Speech guidelines from Buddhism help maintain positive interactions and relationships.
Conscious selection of thoughts impacts behavior and guides towards positive outcomes.
Striving for deep benefit in helping others, balancing personal well-being and promoting kindness.
Deep dives
Living a Life of Service and Quasi-Monkhood
Living a life dedicated to service, inspired by training at a Vermont monastery. Engages in service projects, wanders from place to place, and values being of service and connecting with people. Follows guidelines for speech inspired by Buddhism to maintain kind speech and harmonious interactions.
Rules and Guidelines for Speech
Adopts Buddhism's five ethical precepts, particularly focusing on speech guidelines like telling the truth, ensuring words are useful and kind, timely, and relevant. Applies these rules not just in speech but also in writing, like on Twitter, to maintain positive interactions and build relationships.
Control Over Thoughts and Speech Acts
Views thinking and speaking as intentional acts guided by feedback from others' responses. Believes in the ability to choose thoughts consciously, guiding them towards positive outcomes. Recognizes the impact of thoughts on behavior and strives for kindness and positive impact in every action.
The Concept of Maximum Deep Benefit
Inspired by the Bodhisattva vows in Mahayana Buddhism, seeks to help as many beings as deeply as possible. Aims to structure life around helping others profoundly, choosing actions that maximize positive impact. Emphasizes being of service and striving for deep benefit in every interaction.
Reflections on Living and Helping Others
Taking a unique approach to altruism, the speaker emphasizes the importance of balancing the desire to help others with the need to prioritize personal well-being. They reject the utilitarian notion that harming a few for the greater good is acceptable. Instead, they focus on promoting kindness and love through personal interactions, free from strict measurement metrics. By choosing joy and benefit as guiding factors, the speaker navigates prioritization decisions by optimizing for enjoyment and positive impact, even amidst potential conflicts.
Understanding Life's Purpose and Collaborative Efforts
In contemplating life's purpose, the speaker embraces a dynamic and emergent perspective, steering towards activities that blend personal enjoyment with societal benefit. They emphasize the concept of a 'vow' or 'gift,' where personal desires intersect with serving others. When collaborating with others, the speaker seeks projects with mutual support and synergy, acknowledging the trade-offs between focusing intensely on one endeavor versus spreading attention across multiple projects. They find value in sustaining a balance between work and enjoyment to prevent burnout and promote sustainable impact.
What is a "quasi-monk"? How hard is it to govern one's own speech and thoughts? What is "maximum deep benefit"? And how does it differ from effective altruism? How can we best direct our energy, time, and resources to do good in the world? Should more people become monks and/or adopt a lifestyle of service to others?
Tasshin Fogleman is an extremely online wandering quasi-monk on indefinite pilgrimage for the benefit of all beings. He lives a simple life, dedicating his life to being of service, supported by the generosity of others. He has three main endeavors: spreading love, following his curiosity, and empowering others. Follow him on Twitter at @tasshinfogleman or learn more about him at his website, tasshin.com.
