Great article! I love the way you bring out the contrast between two kinds of modern expressive individualism: the fixed-self variant and the existentialist variant, with the latter being more appropriate. I've thought about this a bunch in a Buddhist context but am very interested in exploring the Daoist version. Now I want to read your book – and Tan's too.
Thank you! I imagine this plays out differently in the Buddhist context, in very interesting ways. Of course I’d like you to read my book, but I can’t recommend Tan’s highly enough!
I'll read anything you write! Merton's most famous prayer begins "My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you..."
Great article! I love the way you bring out the contrast between two kinds of modern expressive individualism: the fixed-self variant and the existentialist variant, with the latter being more appropriate. I've thought about this a bunch in a Buddhist context but am very interested in exploring the Daoist version. Now I want to read your book – and Tan's too.
Thank you! I imagine this plays out differently in the Buddhist context, in very interesting ways. Of course I’d like you to read my book, but I can’t recommend Tan’s highly enough!
Thank you! I'm still sorting it all out in my own mind, but here are the thoughts I've had on it in a Buddhist context so far:
https://loveofallwisdom.com/blog/2019/02/how-can-you-be-yourself-if-there-is-no-self/
https://loveofallwisdom.substack.com/p/the-practical-implications-of-non
I'll read anything you write! Merton's most famous prayer begins "My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you..."
Thank you so much! And I love this from Merton. I must read more of him; I’ve only looked at his version of Zhuangzi.