Tales from Tibetan Monks

Weekly wisdom to level up your creative life in 3 minutes, for free.

A SHORT STORY

Over the past four years, I have spent a lot of time with Tibetan monks. One of the things I have noticed is how they pass wisdom through stories.

In particular, I have been thinking a lot about a story I heard from the Dalai Lama.

He said, “A few years ago, I was at a zoo in India where tigers and deer lived within the same fence. And so I asked the zookeeper why don’t the tigers eat the deer? Simple, he told me, they are well fed.”

He then expanded on the metaphor by saying in life we create an "us vs them" mentality when we lack compassion for ourselves, when we are not “well fed”.

Since then, I haven’t stopped thinking about this insight, how quickly all of us (myself included) can judge and say, “This person is wrong” before we ever have the courage to turn inward and say — “how am I like them?”.

It is why I love art so much because it places you in the middle of that question. As Hamlet says, "The purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold as 'twere the mirror up to nature: to show virtue her feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure."

And so, how do you know if your beliefs are wrong? How do you practice compassion towards yourself?

A CREATIVE TOOL

I think we’re living through an artistic renaissance, as technology continues to scale the incredible opportunities available for artists around the world.

At HUG, I’m excited to be on the front lines of helping artists get discovered by collectors, galleries, and brands.

If you’re an artist, apply for our HUG profile, which will allow you to share your work and get showcased in galleries around the world.

A PIECE OF ART

Self Portrait by David Whyte

originally published in Fire in the Earth

It doesn’t interest me if there is one God
Or many gods.
I want to know if you belong — or feel abandoned;
If you know despair
Or can see it in others.
I want to know
If you are prepared to live in the world
With its harsh need to change you;
If you can look back with firm eyes
Saying “this is where I stand.”
I want to know if you know how to melt
Into that fierce heat of living
Falling toward the center of your longing.
I want to know if you are willing
To live day by day
With the consequence of love
And the bitter unwanted passion
Of your sure defeat.
I have been told
In that fierce embrace
Even the gods
Speak of God.

Grateful,

Michael