Modern Zen teachers often emphasize how liberating this is. When the ego loosens its grip, there’s no longer a fixed self to defend. Praise and blame lose their sharp edge. Fear softens. Compassion arises naturally, not as a moral project but as a consequence of intimacy.

Shunryu Suzuki put it simply: when we let go of self-centered practice, our... See more

I was lost, but it was also freeing. When you aren’t anyone, you can be anything.

Maybe that's what this essay is really about: the journey from "What will this say about me?" to "What does this want to become?" From "How can I prove I'm good enough?" to "How can I be present enough to do justice to this moment, this challenge, this opportunity to engage with something larger than my own small anxieties?"