Living a life of service to others (with Tasshin Fogleman)
Spencer Greenberg speaks with Tosheen Fogelman, a quasi-monk, about living a life of service, loving kindness, and maximizing deep benefit. They discuss intentional thought, emotional awareness, and a purpose-driven approach to life.
Deep Dive Analysis
15 Topic Outline
Defining the Quasi-Monk Lifestyle
Personal Rules and Guidelines for Speech
The Importance of Every Action and Thought
Cultivating Control Over One's Thoughts
Introduction to Loving Kindness Meditation
Practicing Loving Kindness in Daily Life
The Impact of an Open Heart and Subtle Cues
Algorithmic vs. Spiritual Views of Experience
Understanding Maximum Deep Benefit
Maximum Deep Benefit vs. Effective Altruism
Prioritization and Nomadic Lifestyle
Dynamic Life Purpose and Personal Gifts
Understanding and Helping Others' Strengths and Weaknesses
Effective Collaboration and Project Management
Micro vs. Macro Do-Gooding Approaches
7 Key Concepts
Quasi-Monk
A lifestyle informed by monastic training, characterized by simplicity, being supported by generosity, and a dedication to service. It involves wandering from place to place, helping people, and is not bound by formal traditions or externally imposed rules.
Right Speech
A Buddhist guideline for communication that emphasizes speaking words that are useful, relevant, kind (in both words and state of mind), and timely. Adhering to these principles helps maintain positive interactions and avoid disagreements, even in online presence.
Right Thought
The Buddhist principle that thinking is a form of action, occurring before speech or physical movement. It suggests that individuals can choose which thoughts to entertain and which to avoid, thereby shaping their mental landscape and overall experience.
Loving Kindness Meditation
A Buddhist meditation practice focused on intentionally creating positive, loving thoughts and feelings for oneself and others. It involves starting with a person or animal easy to love, generating warm feelings, and then spreading those feelings to others, often leading to increased happiness and kind behavior.
Emotional Heart (Open/Closed)
A model describing an internal state where the 'heart' (phenomenologically felt in the chest) is either open, allowing all emotions to be felt, or closed, acting as a protective mechanism. An open heart leads to internal ease and more pleasant interactions with others, while a closed heart can feel unpleasant.
Maximum Deep Benefit
A philosophy derived from Bodhisattva vows, aiming to help as many beings as possible, as deeply as possible. It integrates strategic thinking with personal well-being, prioritizing actions that are both enjoyable for the individual and beneficial to others, without causing harm.
Life Purpose as a Vow/Gift
A dynamic and emergent understanding of life's purpose, rather than a static, predetermined entity. It is seen as the intersection where one's own desires and enjoyment in giving meet the world's needs, leading to surprising and beneficial outcomes.
9 Questions Answered
A quasi-monk lifestyle, as lived by Tasshin Fogleman, involves a simple life supported by generosity, dedicated to service, and wandering from place to place, all informed by monastic training but without formal tradition or external rules.
Tasshin follows guidelines for 'right speech' (useful, relevant, kind, timely) and actively chooses thoughts, viewing thinking as an action. He practices self-respect by not having unkind thoughts about himself, similar to how he wouldn't speak unkindly to others.
From Tasshin's perspective, yes, people can control their thoughts by intentionally choosing which thoughts to have and which to avoid, thereby shaping their mental patterns. This is a skill cultivated through practices like meditation and body awareness.
Loving kindness meditation is a Buddhist practice of intentionally generating positive, loving thoughts and feelings. It begins by focusing on an 'easy to love' person or animal, using verbal thoughts or mental images, and then allowing those feelings to spread throughout the body and to others.
Cultivating an 'open heart' involves developing body awareness, particularly in the chest and stomach region where emotions are felt, and then allowing oneself to fully experience whatever emotions are present, even if they are painful. This process can lead to internal peace and improved interactions.
'Maximum deep benefit' is Tasshin's philosophy of helping as many beings as possible, as deeply as possible. He structures his life and projects around this, prioritizing actions that are both enjoyable for him and beneficial to others, without causing intentional harm.
While aligned in wanting to do good, 'maximum deep benefit' differs by prioritizing the individual's happiness and avoiding self-harm, and by not solely focusing on measurable outcomes. It emphasizes subjective assessment of benefit and personal enjoyment, rather than strict expected value maximization.
Tasshin views life's purpose as a dynamic and emergent 'vow' or 'gift' – something he is excited and enjoys giving, which also benefits others. He steers towards enjoyable and beneficial activities, trusting that this path will reveal unexpected opportunities for service.
Tasshin uses a portfolio approach with multiple mutually supportive projects, finding specific collaborators whose skills and enjoyment align with the work. He intentionally structures feedback loops between projects to create a snowball effect where improvements in one area enhance others.
19 Actionable Insights
1. Control Thoughts Intentionally
Actively choose to think certain thoughts and choose not to think others, as thinking is an action that shapes your mental landscape. This practice, rooted in Buddhist principles, empowers you to cultivate beneficial internal states.
2. Practice Loving Kindness Daily
Intentionally generate positive, loving thoughts and feelings for yourself and others, using mental images or verbal phrases. This meditation technique makes you happier, spreads warmth, and influences kind behavior in everyday interactions.
3. Treat Yourself with Kindness
Avoid self-critical or unkind thoughts, extending the same respect and compassion to yourself that you would offer to others. This prevents self-harm and aligns with the principle of benefiting all beings, including yourself.
4. Value Every Small Action
Recognize every action, no matter how minor (e.g., folding clothes, choosing words), as an opportunity to do good for yourself and others. This perspective fosters self-respect and kindness, making choices that contribute positively to the world.
5. Practice Intentional Speech
Adhere to guidelines for speech: ensure what you say is useful, relevant, kind (in both words and state of mind), and timely. This approach cultivates positive interactions, avoids conflict, and promotes a happy and useful presence both online and verbally.
6. Cultivate Self-Awareness in Speech
Pay close attention to the feedback received after each speech act, such as facial expressions or responses, to continuously refine your communication. View every interaction as an opportunity for improvement, learning from the information gained.
7. Develop Body Awareness for Thoughts
Learn to recognize the subtle physical sensations in your body that often precede verbal thoughts, especially negative ones. This awareness allows you to choose not to engage with unwanted thoughts before they fully form.
8. Actively Seek Good in Situations
When facing difficulties, simultaneously work to change external circumstances and reframe your perspective to see things more positively. This dual approach allows for improvement while also enhancing your internal experience.
9. Open Your Emotional Heart
Cultivate awareness in your chest region, allowing yourself to fully feel whatever emotions are present, even if they are painful. This practice, often supported by loving kindness, leads to internal peace and more pleasant interactions with others.
10. Prioritize Joy in Service
Choose service projects and actions that are genuinely fun and enjoyable for you, ensuring they also benefit others. This approach prevents burnout, promotes sustainability, and aligns with the principle of not harming any being, including yourself.
11. Embrace a Dynamic Life Purpose
View your life’s purpose as an evolving journey, continuously steering towards activities that are both enjoyable and beneficial. This allows for unexpected discoveries and a deeper alignment between your desires and the world’s needs.
12. Identify Your Personal “Gift”
Understand your unique “gift” as something you are excited and enjoy giving, which inherently serves and benefits others. This framework helps connect your personal passions with opportunities to contribute positively to the world.
13. Empower Others’ Purpose
Actively seek to understand and support the purpose, vow, or “gift” of those around you by asking questions about their strengths, joys, and aspirations. This helps you identify how you can best assist them in their desire to be of service.
14. Understand Strengths & Weaknesses
Develop a non-judgmental assessment of your own and others’ strengths and weaknesses. This sober understanding helps in making better decisions about interactions and collaborations.
15. Provide Skillful Feedback
When offering feedback on weaknesses, ensure your words are accurate, useful, kind (in both content and intent), and delivered at the right time and context. This high-challenge communication skill allows for constructive input without causing harm.
16. Adopt a Portfolio Project Approach
Manage multiple projects simultaneously to avoid boredom and overwhelm, balancing different interests and preventing over-reliance on a single endeavor. This strategy provides flexibility and resilience in your work.
17. Create Mutually Supportive Projects
Intentionally structure your multiple projects so they feed into each other and create positive feedback loops. This synergy allows for a snowball effect, where improvements in one area enhance the progress of all.
18. Speak Genuine Kindnesses
Make an effort to genuinely say kind and honest things to people, including strangers, in your daily interactions. This practice often elicits instant positive feedback, reinforcing the beneficial impact of your words.
19. Adopt a Service-Oriented Life
Dedicate your existence to being of service, helping people, and traveling to connect with and assist others. This simple, honest way of life is deeply connected to personal relationships and a commitment to service.
7 Key Quotes
I'm always improving and never failing and always improving, I guess you could say.
Tasshin Fogleman
I treat myself with the same respect that I would treat someone else.
Tasshin Fogleman
I don't know, I think two people can be in literally the same place in space and time, and yet have a very different qualitative experience. And that really comes down to what kinds of thoughts you're thinking and the way that you see things. And you have choice and agency over that.
Tasshin Fogleman
My own personal experience first and foremost and trust that more than some study or something that most people in our culture tend to agree with, I'll put my own experience at the forefront.
Tasshin Fogleman
I'd rather do a service project or really any action in the world that's fun and enjoyable for me rather than one that's not.
Tasshin Fogleman
I'm not willing to hurt anyone intentionally.
Tasshin Fogleman
I think that your vow is something that's where your own desires meet the world's needs.
Tasshin Fogleman
2 Protocols
Right Speech Guidelines
Tasshin Fogleman- Ensure what you are saying is useful and relevant.
- Ensure what you are saying is kind, both in the words used and the state of mind from which it's spoken.
- Ensure what you are saying is timely, at the right moment and in the right context.
Loving Kindness Meditation Practice
Tasshin Fogleman- Choose an 'easy to love' person or animal (e.g., a small child, baby, pet, or close friend) that evokes warm, happy feelings without complicated emotions.
- Intentionally generate positive, loving thoughts for this being, using verbal phrases (e.g., 'May you be happy') or mental images.
- Allow these cognitive thoughts/images to create physical feelings of love, warmth, and happiness in your body.
- Shift focus from the thoughts/images to the embodied feelings, allowing them to spread through your body.
- Optionally, direct these positive feelings towards yourself, strangers, or all beings in the world, experimenting with custom phrases and images that resonate with you.