Do Nothing Guru

Between grief and nothing I will take grief.

spoken by the character Harry Wilbourne in William Faulkner’s novel The Wild Palms

In Wednesday’s Daring Fireball post about GPT-5.1’s Personalities, John Gruber mentions that the new ChatGPT 5.1 Instant, when prompted “I’m feeling stressed and could use some relaxation tips,” will say things like:

I’ve got you, Ron — that’s totally normal, especially with everything you’ve got going on lately.

To which Gruber says

I loathe the shit like “I’ve got you” and “especially with everything you’ve got going on lately”. ChatGPT has no fucking idea what I’ve got going on lately. This is all phony bullshit, and if you have even a thimbleful of understanding how LLMs work, you know it’s phony. But apparently this phoniness is like emotional crack cocaine to some.

The fact that ChatGPT is even using language like that, is that “I’ve got you” is, in white man’s culture, something you say even if you don’t really mean it. Like “If you ever need anything, just let me know. Don’t hesitate. Anything at all.” at certain events like funerals and breakups and hospital visits. But most people are bluffing, and are just wanting to be seen as the person that is honorable, but not actually have to be. Not everybody, just, honestly, most. In the white man’s culture, it is ok to break your word if it’s inconvenient.

Other cultures are different. People give their word and follow through if called upon. But, you know, there is no shame in admitting that white man’s culture isn’t like that. It’s good to know. And how do we heal that shame? How do we stand in honor and true to ourselves—regardless of culture—in the face of that? It’s not by trying extra hard to fulfill the promises that we continue make to everyone, it’s rather, to have our word be sincere to our capacity to honor our word. That is, don’t say “ask for anything at all, and I’ll be there.” Say, “if you need anything, just ask, and if I can do it, I will.” Or don’t even offer. It’s at least more honest than going through the little ritual. But people may expect you to play out the culturally acceptable bullshit. That’s why it’s hard to be honest… because it’s vulnerable. What about: “I know people are supposed to say, ‘Anything you need, just ask,’ But I want to be truthful and actually show up when I promise to. So I’ll be honest, I can’t promise I’ll be there. Nobody can, in truth, we’re just supposed to pretend to. But, if you need to something at any point, please ask, and if I can do it in good way in that moment, I’ll be there, and if not, I’ll tell you up front I can’t. And either way you can count on my word, just like you can right now.”

It’s another place to learn to Do Nothing. Do Not play-the-cultural-expectation-game-in-spite-of-your-word Thing.

I understand that ChatGPT could be saying ”I’ve got you [for this one query],” but it’s not consistent with how that prompt was given, which would usually initiate a conversation (or chat) amongst humans. And this is, after all, ChatGPT—a conversation simulator. ChatGPT pretends it’s got the answers for whatever ails you, now and down the line. But it ultimately cannot deliver—since what ails everyone of us that is stressed is that we don’t feel safe, and to resafe ourselves requires more fundamentally—an honest relationship with people, most fully and deeply with our loved ones, and at the core with our Creator or Buddhahood or truest Self. Something ChatGPT can (maybe) point to, but definitely not provide. Noted also because the recommendations it gave (appropriately, as a starting point) are stop-gap measures to cope with stress, not antidotes to the mindset (and culture that emerges from that mindset) that creates and is built on stress. ChatGPT is, in short, perpetuating this white man’s cultural falsity of being nice versus being truthful, which is part of why you’re stressed—everyone keeps on fucking pretending this shit is working, just do some box breathing, and keep pedaling harder at this insanity.¹ And why wouldn’t it perpetuate man’s man culture… that’s what it was fed on, as if that’s the best way to interact. News flash: it’s not.

The world hungers for truth. Shit, there I go. The honest rendering is: I hunger for truth, and I believe that we, the humans on this planet, would be better off and ultimately suffer less if we all honestly try to be more truthful in every interaction, despite cultural norms that call for little lies.² And elicit truth from others with the deepest compassion. I suspect animals and nature would benefit too if that happened amongst humans. Let’s stop feeding ourselves and doling out bullshit. Stop doing the emotional crack cocaine or saccharine of lying to be nice. Be kind, but not nice. Be honest. Be kind. Do Nothing else. Truth and honesty are integral parts of Doing Nothing. Otherwise, you are doing something and it’s fake. But what do I know? Nothing, really.

1. From Daniel Quinn’s great take on our civilization in Ishmael, where we are told to simply pedal harder to get this contraption off the ground before we go over the cliff (environmental, social justice, war, economic, whichever cliff you want), when it’s just not airworthy to begin with. ↩︎
2. I’m aware that there is a grey area of lies that are skillful means for the benefit of others… but only to be used as last resort, not first, and certainly not because they are convenient for our egos. ↩︎

Recently, on a social media post, someone posted: “A wise man once said nothing.” To which astute commentators added, “Once?! He practically never stopped!” and “Only those listening heard him.”

This reminds me of the old adage: “Only speak when it improves on silence.”

And it’s corollary, “If you have something important to say, silence is not a virtue.”

Say nothing wisely, say everything else wisely.

Alan Watts on Nothingness

When I practice, that is, I sit to meditate or start reciting mantras, or chant a sadhana, sometimes I feel like I’m trying to fix something… namely me. Like there is something wrong with me that I need to change, improve, yes, fix, in order to be more in connection with the divine, the creator, the infinite vastness of being, my true Self, the Source of All, the Oneness, emptiness, ultimate bodhicitta, or whatever-it-is. In other words, I feel like I’m doing something because something is wrong. Which is why I gravitate to the practice of doing nothing, so that I can really grok the sense that nothing is wrong.

What sticks out is the potential assumption that “nothing is wrong” is better than “something is wrong.” Does “nothing is wrong” make “something is wrong” wrong? Ha! No! Nothing is wrong, includes the feeling of something is wrong, it includes the desire to change whatever it is, it includes even the actions taken to change it. And by “changing it” what are we really trying to do, since we are now in the “doing something” mode? We are trying to address the gnawing feeling of insatisfaction, the incompleteness, the fear, the loneliness, the sadness, the things that don’t feel good. Ok. Makes sense. Nothing is wrong in the universe, including your desire to change it.

And we have a choice now:

1. Don’t just do something, sit there!
2. Other options involving mostly doing something.

But, aren’t things horribly wrong? Climate crisis? Refugee crisis? Gross Inequality? War? Toxins in our water, food and air? Famine? Abuse of power, political, sexual, or otherwise? Yes, these are things we want to avoid and ameliorate. We want a healthy planet with healthy ecosystems for a healthy human population in peace with itself and its support systems—the entirety of nature, including ourselves as part of nature. And these wrathful teachers have come in for the ultimate lesson: shit’s getting fucked up, so wake up!

We’re not going to have a healthy ecosystem until we have a healthy ecosystem inside of ourselves. Full stop. Even one person working on themselves just a little bit… a smidge of healing… heals the entire planet that much. We do something in order to and only to reduce suffering for ourselves and others. It’s the only reason to do anything.

That’s why we practice. We’re not trying to fix anything. We recognizing nobody likes to suffer. Suffering isn’t wrong per se. It’s a natural part of our experience of the universe… and we have choice in how we act: greater suffering or not greater suffering. Both in the right now moment and in the future.

I feel that each and every one of us is pushing outward against the membrane of human evolution itself, directing where we, as a species, are to go. Our practice is our individual and collective evolutionary path. We’re not fixing anything wrong, we are deciding where we want to go from here, by deciding who are now and in the future. Everything is perfect, including our desire to change, to improve, to suffer less, to have others suffer less, in fact, to have ourselves thrive, and others thrive, ALL OF US thrive. And eventually, the perfect practice becomes perfect. We transcend the need for that particular practice, and the next, and develop the fullest capacity of our true inner self, our true potential, and that of the entire human species, Mother Earth, the galaxy and the entire Universe. We are that big, and that’s why we practice like nothing is wrong—to fully grok it, to fully realize it.

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This is a follow up post to the earlier Nothing is Wrong.

You don’t need to control things. You can’t. It’s an illusion that you can anyway. Let go. Work with your own joy around what is actually happening, and move towards your greater joy without forcing anything, without doing anything you don’t want. Align with happiness and watch magic happen. Then use your considerable brilliant influence in the world from that place of joy, not a need of control.

“Cover your breast with nothingness, and draw over your head the robe of non-existence.”

Attar, mystic poet

Perplexity.ai had this to say:

Metaphor	Sufi Meaning
Cover your breast with nothingness	Empty the heart of ego and worldly desires
Robe of non-existence	Embrace self-annihilation (fanā) for union with the Divine

See Perplexity’s fuller explanation as to why you’d want to do what feels undesirable at the outset.

Dreams, Death & Dakinis

I am co-leading an Inner-Treasure Revealing Journey to Bhutan this October 30 through November 14. Join us!

Reveal the wakeup.codes!

The British Royalty, I’ve heard, have a saying “Don’t complain and don’t explain.” It stems from the Crown having its own rules around behavior in public. The Crown doesn’t complain. It is—or at least has to appear as—above the human pettiness of complaining about being a frickin’ Queen or a King or a Prince or Princess. It has to appear as if it is not a burden. It cannot allow anyone to deflate the power and magnificence of the Crown. It is an old way of maintaining sovereignty.
“Don’t explain,” is a radical act of non-codependency in which the Crown is not trying to get anybody’s buy-in or approval or even understanding by explaining anything. It acts as royal sovereign, period. While there is certainly much psychological damage passed down the royal lineage, and this saying has an unhealthy component to it no question… I think “don’t complain and don’t explain” also offers some insight into personal sovereignty.
Sitting relaxed in the center of Emptiness—that is, Doing Nothing, is the maximum expression of sovereignty. There is actually nothing to complain about in that state. It is not gritting ones teeth under the repressive etiquette to not complain about things that frankly normally ought to be addressed (and even then, a more neutral, “address,” rather than “complain” is likely better). Complaining about things misses their true nature of not being as they appear to be. It misses the gratitude, the unconditional love, the absolute trust, the powerful sovereignty. It misses the amazing support you are receiving from sixty million directions (or subjects). It looks outward at things as more powerful than you. This isn’t how it is in fact. Everything is empty, including you. Everything is impermanent; whatever it is will pass. Everything has a point of reference, you, which you can change.
There is likewise nothing to explain. Emptiness is unexplainable. To attempt to explain misses the point. Words to do not capture the true essence of emptiness, or even of the sovereignty of resting in emptiness. You cannot explain why you must stand in your power, you just do; otherwise you are not in your power. Do Nothing is the absolute power—action comes naturally, automatically, spontaneously, without doing, from a total understanding and embodying of the nature of reality, vast compassion, unconditional love, and infallible skill. It is not trying to get more power or maintain power, as it cannot be gained or lost, and therefore the action and mindset is completely trustworthy.

That is the absolute sovereignty—be fully yourself. And remember you are Nothing, in the best way possible, because so is everyone and everything else. That’s how we all interrelate and support and give, because transformation, change, evolution is only possible if there is no fixed unchanging “you.” You are Empty of fixed independent nature. And so with everyone. It’s that sameness of Emptiness (One Taste) that allows for us to empower our sovereignty: our uniqueness, our gifts.

Therefore, this website shall be in black and white. Enjoy.

You’ve heard that quote: “The greatest trick the Devil pulled of was to convince us he didn’t exist.” The greatest trick the Devil pulled off wasn’t to convince you he didn’t exist, it was that he convinced you Paradise didn’t exist. That is, that in the best case, Paradise is somewhere else and that you had to die to get there. That automatically makes this place, this Earth, here and now, not good enough to be Paradise, when in fact, it is not only good enough, it is actually also Paradise. It is the root cause of suffering to believe that happiness lies elsewhere at any given moment. Paradise is a state of mind. Shifting your mind shifts the way you see reality. You can shift your mind to see Paradise, and it will appear to you, genuinely. It requires being present, aware of being aware, seeing the emptiness of all thoughts and things, including yourself, witnessing the miracle of everything arising with you, how everything moves and changes, arousing great compassion—warm heartedness—towards yourself and others, and a continual sense of awe and joy. There is Nothing but the present moment, and it is so full of love and grace, it is Paradise.

Remain vigilant of your mind, because whatever that force is that has convinced us to not see Paradise—causes us to actually create dystopia. Indeed, that force also tricked us into thinking that that force doesn’t exist, that it is some sort of invisible normality. It is not. Whether you want to ascribe and personify this force as the Devil, or call it human nature, or simply some attribute it to some contagious unfortunate meme, none of them can withstand the force of choosing Paradise, here and now. That’s the way we create it here, now, and into the future, for ourselves, our children and all the creatures on this extraordinary planet, solar system, universe, that gave us life, sustains us, supports us, no matter what we do. Talk about unconditional love.

There is Nothing but the present moment, and it is so full of love and grace, it is Paradise.

I’ve been experiencing some back pain lately. And by lately, I mean the last few years. I’ve learned for the first time what “chronic” means. It’s not all the time, but flares up often. When I do something, suddenly—boom! Intense back pain that takes a month to calm down. And so I’ve been doing some physical therapy and going to the chiropractor and all of the things… slightly half-assed. I’m not Doing Nothing about it, which is what I thought I was doing before. Except I wasn’t really Doing Nothing, I was ignoring it, which is far from Doing Nothing, it’s an active denial and suppression of the root causes.

So now I’ve been checking in to see if I have TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome). Most injuries take a few months to heal… if the pain goes beyond that it is likely caused by the brain creating pain sensations from perceived threats of stimulus… but there is no muscle injury, no bone broken… Nothing is Wrong.

Nothing is Wrong. And yet the brain creates pain to protect the body (it thinks) from perceived threats (certain body movements). I need to keep reminding my brain, Nothing is Wrong. There might be a lot of sensation, but Nothing is Wrong.

And my back pain is definitely healing. Partly a placebo effect of repeating a mantra of Nothing is Wrong… my brain and body (they are not two different things) start to believe it. And partly, or even mostly, it’s because it’s the truth. There is Nothing Wrong. Ever.

I feel like this is a key to all of our pain and anxiety and suffering. Back pain, or a break-up, or struggles with money. We constantly think something is wrong, or it shouldn’t be this way, or its corollary, it (or they, or I) should be X. If we were to truly understand that Nothing is Wrong, we could relax the fear, anxiety, stress, and perhaps enjoy things as they are, even when there is a lot of sensation. Enjoying them makes them better and already something shifts in our life. Some things won’t be so easily enjoyable, and that’s ok too. We can enjoy the not enjoying because it’s amazing, truly amazing, how we can feel intense disagreeable sensations. We get to re-safe ourselves in the midst of a lot of emotion and even physical pain. They will pass, guaranteed. We can hold ourselves, without judgement, just being with. We can love ourselves in it. Nothing is Wrong, truly, if we love ourselves fully.

Nothing is Wrong asks us to start to imagine the place Rumi alluded to in his poem:

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
There is a field. I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
The world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
Doesn’t make any sense.

-Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks in The Essential Rumi

A place where literally, Nothing is Wrong.

And how do we get there? We remind ourselves, we already live in this field. The field is love. Our soul can just lie down in it anytime. Feel the fullness of the field of Nothing is Wrong. Feel the fullness of the field of Nothing is Correct. One or the other, each, other, each other doesn’t make any sense. Actually, Nothing makes sense. In love, it doesn’t need to.

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Follow up: Nothing is Wrong – The Sequel

I’ve been having fun with the word “Nothing.” I think there is something extremely powerful and provocative about contemplating Nothing, no thing. And there is something even more transformative, indeed the pinnacle of enlightenment practices in Tibetan Buddhism—Dzogchen and Mahamudra—and that is Do Nothing. In these practices, which I will maybe post about soon, you simply rest in the nature of mind, and literally, do nothing. You don’t focus on the breath; you don’t try to calm your mind; you don’t try to maintain any type of meditation at all; you don’t even try to remain aware—if you feel groggy and fall asleep, great. But you also don’t “do” things like chase thoughts, and you don’t go into the future or the past, or any of the other “doings,” except that if they happen, you do nothing to them, just relax and let them be! Just continue to settle your mind, and be aware of the true nature of experience (without “doing” the being aware). So simple it’s not simple, and really hard. This is the highest teaching. I just touched on it as a reference. There is nuance: it’s not exactly doing nothing, as it requires having had previous direct experience of the nature of mind; and then rest in that and do nothing. Longchempa’s Buddhahood without Meditation is an authoritative text on Dzogchen practice.

I also want to touch on the other “Nothing” in Buddhism: Emptiness, or Shunyata in Sanskrit, and སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ (pronounced: Tong Pa Ni) in Tibetan. Shunyata is the ultimate nature of reality, which, when realized and the realization is stabilized (that’s where Dzogchen and Mahamudra come in), is absolute liberation, aka Buddhahood. Now, here and there on this website I’m casually and jokingly using Nothing as a translation of Shunyata, and it is incorrect. There is a different word in Sanskrit and Tibetan for “nothing,” and the Buddha didn’t use that word to describe what he recognized as the ultimate nature of reality. He used the word that literally means “Emptiness.” Emptiness is not Nothing. Only nothing is nothing, it is no thing, there is nothing there at all, not even a vacuum or space, as that is still something. Emptiness refers rather to “being empty” or devoid of any inherent independent existence, permanence, and unchanging nature or essence. It is therefore devoid of conceptual designation because anything definitive you can say about it would be its essence, and it doesn’t have that. The Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle is one of modern science’s approximations of this. I wish they had called it Heisenberg’s Emptiness Principle… so many more physicist would be reading Buddhism. Those who have, have found it very enlightening, pardon the pun.

So you can’t say anything in the affirmative about anything in reality… because if you dig deep enough, it isn’t actually there in that way. All you can say is that it isn’t this or that. Since the thing in question is not separate from you experiencing the thing and it’s not this or that, it’s often called “non-dual.” And even there, you are still using a concept to define something, so not even that. Emptiness is beyond all concepts frameworks, even of existence and non-existence. It is the Mystery. And that is the ultimate reality of you, of the screen in front of you, the room you are in, of thoughts, of the mind, the soul, everything. That’s right, it’s not nothing, it’s everything. A great text on this is Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness.

And here is where the two come together.
Doing nothing is resting in the mystery.

But for the sake of provacative and humorous quotes, I will mangle this Emptiness into “Nothing.” Simply, so that I can say silly things like

Nothing is everything.

First, Do Nothing. Then, only when you are truly in the space of understanding nothing, try doing something. There is a time and a place for not doing and doing. Now is a time for both.

The great people of MapQuest let you name it whatever you want.

Especially if we work as a team.

What we are doing, the journey we are on, I am on, we are on, he referred to it as the path. To this path that we’re following here and students around the world in full time retreat, he called it a journey to nothingness. I’ve never heard that phrase before, but … Düdjom Lingpa, the mind emanation of Düdjom Lingpa called what we are doing,
the journey to nothingness.

Alan Wallace quoting the current incarnation of Düdjom Lingpa