It's been six whole months since I have blogged. That was the longest hiatus I have taken since I started blogging shortly after leaving the monastery 7 years ago. In that time lots have happened. One of the biggest developments is that I have a brand new website. You're looking at it if you are on my site now. My first blog post after my long absence is to share with you an event that I recently spoke at in Australia.
Every now and again I get the chance to be involved in an event that leaves me feeling inspired, contemplative, and motivated to continue to grow as a teacher. This year I spoke at Sydney’s Wired for Wonder conference, which brought some of the brightest movers and shakers together to discuss the secrets of leading a fulfilling life. I was honored to be asked to open the event as the opening keynote speaker and I took this opportunity to share about the power of meditation and a few practical ways to create a sustainable practice.
In this keynote I spoke on how to create a personal meditation practice that is simple, practical and applicable in modern life. I offered tools and techniques that help both beginners and advanced meditators to deepen their meditation practice and thus reap the rewards of a clear and focused mind. You can watch my opening keynote in the YouTube video below.
Over 750 attendees gathered together at the National Institute of Dramatic Art for two days of thought provoking, boundary-pushing, eye-opening talks from some of the world’s most influential entrepreneurs. I had the immense honor of sharing the stage with the likes of Guy Kawasaki, Nolan Buhsnell, Jack Andraka, Ben Hammersley and other dynamic thought leaders.
One of the highlights of the conference for me was meeting Dr. Jordan Nguyen. Dr. Nguyen, as brilliant as he is charismatic, used his background in biomedical engineering combined with his passion to help the disabled to create a thought-controlled wheelchair that uses cameras to perceive environment, thus granting autonomy to even the most physically disabled. For a truly inspirational look into the work he is doing to change the world, check out his talk here.
The two day event brought together seemingly non-related industries and experts in various fields in order to spark conversation about how the relationships between them all is invaluable for creativity, personal contentment and professional success. An example of such creative connection was Dr. Hannah Fry’s talk about the “Mathematics of Love” and explored the calculable patterns behind finding a life partner and sustaining a relationship. You can watch her talk here.
There was no shortage of learning at this event, and lucky for us all the talks were recorded and shared for anyone interested. You can listen, be inspired, and gain invaluable insight here.
