All Posts

Why This Episode Exists I’ve been on a personal mission since the 1990s to cut through spiritual commercialism and expose what actually holds up under real investigation. To do that, I had to question, test, and sometimes discard many of the spiritual fads that were popular then and are still circulating today in updated forms. Some things require direct trial and error. Other things become obvious once cultivation matures and clarity sharpens. If this message resonates, it’s

One of the first points of confusion in cultivation is the difference between concentration  and insight . Concentration is something you actively develop. It is trained by repeatedly applying attention to a single focus and learning how to keep it there. Insight, however, does not arise through effort in the same way. Insight appears when the senses stop being pulled outward and the mind becomes clear. Concentration is cultivated, insight is revealed. Understanding this dist

What People Get Wrong, and What It Really Is Hey everyone, thanks for joining the Awaken24 Podcast with me, Zi Yi. This episode is going to hit many of you in different ways, because it challenges the way most people define spirituality, and the way people think about spirituality in relationships. Before we get lost in the modern versions of spirituality, the aesthetics, the trends, the wellness branding, let’s look at what the word actually meant before all of that. The wor

In this episode, Zi Yi breaks down the real foundations of meditation, not the trendy versions, not relaxation exercises, and not guided scripts marketed as mindfulness. Instead, this episode focuses on the actual beginning of cultivation: developing single minded focus, stabilizing attention, and understanding how the mind moves. Meditation does not begin with chasing calm, bliss, or special states. It begins with learning how to apply attention and keep it applied. Single m

In this episode, Zi Yi breaks down the true meaning of mindfulness, not the modern trend, not a relaxation technique, and not the self care version commonly sold today. Instead, he shares how real mindfulness was discovered through direct self introspection, quiet meditation, and observing the movement of the mind long before the word itself ever entered his vocabulary. As a teenager, mindfulness was not a concept, a label, or a method. There were no frameworks, no instructio

This episode is a perspective check for cultivators , especially for those navigating work, money, and life in the modern world while walking a spiritual path. Cultivation does not happen outside life. It happens inside  it. You Are in the World, Act Accordingly No matter how deep your practice is, you are still living in the human realm. You are not exempt from causes and conditions. You are not above work, responsibility, or participation in the world. Even a Buddha, an Imm