Resting my Western Mind
A short story of how Buddhist monks are going to help me keep myself accountable to a more peaceful existence!
I let work take up too much of my brain space.
When I have mental down time for some reason thinking about work is my default.
I don’t prefer it. It’s detrimental.
Sometimes I cannot sleep or wake up with a work topic on my mind - even on the weekend or on vacation.
Problem
I have two key suspicions as to why I am like this:
I wired myself like this years ago thinking that the more I obsessed over work the better I would be, the more advancement opportunities I would have and the more money I would make.
Rinse and repeat for 10+ years and you may find yourself teetering on the brink of burnout.
I have a deeply rooted Western Mentality
There are many lenses in which to evaluate the differences between Eastern and Western Mindsets, so don’t take this as exhaustive.Individualism vs. collectivism
Western cultures tend to value individual freedom, autonomy, and personal achievement. Eastern cultures tend to value collective harmony, familial ties, and societal obligations.
Thinking
People in collectivist societies tend to be more holistic in their thinking, focusing on the relationships and context of the situation. People in individualistic societies tend to focus on separate elements.
When we live and work in a predominately Western culture we don’t (likely) think about the alternative mindsets or perspectives.
In preparing for this trip to Japan, I read two books which helped form a still nascent understanding of the Japanese cultural mindset:Kokoro: Hints & Echos Of Japanese Inner Life by Lafcadio Hearn
The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Henrich (two notes: the WEIRD ones are the Westerners and I have not yet finished this one but had it with me here on the trip)
Just over two weeks and I have just started to scratch the surface but you can feel a difference here in the way that people interact with each other and operate in general. It’s been really interesting to observe and learn from - more on this coming soon!
Proposed Solution
I am still learning more about the Eastern mindset and way of life and will look to incorporate more of their practices in ways that are helpful for me. In the meantime I have two proposed solutions for myself to help ‘rest my Western mind.’
Advice from the real life monks in Koyasan
"When something comes to your mind during meditation, please don’t think, ‘I should stop thinking about this’ or ‘I should forget this’ as it comes back in your mind. So, just try to imagine that the thought coming into your mind is just a small pebble in a large garden. Then you don’t worry about the pebble. If you look at it right in front of your eyes, you will think only of this. So, widen your mind, leave the thought and keep on going.”
I’ve been imagining work thoughts that pop into my brain as pebbles then physically flicking them back into the pile in my mind. It’s helping but still a ways to go so that less of these pebbles surface.
Accountability from paper monks
Last year I worked late many nights which meant it was harder to separate work from home life and truly give my brain a break. So this year I will mark down each day in a physical calendar the time I get home from the office or turn off my computer on work from home day.
If the time is past my stated cutoff I will write it in red. If I am on or before my cut off time, I will write it in green. This will give me a visual indication of my habits and drive better insight and accountability.
So in Koyasan I bought a little calendar which features very cute little cartoon monks to keep me inspired and accountable!
Green entry for today (good start at least!).
I have a few other themes / items that I want to track and I am very excited for this calendar!
P.S. Do you also have difficulty resting your mind?
If not, please give me your secrets!
If yes, let’s discover the secrets together!
Here’s to a balanced 2025.
