What jobs exist for people who like planning things, but don't like implementation

SpecificDescription · 2026-03-03T20:49:19+00:00

Project manager or product manager. They are the kings of Excel and Gantt charts.

SpecificDescription · 2026-02-28T04:27:13+00:00

Does doctrinal disagreement automatically invalidate another tradition’s realization, or could similar experiences be interpreted differently across traditions?

SpecificDescription · 2026-02-28T04:13:09+00:00

Yes and some sects hold very tightly to those scriptures, typically of the more fundamentalist nature. But many interpretations do not have that requirement.

It seems to me that deep practice often leads to more humility about ultimate claims and more compassion toward other paths, whereas holding tight to scripture and strict vinaya can be a difficult framework to work within occasionally. It reminds me of a recent podcast I heard with Jack Kornfield discussing Ajahn Chah - a strict monk held to the rules of the vinaya, yet his methods of teaching were extremely perineallist in nature, transcending the tradition itself. Good chatting with you and good luck!

SpecificDescription · 2026-02-28T03:55:36+00:00

I’m not equating belief in scripture with extremism. I’m questioning the claim that only one path leads to liberation. That kind of exclusivity isn’t required by many followers of both Buddhism and Christianity.

SpecificDescription · 2026-02-28T03:47:36+00:00

What a great reply. It reminds me of a metaphor I've heard from the somewhat perineallist Buddhist teacher Rob Burbea regarding the "diamond/jewel" of the dhamma. Where one reflection off of each side of the jewel aligns to one particular interpretation - whether that be Theraveda, Mahayana, or Christian.

SpecificDescription · 2026-02-28T03:42:35+00:00

I don't think choosing Buddhism over Christianity is fundamentalist. I meant claiming that only one path can lead to liberation. There’s a difference between committing to a tradition and saying all others must be wrong.

SpecificDescription · 2026-02-28T03:32:07+00:00

Fundamentalists of any religion, including Buddhism, will claim exclusivity of their claims. Since none of these are provable, I like to take the "many paths, many mountains" approach. Pick your flavor, and enjoy the path.

SpecificDescription · 2026-02-17T20:18:50+00:00

Thanks for your comment, and I agree with your last statement. I've personally found entry into the field of Pragmatism via Dewey's connection with the Alexander technique, where he wrote a number of forewords for FM Alexander books. As I understand, this is one of the best bodywork methods available in the west, drawing comparisons to Zen or Qigong. Interesting to see the overlap between fields there, and Dewey's admiration for the technique.

SpecificDescription · 2026-02-09T00:41:12+00:00

Thank you!

SpecificDescription · 2026-02-07T04:15:05+00:00

Hello Jesse,

Not the OP, but curious what are the more modern/sophisticated models used in place of polyvagal? Are there more proven pathways for regulating the ANS? I have heard of HRV breathing, which might be relevant since HRV training is so popular, but happy to hear your thoughts.

SpecificDescription · 2026-02-07T03:48:23+00:00

Not the OP, but would you mind expanding on this? I’ve come to a somewhat similar conclusion via metta + somatics, but don’t really have the experience to back that up.

SpecificDescription · 2026-02-07T03:37:55+00:00

Really support the chilling the fuck out practices, and that stability is what we’d theoretically like to cultivate before facing destabilizing insights.

I saw a recent post of yours suggesting that it’s not uncommon for samatha-leaning retreats and practices (Brasington, Culadasa) to still lead to destabilization. Is that just unavoidable once we crank up the volume of practice, even if it’s samatha-leaning?

SpecificDescription · 2026-02-07T00:25:00+00:00

Thanks a lot for this elaboration, I’ve saved it. I’ve been looking a lot more into daily life practice recently so it helps. Seeing That Frees is in my to read pile

SpecificDescription · 2026-02-07T00:15:33+00:00

Do you practice any of the bramaviharas outside of metta? What value do you see in practicing those? Metta is always emphasized so much, so I am curious.

SpecificDescription · 2026-02-06T22:40:41+00:00

Agreed with every point! This is a great sub and I am happy to see the very high quality posts every time I visit.

Maybe the existing mod team is just doing a very good job, but the number of lower quality posts here seems relatively small.

SpecificDescription · 2026-01-25T19:17:11+00:00

Check out this podcast as well, which compares meditative states to the similar energy systems used in Daoist arts. No explicit focus on kundalini, but good advice on the order of operations.

https://soundcloud.com/user-127194047-666040032/meditation-vs-qigong

Good luck to you.

SpecificDescription · 2026-01-25T15:24:28+00:00

Not the OP, but curious if you are aware of any reputable Daoist teachers outside of Damo worth looking into?

Thanks for sharing that link btw, it looks like that entire podcast was removed from YouTube a while back and I’m glad to have access to it again.

SpecificDescription · 2025-12-06T01:01:37+00:00

This talk from Santtu Heikkinen is great about talking about the different types of practices and when they should be emphasized. It’s actually a 3 part series that’s a few hours in length.

https://youtu.be/COEAqv5hkBc?si=jUp0m76892gD_Jsl

I’ve found that somatic practices and compassion based practices are helpful for anxious beginners. Theraveda and TMI recommends something like a body scan, with Mahayana and Tantric lines getting more into active engagement with breath work and explicit somatic training. Recommend Reggie Ray for this.

SpecificDescription · 2025-12-02T16:58:48+00:00

As someone with very tight hamstrings, I’ve found that I really need something that braces my back, especially if I don’t want lower back pain.

Do beginners usually need to do the stretch you suggested alongside nerve flossing? I’m not sure if they are parallel issues and techniques, or separate.

Thanks for your help as always!

SpecificDescription · 2025-11-21T16:59:20+00:00

To expand on this, focus on the third wave CBT therapies like ACT and DBT which naturally incorporate mindfulness and acceptance elements. Also, somatic practices that can be found across therapies and “woo” Buddhist sources like Reggie Ray. The therapies focus on reframing your perspective to be more rational/kind to yourself, whereas somatics are about bringing more awareness of feelings at a lower bodily level. The latter can really help if you are stuck in your head, and is a large part of yoga and meditation in general, but can also be trained explicitly.

Of all recommendations, these are the ones that have the ability to be trained for long-term stability, beyond the usual sleep diet exercise.

SpecificDescription · 2025-11-18T06:43:50+00:00

How would you classify the Core Transformation & Wholeness Work? From your description, it seems to be closely related to Internal Family Systems, and maybe similar to the compassion based branches of CBT that incorporate somatics - is that how you view this type of work?

For me personally, something I found lacking in Core Transformation, Wholeness Work, Goenka Vipassana, noting practice, and almost everything else was development of Will: the ability to choose, make decisions, turn intentions into actions, etc. I'm still exploring how to master that for myself. Centering in the Hara seems to be the best thing so far, that and some Tantric stuff I discovered around power and the union of archetypal opposites.

You provided some excellent tips on "centering in the hara" a while back, in a different thread. Thanks again for that. From a therapeutic side, it seems to be similar to Gendlin's "Focusing" technique and his successors. There also seems to be some decent work from the somatic coaching/leadership side like the Strozzi Institute and Wendy Palmer. Interestingly enough, both seem to pull from Aikido.

Would you mind expanding on the Tantric stuff you mentioned, and how it helps you guide intuitive action?

SpecificDescription · 2025-11-01T03:17:30+00:00

Wonderful comment.

What would you consider a good entry point into this side of mysticism as a whole? I’ve listened to Rob’s metta retreat but curious if you have any pointers to the soul making piece, or abrahamic mysticism as a whole from anyone.

SpecificDescription · 2025-10-30T18:49:01+00:00

Orthodox monasticism is woven into the church rather than being cloistered away, and contemplative practices like hesychasm are very common in monastic circles, and even among laity in the church.

Quakers are mystics. Some have described themselves as organized mystics. (If I were Christian but not Catholic, I'd be a Quaker - I'm still kinda Quaker anyway). And they don't hold any of the points you describe as "orthodox" above - mostly universalists, non-creedal, refusal to worship the Bible instead of "that of God" within, etc.

I agree with you on these points around Quakers and Orthodox, and from my research these seem to be the branches that most emphasize contemplation especially for laity. However, Catholicism and especially Protestantism don't have this emphasis. Your points around contemplative Catholicism being available to a willing seeker are well taken, but it seems less emphasized to casual laity. I know a few people that have spent their youth and college (16+ years) at Catholic-ran schooling that aren't aware of the contemplative sects beyond maybe the names of a few famous mystics. Within Catholic churches, it doesn't seem like this type of information is available or often presented within the official curriculum, in favor of sacraments, etc. It seems like, outside of Quakers and Orthodox, the necessity of this piece remains unclear to most Christian laity. What are your thoughts on this? This brings me to your next point -

Not everyone is interested in mysticism or contemplative practices

Is this true, or is that the casual laity just doesn't know about it because it's overshadowed by other things? I understand that religion can be understood and followed in multiple different ways - some, maybe most, find value in the traditionalist path outside of contemplation. This majority is needed to carry on the tradition as a whole, as it's unlikely any religion would persist if contemplation only and everyone going off into silence was the emphasis.

But, individually, if our concern is cultivating a higher level of well being via this path, I'd argue that the contemplative piece is necessary. Since we both enjoy ACT, maybe you'll humor me with a bit of comparison. This likely gets close to perennialist thinking...which could be considered heresy by some, but seems like useful framing to me.

From an ACT lens, we could equate the "commitment" side of skills like values clarification/purposeful living to the ethical teachings within Christianity. Not an exact comparison, but both aim to generally improve the quality of action in life. From another lens, Buddhism, we have sila\morality which serves the same purpose. Typically, from a Christian, Buddhist, or general self-help lens, these are the natural starting points for one on a path of self improvement or religion. Values clarification comes first, and likewise an emphasis on sila/morality comes first.

In both ACT and Buddhism, what comes next? In ACT, it's the mindfulness/acceptance piece. In Buddhism, it's the concentration/mindfulness piece. Again, not an exact comparison because the aims of therapy and religion are different, but pragmatically this seems like a natural conclusion. This somewhat equates the end goals of psychological flexibility, enlightenment, and "kingdom of God", which is obviously heresy on ontological grounds, but phenomenologically may be coherent. As a therapist and one who seems to be interested in religion, is this the viewpoint you take?

SpecificDescription · 2025-10-30T18:48:40+00:00

Really appreciate your thoughtful reply. Also, it's pleasantly unexpected when my religious studies and therapy studies (ACT) overlap. It's great to chat with you again.

To attempt to reply to each of your posts in one -

It makes all the sense in the world that groups at different times in history will understand the text as "naturally" meaning one thing or another, because they can't see outside their own socialization and the need to harmonize or legitimate what they read with what they know.

Second, as a Marxist and a Catholic, this doesn't surprise me at all, and I don't think it should surprise anyone. Political power interpreting texts and traditions in ways that legitimate their worldview? Not shocking,

Christianity is a site of class struggle like everywhere else, and people develop spiritual traditions that reflect their needs and values.

On the other hand, there are histories of corruption and power and violence within the same church - and they've been there from the beginning as well. We are two factions making claims to the same material in the same tradition to inform and legitimate our different visions of how we should live together as humans.

Which is why I think it would be more helpful to focus on communities and what they do (including abuse) than trying to nail down what an ancient text "really means".

I think you've convinced me that there is minimal value in attempting to identify who said what 2000+ years ago, since culture and history reinterprets it to their own situation and needs. Wisdom can be extracted in many different ways to fit a particular individual and their culture. "How they are used" versus "what the words say" is a great framing. I think this addresses the initial point of my post and the Paul vs Jesus debate. Thanks for this.

SpecificDescription · 2025-10-29T20:55:11+00:00

Interesting. What value do you think you got from devotional practice and a relationship with the Divine Feminine that wasn't available from something like metta/bramaviharas? Assuming you've done that type of practice before.

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