Christin's Behind-the-Scenes Sunday 🎥
Compassion Accelerator, The Writing Studio, Build a Second Brain, and a Message from Past Me
Dear Ones,
Hello from a late Sunday evening! How is everyone adjusting to Daylight Savings Time (if applicable?) It always makes me feel kind of twilight zone, regardless of which direction the clock goes.
3 Updates:
Compassion Accelerator: My co-founder Christine and I are launching a cohort-based course! We are excited to share our course overview, and invite you to join the Compassion Accelerator community. There is a separate email sign-up list on the page, please subscribe and I’ll personally reach out to ask you more questions to refine our curriculum. :D Come one, come all!
The Writing Studio Live Notes: Whew, Michael Dean’s class is amazing yet terrifying in a good way. We spent this week writing micro-essays (~250 words/day), and Michael is working his magic to help me string them together into one coherent essay, like this:
🤯🤯🤯 Crazy right! I can’t wait to show you all the final draft.
Build a Second Brain Live Notes: Because I’m either ambitious or foolhardy, I’m also in Cohort 13 for Build a Second Brain. TBH I haven’t really had time to engage as much as I wanted to, but I’m learning to take a back seat and experience a cohort-based course (CBC) from the perspective of a person who can’t devote that much time to it. I think I’m learning about how to run a CBC by experiencing what it’s like to under-participate as well, and thinking about how to design an experience that allows this time/effort flex.
3 Bullets of Vulnerability:
I dug up this gDoc I had written in 2017 about what I wanted to do with my life. I shared it with only two very close friends, because I thought it was too embarrassing to admit that I wanted to start a business, and that I want to be a spiritual teacher. How preposterous!
…so, 2021 me is proud to report that it took me 4 years to get to this point, haha!
This mentality really is something I’m learning to overcome, especially since I’m so bold to say that I’m helping other people find their life purpose. I was telling some of my Write of Passage friends that I feel like a child wielding a sharp sword—trying my best to be responsible in how I share my thoughts on spirituality and mindfulness practice. Or maybe like this Zen koan:
Mumonkan Case 3: Gutei’s Finger
Gutei raised his finger whenever he was asked a question about Zen. A boy attendant began to imitate him in this way. When a visitor asked the boy what his master had preached about, the boy raised his finger.
Gutei heard about the boy’s mischief, seized him and cut off his finger with a knife. As the boy screamed and ran out of the room, Gutei called to him. When the boy turned his head to Gutei, Gutei raised up his own finger. In that instant the boy was enlightened.
When Gutei was about to die, he said to the assembled monks,”I received this one-finger Zen from Tenryu. I used it all my life and yet could not exhaust it” and then he passed away.
Pointing to the moon,
Christin
High five on achieving goals that were mere dreams years ago!!
Also, I need an explainer on Gutei's finger... the "point" of the story evaded me lol
YouTube channel! Do it!