Satori Café

  Once upon a time, there were three old friends. They were all scholars leading busy lives, but they all made it a point to meet once a year to make sure they would always stay in touch with one another. But this time, the gathering felt different. They were all getting old and starting to feel their age.  Sensing this, the first scholar remarked: "We are all here together this year, enjoying each other's company..... But who can say with certainty if we will all be able to come back and be together again next year?". The second scholar laughed: "Next year? I think you may be looking too far ahead and assuming too much. Today I am alive, but who can say with certainty if tomorrow I will open my eyes to greet another day?". They turned to the third scholar, who had been quiet. He looked up to them thoughtfully, and said: "Tomorrow? My friends, as I sit here with you, I do not know if each breath I draw will be my last. Who can say with certainty, if one bre

  Solitude The idea of being alone scares many people, as the concept of it is often perceived with a filter of negativity. And although I do agree that we human beings as social creatures require interaction in order to function properly & healthily in our daily lives, spending time away from the herd by ourselves can benefit our wellbeing immensely. So let's explore the power of solitude & see what it can truly bring to our lives.  Finding Solace, Among Us "Without great solitude, no serious work is possible".    -Pablo Picasso  In this day & age, (and quite possibly throughout the ages) our current society does not seem to like loners, as the fast-paced consumerism driven society that we live in cannot stand non-participation. People who prefer to be alone, such as introverts like myself, for some reason seem to invoke suspicion. Usually, we are ridiculed with comments such as: "He must be a crazy person" or "nobody likes him", etc.  And

Once upon a time, a samurai, who was known for his nobility & honesty, went to visit a Zen monk to seek advice. However, the moment he entered the temple where the master was praying, he felt inferior and concluded that, in spite of having fought for justice & peace all his life, he hadn't even come near the state of grace achieved by the man before him.  "Why do I feel so inferior?", he asked, as soon as the monk finished his prayers. "I have faced death many times before, and have defended those who are weak. I know I have nothing to be ashamed of. But upon seeing you meditating, I felt that my life had absolutely no importance whatsoever." "Wait. Once I have attended to all those who have come to see me today, I shall answer you", the Zen monk replied.  Accepting his reply, the samurai spent the day sitting in the temple gardens, observing the people passing him by, in search of advice. He saw how the monk received them all with the same pat

  Antifragility As the legend goes, the son of Zeus, Hercules, a man born with unimaginable strength, needed to accomplish a series of tasks known as the 12 Labours at the service of King Eurystheus in order to atone for his sins.  However, as the second of his 12 Labours, Hercules had to face a creature unlike any other. A nine-headed, water-dwelling serpentine beast known as the Hydra of Lerna or more commonly known as the Hydra. As the battle began to ensue, Hercules, despite all his might & bravery, was disheartened when he discovered that cutting off one of its heads would only mean that two more shall take its place. Essentially, Hercules would never be able to kill it, as it only got stronger with every wound.  Now luckily for us, we no longer live in a day & age where we have to carry swords & shields to defend ourselves from mythical creatures or fantastic beasts.  However, most of us are not equipped with adequate armor or protection in the form of emotional knowl

Ikigai   生き甲斐 Now, I truly believe that all of us at some point in life have asked ourselves this question: What is my purpose here in life? What is the meaning of my life? Is it to find a career that we love & make a lot of money out of it? Is it to find fulfillment & completion with someone that we hold dear in our hearts? Or is it to find happiness & freedom that we have always desired in our own way? Or maybe it's none of these since they only exist in the material world, and that true happiness & fulfillment lies only in being a monk? (I know I have thought of that once HAHA)  Well, as you can see, this simple question is more complicated than we realized, as it doesn't have an obvious answer of sorts. But it is made even more confusing when modern life is added to the mix. As in today's world, life offers us such a degree of opportunity & choice,  such as different jobs & careers, etc., that  it becomes quite difficult to identify or decide on

Minimalism <=> Imagine this, you are walking around the mall one day, with the objective of buying a sweater or a shirt because your last one is worn & torn. You enter your favorite store, who's very modest with discounts & right there! Love at first sight, you see the sweater that you're looking for! It is of the perfect design, it matches your style and best of all, it comes in your size. You make way towards the cashier as happy as a lark, but at the corner of your eye, you stop a few feet shy and see a pair of jeans that would go extremely well with your shirt. You feel a strange & uneasy feeling and think about your budget for a sec, but the discounted price on its tag washes away your worries, & you make a beeline purchase with the matching pair.  And as the week goes by, like a Vitoria's Secret model, you make everyone fall in love & awe in your presence. People are showering compliments on you, whether  in person or on Instagram, and you fe