Plainclothes Monk

Whenever I get contemplative or thoughtful, or talk about attempting to increase my mindfulness or decrease my materialism, my partner tells me that I am being “monkish.” She means it in a positive and supportive way, and sometimes uses the same sort of language to describe the grounding energy that she says she gets from me (she also calls this “rock energy”).

Over this summer of 2008, I have specifically tried to explore my monkishness in a direct and deliberate way, through readings, discussions, and explorations into practices of Zen Buddhism. I am not sure how fruitful my efforts have been so far, or how promising this path will become in the long run, but I know that the attempt to achieve more personal growth in this area is clearly worthwhile.

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