The Diary Of A Monk — An Introduction

Summary

Lewis Harrison, a self-described monk, shares insights into his simple yet complex life, characterized by minimalism, meditation, and a deep appreciation for various spiritual philosophies.

Abstract

Lewis Harrison introduces himself as a monk with a rich tapestry of life experiences, including living in various countries and engaging in diverse roles. He emphasizes his current life of simplicity, free from materialism and addictions, and his focus on meditation and spiritual practices. Harrison is married in an unconventional, deeply spiritual partnership and advocates for living a life guided by love, kindness, compassion, and other virtues. He identifies with the philosophy of the anonymous 12-Step Movement and the teachings of Bill W., suggesting that most people are addicted to something, whether substances or intangible emotions like anger or vanity. Harrison values daily routines, mentorship, and balance across physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of life. He invites readers to engage with his work through his writings on Medium, his newsletter, and his website, where he offers guidance on personal growth and life strategies.

Opinions

Harrison views himself as a simple person with few material wants and a deep appreciation for the meditative life.
He considers his marriage to be a profoundly loving and spiritual connection, defying conventional norms.
Harrison is not dogmatic and rarely indulges in activities like drinking or materialism, preferring a spiritually oriented life.
He believes in the importance of mentorship and support systems, such as Mastermind groups, for personal growth.
Harrison aligns with the philosophy of the anonymous 12-Step Movement

Of course, what that means will depend on who you are speaking to. If pressed for a specific answer I will offer a somewhat confusing answer to the person asking the question. If it is a somewhat simple conversation I will say that I am a simple person, with few material wants, with a deep appreciation of the meditative, contemplative, and introspective life. I am naturally drawn to the minimalist aspects of life. I don’t smoke, self-medicate, gamble, or get too attached to much of anything. I am in my seventh decade of life. I have done it all. Partied, made love, got high, and been a student, a teacher, a guru, a philanthropist, and a recipient of philanthropy. I have lived in 26 countries, including the jungles of Southeast Asia and the deserts of North Africa. As a result of all this I now live a balanced existence where I have nearly all of my needs met, seek to serve others, and have…

Few if any regrets,

Few if any expectations,

Am married to an extraordinary person who thinks much the same as I do,

I am mostly free of anger, lust, greed, vanity, and attachment,

I have a clear intention for my life and a desired outcome,

I have little or no use for rites, rituals, ceremonies, the clergy, churches, temples, mosques, or so-called holy books.

I am willing to share what I know with those who reach out to me, and who are either ready, willing, and able, or who want to learn how to become ready, willing, and able.

I have few opinions about anything, though I’m always exploring what is right or wrong in thought word, or deed.

Most of my day is focused on meditation of some type, taking phone calls and discussing love, kindness, compassion, empathy, wisdom, goodness, appreciation of beauty, doing what needs to be done, gratitude, patience, and surrender.

I’ll leave it at that and with a smile.

If a questioner wishes to go deeper, I will answer “I am a mystic shaman, Kabbalistic monk with a deep appreciation of Essential Zen, Mystic Taoism, applied game theory, and basic common sense”.

If they have an agenda and ask me “Are you a Christian?” I will respectfully ask them “How do you define if someone is a Christian?”

For myself, the answer to what kind of monk I am is fairly simple.

· I am married and without going into detail, it is a deeply spiritual connection. It is an unconventional marriage, to say the least. It is by mutual choice, and I have a deep, and profoundly loving partnership with my wife. I’ll leave the specifics of all this to your imagination.

· I am not dogmatic in any way so I can say that 99.9999% of the time I do not drink, get high, or have much interest in materialism, or short-term gratification.

· I am spiritually oriented. What that specifically means I can’t really say. I am motivated to live a life of love, kindness, compassion, empathy, wisdom, goodness, appreciation of beauty, competence at some level, gratitude, patience, forgiveness, and surrender. I don’t always succeed at this.

I like the philosophy of Bill W. and the anonymous 12-Step Movement. In my philosophy, most of us are addicts! It may not be an addiction to drugs or gambling. It might just be a psychological addiction to anger, lust, greed, vanity, or some person, place, or thing.

In that sense group meetings, support systems, and Mastermind groups can be of great value.

Before you go…

I am Lewis Harrison, an award-winning author of over twenty books on personal growth and strategic thinking. For over a decade I was the producer and host of the show “What’s Up” on NPR affiliated WIOX FM in New York.

Now, aside from writing on Medium, and connecting personally with my readers, I teach seminars and speak on personal development, and life strategies throughout the world.

To learn more about my thread — Ask Lewis — please read this short piece below…

The Diary Of A Monk — An Introduction

The simple life of a complex person

I’ll leave it at that and with a smile.

I am also an advocate of having one or more mentors, to push, and pull us upward while also helping us stay in a state of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance.

I have a series of daily routines, as I think it is wise for most of us to have. I will write about these in future posts.

The Takeaway

Here is a longer story by me in a similar vein:

Ask Lewis: 7 Tips On What Is Natural Law?

A serious inquiry

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About “Ask Lewis”…

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