Posts - Page 64

Spirituality in daily life without religion

the buddha said, when you're looking for water, don't dig six one foot wells, dig ONE six foot well. so, pick a practice and stick to it until it's time to shed it. i love Buddhism, Sufi, all that, but really my MAN is Ram Dass who calls himself a Christ Loving Hin-Jew!

Tags:

i spend the 30 minute drive to meltdown just thinking about the guest and how i want it to go. picture them laughing, myself listening, us connecting. a little visualization. then a quick Wiki search, three Alpha Brain (for real, not a plug -- www.alphabrain.com/weird) and ONE sip of coffee.
the buddha (the story goes) just sat in a comfortable, seated position, straight back, and focused on his breath. the feeling of air going in, the feeling of air going out. if you have thoughts, send them love but go back to the breath. it's all in the going back. do that for 10, 15, 30 minutes! it's great in the morning or before bed. or before a party you're too anxious to go into.
I get up early and write before i have a chance to remember that writing is hard.
Writing a script is different because you have to write from different perspectives other than your own. I had to write lines for my fictional wife, Leif, Artie [characters in his HBO show Crashing]... you have to imagine more than just your own opinions. A very good excercise just in general!
1 get on stage as much as you can 2 do the comedy that would make YOU laugh 3 ask yourself WHEN would i laugh if i was listening to myself? if the answer is "i don't know" then neither will the audience 4 hang with people who don't tear you down or break your spirit 5 listen to the greats, let them influence you, then shed them when you find your voice 6 don't be a dick!
i would use that money to maybe produce shows and perform as much as possible. reading books by Keith Johnstone or Del Close could give you some theory, but nothing will teach you like the stage and performing as much as you can! Watch great improv, it will help you do great improv. Maybe take the team to chicago for a few shows? That will be hugely helpful! Good luck

Tags:

i like what ramana maharshi said when he was dying: "Where could I go?" the question isn't what happens when we die, it's "Who is dying?" The universe certainly seems to be into recycling, so while i don't think my ego makes it persay, i think our essence isn't going anywhere!
we're only not silly or fun or joyful when we're not locked into and tuned into the moment! when we can put aside our anxieties and fears and problems for a second, we can see silliness was there all along, just waiting for you to bounce the ball with it!
Falling Upward by Richard Rohr Everything Belongs by RR Love Wins by Rob Bell What We Talk About by Rob Bell Be Here Now by Ram Dass Grist for the Mill by Ram Dass The Lazy Man's Guide to Enlightenment by Golas The Power of Myth (the book) by Joseph Campbell and Richard Moyers
i think what's weird is that i don't think it's weird! i just did WTF with Maron today (a short talk) and was like I KNOW YOU BETTER THAN YOU KNOW! so i get it. i like that with fans we can cut to the good stuff, the personal stuff and just laugh.
My favorite moment was when I threw the big pass that won the game. Or maybe that was Jimmy Hennessey. Seriously, I went back to Brookline High School about 15 years ago, and it was so much nicer then when I was there. They actually had a sushi bar (not kidding). I felt like I had gone to high school during the Great Depression.

Tags:

It's a tie between Fruit Loops and Cap'n Crunch with Crunchberries
When people like Norm Macdonald, Will Ferrell, Martin Short, Charlene Yi, Kevin Hart, Bill Burr, Sarah Silverman, etc come on, it always makes me laugh.
I have a lot of favorite episodes. The pothole, the marine biologist, the yadda yadda, the Soup Nazi, the contest.
The best advice I ever got was from Rodney Dangerfield, who when I asked him a question about something in comedy, just looked at me for a second and then went, "You'll figure it out."