6 Things You Can Learn From Buddhist Monks About Blog Writing

When you think about buddhist monks you might imagine marigold embued robes, chanting and incense, not the sound of tapping on a keyboard.

You could be forgiven for wondering what on earth blogging has in common with busshist monks. The answer is — plenty!

Meditation
Being in the moment
Reflection
Purposefulness
Intention
Wonder

These points may not appear related to blogging, but if you think about it, the creativeness that fuels story writing can come from all of these things.

You may say that blogging is not always about stories, but more often than not there is a background or an experience behind a blog post.

A story it is, whether it’s being told directly, or there is a tale behind the experience & knowledge needed to write about a topic.

Meditation

Even if you don’t meditate, there are still blog writing benefits that some from quiet time. Sometimes the best blog posts manifest themselves during time away from an office or computer. It might be an idea sparked while on a walk, or when you meet someone and recall a memory.

I find writing is a meditative process, where I get into a flow, and I enjoy the focus that comes from it.

Being in the moment

Writing forces you to keep you mind anchored to the here and now. You may be recalling something from the past, or imagining the future, but putting thoughts into words draws you back to the now.

Reflection

Appreciating a nostalgic moment, or the energy someone has shared is something Monks might do. They are ever present, but also mindful of ancestors, they may be sending them love or appreciation from this world to the beyond through meditative practice or when performing blessings.

Purposefulness

Writing requires purposefulness like a buddhist chant or a meditation. Whatever the intent, the genesis of an idea for a blog post starts with a purpose for writing it. It may be that you are sharing inspiration, a story, or something helpful to the reader.

Intention

Readers can feel your intention behind a story. They can detect vulnerability when writing something heartfelt, or when your intent is to educate or share an opinion. Monks spend years learning how to become a witness to their human thoughts and practicing compassion toward others. Think about your intent when you write because intention emanates from your writing.

Wonder

Monks are masters at tuning in to nature, noticing details in trees, insects — just being totally present with them. With complete presence emerges the possibility of wonder. Have you ever stared up close at a monarch butterfly cocoon and wondered how the gold paint got ‘painted’ on? When you have that moment of inspiration to write about something and think about how you are going to describe it, you also have an opportunity to feel the wonder of what you are about to describe.

It’s hard not to imagine experiencing a moment like this when describing the aurora borealis (northern lights).

Conclusion:

Writing blogs, gives you the gift of being able to feel what you are writing about, to imagine and ‘be there’. If you think like a monk and merge these practices into your writing, as a form of art but also a meditation, creativity flows.

I wonder if this is what George Lucas was feeling when he said: “The script is what you’ve dreamed up-this is what it should be. The film is what you end up with.”

Writing can be a beautiful thing, may it expand your imagination, your mind and your heart!

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