EP013: Pandemic Opportunities, Using Zen to Puzzle your Purpose — and Maybe Even The Meaning of Life
Release Date: 01/07/2021
EP017: Everything We Were Told About Food is Wrong, Part 2
The Tony Wong Podcast
Don’t miss Part 2 of this episode where we touch on how diets can lead to almost religious dogma, how lifestyle and diets affect relationships, as well as genetics as it relates to food.
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EP016: Everything We Were Told About Food is Wrong, Part 1
The Tony Wong Podcast
Why do we need to know so much to even begin to scratch the surface of how to eat properly? How did we lose our bearings when it comes to the one aspect of our lives that is the highest predictor of our overall health?
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EP015: Have you Been Meditating Right? A Zen Master Weighs in
The Tony Wong Podcast
Today’s show is a guided exercise in mindfulness by Zen Master Genpo Roshi; tune in to hear how you may have been poorly instructed, if at all, on how to meditate as well as what the long-term benefits of the practice are.
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EP014: Finding Flow with Big Mind (Genpo Roshi)
The Tony Wong Podcast
We all live with the struggle of internal opposites: knowing you should do something (exercise? eat healthily? meditate?) but still procrastinating, knowing you’re performing well enough but still being stressed, needing to make a big decision but still being fearful… Big Mind is a profoundly interesting tool that enables individuals to identify aspects of themselves and work through the relationships they entertain with them.
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EP013: Pandemic Opportunities, Using Zen to Puzzle your Purpose — and Maybe Even The Meaning of Life
The Tony Wong Podcast
We are fortunate to ring in the new year with a discussion with Genpo Roshi, one of my Zen Masters and the creator of Big Mind. Today’s episode is a dive into deeper ideas ranging from human purpose to the meaning of life — no less!
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EP012: Body Shop with Meki Blackwell
The Tony Wong Podcast
I recently did my first (8-hour!) myofascial release session with my guest Meki Blackwell and it revealed a deeper perspective on how the body’s connective tissues work — I mean beyond what we all understand as “rolling out.” Are we taught how to move? Are we taught how to stand? We all know the answer to that, and it all leads to pain and premature aging.
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EP011: Changing Mindsets with Big Mind
The Tony Wong Podcast
Last week, Andrea joined the show for an experiment on mindset and performance. The results were clear: if you’re looking to create a frame of mind that makes hard activities seem enjoyable, this is the key!
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EP010: Applying Neuroscience to Choosing Winning Mindsets
The Tony Wong Podcast
Do you really have to crush, grind, and power through to perform? Does it have to be that difficult? Today’s episode is a practical experiment on the neuroscience principles that underpin neuroplasticity and the way humans learn in general.
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EP009: Pandemic Dating, Chasing Unicorns And Brutal Honesty
The Tony Wong Podcast
While a car metaphor may be a bit dated, it does seem to hit the nail on the head… Usually, we’re attracted to the shiny exterior, but when we look under the hood, the excitement may fall away. Would the reverse be possible then? Look under the hood, get excited, and then get attracted to the exterior? Are men and women different on that front?
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EP008: Pandemic Dating, Masculinity and Changing Expectations — A Fireside Chat With Andrea, Jenna, Kanani and Tony
The Tony Wong Podcast
The trend of looking for real meaningful experiences has been around for a while now, but COVID changed the game: the immediate starkness of lockdown made us miss the simple things in life, real human connection.
info_outlineWe are fortunate to ring in the new year with a discussion with Genpo Roshi, one of my Zen Masters and the creator of Big Mind. Today’s episode is a dive into deeper ideas ranging from human purpose to the meaning of life — no less!
All of these discussions stem from an important realization in the tech community that healthy habits like eating well and exercising only address one aspect of human life. It has become clear that tending to the health and balance of your mind is an integral part of human health.
Join in for an enlightening conversation on life and the mind with one of the top experts available.
Key Takeaways
What should we call you? [1:58] Roshi means Zen master and Genpo Roshi has been practicing Zen for over 50 years and became a Zen Master 24 years ago.
Zen and your life [2:40] It’s not just this esoteric idea of calm. It means life — your life — complete, whole, liberated, and a mess at the same time.
Being connected to everything and everybody else, how do we love and appreciate all the differences?
Self and your shadows [4:26] None of us can see ourselves clearly. There is who we see ourselves as and who others see us as — the shadows.
You can still be an asshole [4:55] You can sit in meditation (Za Zen) and just sit on your junk, you crap, your stuff… and you can have realizations and openness and appreciate it all but somehow remain an asshole.
Unresolvable puzzles [6:00] The study of Koans — mind puzzles — is used to coax the mind that is not limited by concepts, what Roshi calls big mind, true nature, true self, true mind.
The impossible meaning of life [6:45] Understanding is conceptual and limited, so understanding the meaning of life is impossible, however, you can “be” it. In a way, you can grasp it all even though you’ll never understand it all.
Thoughts are suffering [10:57] The thinking mind causes all our suffering, but repressing it isn’t the answer, invite it. Same with suffering, the moment we are ready to invite more, we are bigger than the suffering itself.
The healthy lifestyle triad [13:00] Meditation is right up there, with eating well, and exercising, in the goals of the tech community.
The incredible window that is COVID-19 [13:43] Before COVID-19 we wanted to run off to a monastery. But we are in a forced retreat. Learn to be patient, persevere, meditate, become wiser.
The COVID-19 opportunity [17:44] Genpo Roshi touches on the six paramitas (perfections) as ways to make this COVID-19 time more meaningful:
1- Generosity
2- Discipline
3- Perseverance
4- Patience
5- Meditation
6- Wisdom
No pressure, right? [21:30] Shakespeare wrote King Lear during his quarantine from a black plague outbreak… Ron fears having not done enough.
Roshi’s tips on meditation [24:20] Meditation can be daunting and difficult for a lot of people, Roshi offers his tips:
1- Don’t try to meditate — haha!
2- Sit and relax — it might be hard, you will have thoughts, just let them run and allow them to come and go without chasing them.
It’s more delicious than just about anything [25:56] Samadhi is better than sleep, more delicious than just about anything. It does have some staying power and it will affect your day, but it takes time, practice, patience, and perseverance.
COMING UP NEXT! [27:36] Roshi offers to work with Ron on Big Mind and meditation, but that’s for next episode! Thanks for tuning in and don’t forget to keep an eye out for episode 14!
More about your host
Podcast: tonywongpodcast.com
Agile Coaching: Agiletony.com
Executive Coaching: Agiletony.com/mental-and-emotional-agility
Twitter: Twitter.com/agile_tony
LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/agiletony
Youtube: Youtube.com/channel/UCJyT0C_nrzAZ9GhmOXaSRRw
More about our guest