The Journal archive, page 4 of 9
Practical, unhurried writing on Stoicism, Taoism, ADHD, focus, productivity and the age of AI, from the authors behind our books. Search the journal.
How to Say No at Work
The person who never refuses anything is not the most valuable person in the room. They are the one whose important work arrives late, because it…
Time Anxiety: Why You Always Feel Behind
You finish a full day of work and feel behind. You take a Sunday off and feel behind. Time anxiety is the low hum under modern life: the sense that…
What Is Beginner's Mind? The Zen Idea of Shoshin
Shoshin, beginner's mind, is the Zen habit of meeting a moment as if you had never met one like it, before habit files it away. It sounds simple and…
What Are the Attachment Styles? Anxious, Avoidant, Secure and Disorganised
Attachment theory explains a pattern most of us cannot see from inside it: how we reach for closeness, or back away from it, once a relationship gets…
How to Find Inner Peace: What Zen Teaches About Letting Go of Control
Inner peace sounds like a destination you arrive at once and keep. Zen treats it as closer to a practice, a way of meeting each day that you return…
What Is a Zen Koan? Meaning and Famous Examples
A koan is a short, baffling question a Zen student sits with for months: the sound of one hand, a dog and Buddha-nature. It looks like a riddle and…
How to Calm a Racing Mind: Zen Practices for Everyday Stress
A racing mind rarely responds to being told to calm down. Zen takes a different route: give your attention something concrete and let the churn…
Amor Fati: What It Means to Love Your Fate
Amor fati is Latin for love of fate. The Stoics, and later Nietzsche, used it to name a hard discipline: to meet whatever happens, even the parts you…
What Is Zen, Really? A Plain-English Guide
Zen is a school of Buddhism built around direct experience rather than doctrine. It grew from the meeting of Indian Buddhism and Chinese Taoism, and…