Francisco. By sharing a profoundly moving example of a Buddhist disciple’s spiritual realization, Ruzun Ruohui reveals to the public how, under the guidance of our Buddha Master, one can transition from the agonizing pain of a terminal illness to passing away peacefully with palms pressed together—manifesting holy signs of liberation. This account serves as a bright highway to liberation for all sentient beings currently struggling in delusion and illness.
In the eyes of the mundane world, a severe illness—especially late-stage cancer—frequently brings excruciating physical and mental torment. However, Ruzun Ruohui explicitly points out that the fundamental purpose of our Buddhist practice is precisely to free ourselves from the suffering of birth, aging, illness, and death.
Yet, can one truly realize freedom over life and death and achieve holy fruits in this lifetime? Aside from using one’s own practice as a foundation, the most critical factor is that one must learn and practice “True Buddha Dharma.” Among the disciples of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, instances of liberation and accomplishment are too numerous to count. This is exactly because they each received the transmission of sublime, corresponding Tathagata Dharma from their Buddha Master. Even when someone is afflicted with a fatal illness and on the brink of death, they can reverse their negative karmic retributions and achieve liberation in a very short period of time.
Among these, the real-life holy feat of the great accomplished practitioner, Layperson Zhao Yusheng in 2017, serves as a shocking, firsthand testimony to the world.
Layperson Zhao Yusheng’s path to liberation was not without obstacles; he had previously experienced an unfortunate detour into delusion.
He had followed an evil teacher and joined a cult. In his confusion, he carried out its wicked rules, helping the evil teacher promote falsehoods, deceive people, and conceal fabrications. These misdeeds, which harmed the public and society to protect the evil teacher’s private interests, left him heavily laden with dark karma. Because the law of cause and effect never fails, the retribution of his dark karma manifested: he was diagnosed with late-stage cancer. Tormented by the agonizing pain of his illness, he became lucidly aware that he had been utterly ruined by that evil teacher.
On June 27, 2017, suffering from terminal cancer, Layperson Zhao Yusheng mustered his last ounce of strength and flew to Los Angeles. There, he finally met the supreme H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Before the Buddha Master, he offered his most devout and deeply painful repentance.
Facing this lost soul who was covered in dark karma and racked with pain, the great Buddha Master manifested boundless compassion. The Buddha Master told him:
“Whether you repent or not is not what is important. What matters is that you practice well from now on, truly change from evil to good, and benefit society and all sentient beings.”
This teaching reflected ultimate benevolence and compassion, looking past a sentient being’s historical mistakes and focusing entirely on their current self-renewal. Layperson Zhao Yusheng immediately made a great vow, swearing that he would never associate with the cult again, even if it meant “dying right then and there.” His sole wish for this life was to ascend to the Buddha Lands. This unreserved, absolute sincerity moved heaven and earth.
The Yidam Personally Descends: A Holy, Inner-Tantric Initiation Beyond Imagination
Seeing Layperson Zhao Yusheng’s sincerity and that his causal conditions had matured, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III compassionately took him refuge and immediately transmitted a supreme Great Dharma to him, invoking the Yidam, Amitabha Buddha!
At the site of the initiation and Dharma transmission, a sacred miracle manifested: Layperson Zhao Yusheng saw with his own eyes Amitabha Buddha descending into the sky, displaying the incomparably magnificent Thirty-Two Major Marks. The Buddha’s entire body emitted boundless golden light as He slowly descended onto the mandala. Overwhelmed with emotion, Zhao prostrated to the Buddha Master, and Amitabha Buddha personally touched his head to bestow the Dharma. The Buddha also pointed toward the West, allowing him to see with his own eyes the radiant, golden gates of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. The light streaming from within those gates was ten million times brighter than the sun!
Amitabha Buddha personally told him that at the end of his life, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (Guan Yin) would be sent to receive and guide him to be reborn into the Middle Grade of the Middle Class of the Western Pure Land.
At that moment, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III said to him, “You have succeeded; your Yidam, Amitabha Buddha, has accepted you.” For over thirty years, Layperson Zhao Yusheng had chanted the Buddha’s name but never felt certain whether he could achieve rebirth. Now, he finally received a personal guarantee from the mouth of the Buddha.
Upon returning to San Francisco, he treated this transmission like an invaluable treasure, diligently practicing his daily cultivation. Originally, his fingernails had completely dried up and split due to late-stage cancer; however, after practicing the Dharma, they miraculously regrew into smooth, pink, healthy nails, and the cracking completely disappeared. This demonstrated that the blessings of the Buddha Dharma had permeated the very cells of his physical body.
A Sacred Moment of Simultaneous Resonance: Freedom Over Life and Death, Manifesting Auspicious Signs
On August 24, 2017, at approximately 2:15 PM, a moment arrived that all Buddhist disciples will remember for the rest of their lives.
At that exact time, in a mandala over 800 kilometers away, Rinpoches and Dharma Masters were requesting H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III to expound the Dharma. In the middle of the discourse, the Buddha Master suddenly stopped without any prior sign and announced:
“Stop, I will not speak further. The grand causal condition has arrived; it has appeared. Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva has escorted Zhao Yusheng away, and the people beside him have witnessed it too.”
Less than two minutes after the Buddha Master spoke these words, a Dharma Master’s phone at the scene rang. On the other end of the line was Mao Meimei, the Buddhist disciple responsible for caring for Layperson Zhao Yusheng. Trembling with immense excitement, she reported to the Buddha: Layperson Zhao Yusheng had achieved freedom over life and death, and Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva had personally descended to escort him away!
It turned out that just two minutes prior, Layperson Zhao Yusheng had peacefully instructed his caregivers and his daughter from his sickbed, saying that he was about to leave. Using his remaining strength, he declared in a resonant voice:
“I will now use my freedom over life and death to perform a Dharma demonstration, proving that the Buddha Dharma of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is the most supreme and holy! That evil teacher is a demon, a monster! A false teacher, a massive fraud, and a sinner! The true, orthodox Tathagata Dharma resides right here with our great Buddha Master, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Alright, alright, I will say no more—Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva has come to receive me.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a breathtaking holy feat occurred: Layperson Zhao Yusheng’s entire body emitted an extraordinary radiance. The people present clearly saw an immensely tall Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva standing directly above his head, radiating intense white light, surrounded by beautiful five-colored auspicious halos—a scene of ultimate magnificence!
Following this, Layperson Zhao Yusheng’s consciousness burst forth from the crown of his head, transforming into a radiant holy being dressed in white garments. Stepping onto auspicious clouds, his consciousness rushed toward Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, ascending into the sky and departing. This astonishing sight was even witnessed by a 92-year-old Malaysian neighbor living across the street! Everyone rushed out into the courtyard and saw the entire sky filled with a dazzling, brilliant light. Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva led the way, guiding the holy being Zhao Yusheng as he ascended to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, gradually fading into the depths of the sky.
Layperson Zhao Yusheng transformed from a terminally ill patient—deceived by an evil teacher and burdened with dark karma—into a liberated practitioner who received the true Dharma from H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Within a mere two months, he realized a miracle of liberation: breaking free from the shackles of illness, gaining freedom over life and death, being personally received by Guan Yin, and leaving a sign witnessed by the entire neighborhood. This is not a myth; it is a holy manifestation of Buddha Dharma presented right before our eyes.
He departed with absolute freedom and ease. Before his passing, he courageously demonstrated the Dharma through the reality of freedom over life and death, exposing the false teacher and denouncing the demon, thereby using his compassionate heart to awaken deluded sentient beings.
Upon receiving the news, the Dharma Masters, monastic community, and laypersons at Hua Zang Si were filled with joy and comfort. This holy feat manifests clearly to the world: the true, orthodox Tathagata Dharma resides right here with H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III! May all sentient beings who are still lost and struggling in the mundane world, on the brink of illness and death, encounter this causal condition. May they quickly stay away from false teachers and frauds, draw close to H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III to study the true orthodox Tathagata Dharma, and step onto the path of genuine liberation and happiness!
Recently, I joined an online Buddhist study group where we have been deeply immersing ourselves in learning the Sutra by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. This experience has changed my life dramatically. As I began dedicating more intentional time to reading and listening to the Sutra, I noticed a powerful shift in my daily habits. I finally found the strength to break away from the mindless habit of scrolling through screens, freeing up the space and energy to exercise regularly. By simply replacing digital distraction with spiritual study and physical movement, I already feel significantly happier and healthier.
As I continue this journey, I often find myself reflecting on how these profound teachings apply to the ordinary, messy moments of everyday life. It is easy to study a principle conceptually, but the true cultivation begins when we bring it off the page and into our interactions with the world.
One teaching from the Sutra that has particularly influenced me—and completely shifted my perspective—is the vital importance of examining myself before focusing on the shortcomings of others.
In daily life, our default reaction to friction is often outward-facing. When someone cuts us off in traffic, misunderstands our intentions, or speaks with an edge in their voice, the ego immediately jumps to defend itself. It points a finger at the other person’s impatience, rudeness, or flaws.
However, the teachings of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III remind us that external circumstances are merely mirrors reflecting our own internal state. True cultivation requires us to break this habit of looking outward and instead turn our gaze fiercely and honestly inward.
Now, whenever I encounter misunderstandings, disagreements, or situations that test my patience, I pause. Before I speak, react, or allow resentment to build, I try to ask myself these four grounding questions:
Have I truly looked inward first? Am I seeing this situation clearly, or am I viewing it through the distorted lens of my own biases and expectations?
Is there something I need to improve in myself? Instead of demanding that the other person change, what flaw, impatience, or lack of skill in my own conduct needs addressing?
Am I responding with compassion and wisdom? Is my energy coming from a place of genuine care for the other person’s well-being, or is it coming from a desire to be “right”?
What attachment or habit might I be overlooking? What underlying ego-attachment—whether to my reputation, my comfort, or my pride—is causing me to feel triggered right now?
Although it is not always easy—and requires constant mindfulness—this practice has been quietly transformative. It acts as a circuit breaker for negative emotions. By shifting the focus from “what they did wrong” to “how I can grow,” I have found myself becoming genuinely more patient, more deeply understanding of others’ hidden struggles, and far less reactive to life’s daily irritations.
Cultivation is not about achieving perfection overnight; it is about making the consistent choice to choose wisdom over ego, one interaction at a time.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wrestled with my own thoughts and feelings about identity. Why am I, David, the person I am? How changeable is that? Where do those thoughts and feelings come from anyway, and what purposes do they ultimately serve? I suppose it’s no coincidence then that I’ve also always been so curious about the subject of human consciousness. That’s the area of science and philosophy — of human thinking generally! — that burrows most deeply into similar questions and, to varying degrees of satisfaction, offers a plethora of possible answers.
The best-selling author Michael Pollan has been thinking about these things, too. Throughout his work — which includes classic books like “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” (2006), about why we eat the way we do, and “How to Change Your Mind” (2018), about the science and uses of psychedelic drugs — Pollan has waded into ideas about the inner workings of the mind. Now, with his forthcoming book, “A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness,” which will arrive this month, he has jumped into the deep end. The book is both a highly personal and expansive multidisciplinary survey of questions around human consciousness — what it is, what causes it, what it’s for and what the possible answers might mean for how we choose to live. And as Pollan explained, with the rise of artificial intelligence as well as the relentless political pressure on our attention (that is, our minds), those questions, already profound, are becoming only more urgent.
I want to get some basics: How do you define consciousness? The simplest way to define consciousness is as subjective experience. Another one-word definition is “awareness.” Thomas Nagel, the N.Y.U. philosopher, wrote a piece back in the ’70s called “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?” His idea is: If we can imagine it is like anything to be a bat, then a bat is conscious, because that means it has some sort of subjective experience. Why did he choose bats? Well, they’re very different than we are. Instead of using eyesight, they use echolocation. They bounce signals off of objects to move through space. We can vaguely imagine going through the world with echolocation. Whereas my toaster, I can’t do that. I don’t have a sense of what it’s like to be my toaster.
A big question of consciousness is what the philosopher David Chalmers has referred to as the “hard problem.” Can you tell people what that is? Basically how you get from matter to mind, how you cross that huge gulf from neurons to subjective experience — a gulf no one has managed to cross. Related questions are: Why don’t all these things we do go on automatically? Why do we have to be aware of anything? We could be completely automated and perhaps get along just fine. Your brain is monitoring your body and making fine adjustments in the blood gasses, in the heart rate, in digestion. There’s a lot going on that we don’t have to think about. So why do we have to think about any of it? Some interesting theories have been proposed. One is that some of the issues that we deal with have to be decided in a conscious way. When you have two competing needs — you’re hungry and you’re tired — which should take precedence? So consciousness opens up this space of decision-making. The other argument is that we live in a very complex social world where I have to predict what you’re going to say; I have to imagine my way into your head. You can’t automate human social interaction. It has too many elements. So consciousness is very helpful in navigating that world.
It seems likely to me that regardless of the source of consciousness, it’s probably a result of evolutionary processes — that consciousness evolved to make information available to certain parts of the brain, or to help us recognize patterns, or perceive threats, or maintain homeostasis. But are any non-evolutionary arguments for consciousness plausible to you? Oh, yeah. One is panpsychism.
Which could sound bonkers. It can sound bonkers. Panpsychism is the idea that everything, every particle, the ink on the page, the atoms, all have some infinitesimal degree of psyche or consciousness, and somehow this consciousness is combined in some way from our cells and the rest of our bodies to create this kind of superconsciousness. It sounds crazy. There are some very serious people who believe in it. You have to expand your sense of the plausible when you’re looking at consciousness. But we’ve done that before. How long ago was it that we discovered electromagnetism? This crazy idea that there are all these waves passing through us that can carry information. That’s just as mind-blowing, right?
I could happily talk about consciousness all day, but often when I do talk about it with people, I can tell that they view thinking about consciousness as almost akin to navel gazing. Like, it’s an interesting thing to think about, but really what difference does it make? What is your response to that? I’ve thought a lot about what good is it to think about consciousness, and I came to think that it’s more important than ever. Scientists are now learning that more and more animals and creatures — going all the way down possibly to insects — are conscious. So that’s one interesting issue: We’re sharing consciousness with more creatures. And then the big threat is artificial intelligence and the effort to create a conscious A.I., which is going to be an enormous challenge to this question of what does it mean to be human. Is consciousness something that a machine can possess? Are we more like intelligent machines or conscious, feeling animals? Who are we? So I think we’re approaching this kind of Copernican moment of redefinition.
What do you think we should do with the increasing awareness that more animals might be conscious than we previously thought? I guess the argument would be that we should have a greater amount of respect for them, but we know human beings are conscious and we exploit the hell out of other humans all the time. That’s a great question. There’s this whole conversation, very active here where I live in Silicon Valley, that if A.I. is conscious, then we’re going to have to give it moral consideration. Well, really? Have we given moral consideration to one another? Have we given moral consideration to the chickens and the cattle that we eat? The answer is no. It doesn’t automatically follow. So we’re going to have to sort out the ethics. Maybe it’s around the ability to suffer. Maybe that’s where you draw the line. I don’t know. I’m not an ethicist, but it’s not as easy as: You’re conscious, therefore you have all these rights. A.I. is really going to complicate this. Who we grant personhood to is a very subjective human decision. We give it to corporations, oddly enough, which are not conscious, but there are all sorts of creatures we don’t give it to. I don’t think we’re entirely rational or consistent in our granting of moral consideration.
You are skeptical that A.I. can achieve consciousness. Why? I’m convinced by some of the researchers, including Antonio Damasio and Mark Solms, who made a really compelling case that the origin of consciousness is with feelings, not thoughts. Feelings are the language in which the body talks to the brain. We forget that brains exist to keep bodies alive, and the way the body gets the brain’s attention is with feelings. So if you think feelings are at the center of consciousness, it’s very hard to imagine how a machine could rise to that level to have feelings. The other reason I think we’re not close to it is that everything that machines know, the data set on which they’re trained, is information on the internet. They don’t have friction with nature. They don’t have friction with us. Some of the most important things we know are about person-to-person contact, about contact with nature — this friction that really makes us human.
Despite how it may seem, the internet is not actually the whole of the world. But to a computer, it’s all you got.
How would we know if an A.I. is conscious or not? How do I know you’re conscious?
I promise I am! Your promise is what’s called reportability in philosophy. You can ask something if it’s conscious, and with humans, we kind of know.
But if an A.I. says: “Michael, I’m conscious. I promise,” how do we know? We don’t, and that is exactly why people are falling deep into these relationships with A.I. We can’t say it’s not conscious when it tells us it is. But we can test it in various ways. It all goes back to this idea of the Turing test — that the test of machine intelligence would be when they can fool us.
If the Turing test is the criteria for machine consciousness, then that test has already been passed. Exactly, it has fooled many, many people. Whether it can fool an expert, too, I don’t know, but probably. So we’re in a very weird place where the machines we’re living with are telling us they’re conscious. We can’t dispute it, but we can look at how they’re made and draw the kind of conclusions I’ve drawn. But is that going to persuade everybody? No. We want them to be conscious in some way. Or some of us do. It’s easier to have a relationship with a chatbot than another human. Going back to that friction point, they offer no friction. They just suck up to us and convince us how brilliant we are, and we fall for it.
What do you think religion has to offer to questions about consciousness? Buddhism has been thinking about consciousness for a very long time. It has been raising these questions about the self and giving people tools to transcend the self, which in itself is a desire that is surprising. We cling to this ego so firmly; at the same time, we do a lot of things to get away from it, whether it’s extreme sports or psychedelics or meditation.
Or watching a movie or having sex or any number of things. Some of the highest experiences of life are these moments where we transcend the self, and that’s curious.
What do you think that’s about? Why, if we cling to the self, are we also so hungry to lose ourselves? The self isolates us, the ego builds walls around it, it’s constantly evaluating, it ruminates. There’s a lot of crappy stuff about the self.
Yeah, it’s constantly yammering away. Yes, there is that voice in our head, and it embodies critical voices, very often inherited from parents or other people. I mean, the ego is very useful. It gets a lot done. It got my book done. It gets your podcast done. So we shouldn’t be too critical of it. On the other hand, when we transcend the self, we connect to things larger than ourselves. And this is one of the beautiful things about psychedelics — when they work, there is this sense of dissolution of self. The walls come down, and you feel part of nature. You feel love. I had an experience I describe in the book of self-dissolution where I merged with this piece of music, this Bach cello suite, and it was such a profound experience because the subject-object split went away and I was identical to this music. The interesting thing, though, is that consciousness doesn’t go away when the ego goes away. We protect our ego because we’re afraid if we lose it, we’re dead. But we’re not. It’s just one voice. There’s a lot else going on, as you learn when you meditate and use psychedelics.
How often do you do psychedelics? Not very often at all. It’s hard to find time. It’s a big day with a lot of preparation and everything. If I can do it once a year, I’m happy. What I’m talking about is ideally a guided experience. You can let yourself go when someone’s watching your body. So when I can put myself in that situation — which isn’t easy to do, and it’s expensive — I find that very valuable. I’m still learning things.
What are you learning? Oh, every psychedelic experience is different. You never go back to the same place. That’s why I think it’s a great thing to do on or around your birthday, to sort of take stock of your reality and what the issues are. I had an experience not too long ago that kind of rocked me.
What was it? It was a guided trip on — it doesn’t matter what it was on. I had these powerful emotions that had no name. They were like these giant blimps crashing into me, crashing into each other, and I was straining and so frustrated that I didn’t know what they were, and the answer never came clear during the experience. Oddly enough, the answer to what they were came two weeks later when I happened to be at a meditation retreat. The links between psychedelics and meditation are very fruitful and interesting. I was doing a walking meditation after a couple days of complete silence, 12-hour-a-day meditating, and there were the blimps. In sans serif letters, right on the blimp, was the word “fear.” I quickly realized what it was. It was fear of losing something very close to you. So the combination of two experiences ended up being very productive. But on its own, the psychedelic experience raised more questions than gave answers.
Questions of consciousness, which are really questions about what makes us us, are some of the most important questions that can be asked. But at the same time, they can lead into other questions like: Is there some David — some stable “I” — that exists or not? Or what is the relationship between free will and consciousness? Sometimes thinking about those questions can be destabilizing. Is that just me? Do you have similar apprehensions? It can be destabilizing, absolutely. One of the reasons people are happy to be less conscious and fill their attention with distractions and drugs is because the mind can be a scary place to visit. We often want to be less aware of what’s going on. There are reasons people avoid going down these rabbit holes. It takes a willingness to risk something.
I apologize if this seems like a woo-woo question, but do you think the absence of something like a stable “self” also means the absence of something like a soul? Do you believe in a soul? Well, if a soul is something that is indestructible and survives our death, no. But I can’t say anything about the afterlife with confidence. Consciousness has become our secular substitute for the soul; we talk about consciousness the way people in the 16th or 17th century talked about souls. Some people’s interest in it is the fact that it floats free of these mortal bodies and maybe gets folded into a collective consciousness after we’re gone. So I think there is a hidden religiosity or spirituality in the whole conversation around consciousness. Somebody asked me recently, Do you think as people get older, they are more interested in consciousness? And I would say yes, and probably for that reason.
It does seem that many of us have consistencies to ourselves that are a little hard to explain in the absence of something like a stable identity or a soul. In the new book, you mention a period in your teenage years when you were reading Hermann Hesse, writing bad poetry and thinking about the big questions. I don’t know if you still write bad poetry, but the other two things don’t seem that far away from what you’re now doing in your 70s. So what might explain what seem like intrinsic core qualities that are constant for you through time if not a stable self-identity or a soul? Even though I talk a lot about this idea that maybe the self is an illusion, it still has a conventional reality. The fact that I’m using myself to talk to yourself makes this very easy. If neither of us had selves right now, it would be a very loosey-goosey conversation. I can’t even imagine what it would be like. Matthieu Ricard said: It’s like a river has a name, and that conventional name is very useful, but there’s nothing consistent there. It’s just water passing.
I brought something like this up earlier, but I want to ask another version of it. This morning I was reading the news and thinking, Gosh, right now, is talking to Michael Pollan about consciousness a kind of “how many angels can dance on the head of a pin” conversation? I decided the answer is no, but do you ever have those doubts? I did at various points when I was starting on this book and the world was starting to fall apart. Like, is this how I should be using my energy? But I think that consciousness is at stake in a lot of what’s going on. One of the things Trump has done is occupy a significant chunk of our attention every single day. Our consciousness is being polluted, and protecting ourselves against that at the same time we preserve the ability to act politically is a difficult balancing act. Consciousness is a very precious realm. It’s the realm of our privacy and our freedom to think. So I think we need some kind of consciousness hygiene, particularly at this moment, where this one politician has figured out ways to command our attention. Consciousness is more relevant now than it even was 10 or 20 years ago, as something to think about, protect and nurture.
This interview has been edited and condensed from two conversations. Listen to and follow “The Interview” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, or Amazon Music. David Marchese is a writer and co-host of The Interview, a regular series featuring influential people across culture, politics, business, sports and beyond in the New York Times.
