The Biohacking Bodhisattva
The Biohacking Bodhisattva?
We have outgrown the pre-modern age where all spirituality was handed down by venerable tradition, or dictated by the understanding of the elders in our local region. Edifices of culture-bound religious insights have been toppled in the light of scientific discovery. We have entered the information age, the way we practice the life of the heart can no longer be that of a bygone era, it must evolve and adapt to the new understandings that emerge every day.
We're living through the first time in history where we can develop an evidence-based spirituality. I believe this is what the Bodhisattvas of old were working toward all along.
A "Bodhisattva" means a Warrior of the Awakened Heart, and all Bodhisattvas are biohackers. Why is this so? Because the ideal of the Bodhisattva is to create the greatest possible benefit for every being. Their goal has always been to become a nexus of thriving for self, other, and world. To do this, they don't dally with methods that may or may not work, they're always on the cutting edge, finding out how to most effectively generate more peace, happiness, and wisdom for us all.
All Bodhisattvas are biohackers, but not all biohackers are Bodhisattvas. We sometimes use our inner and outer resources to simply try to make our own lives more fun. This is not to dismiss the importance of fun, but if we're ignorant of the consequences of our privilege, this may come at the expense of others' wellbeing. This isn't actually the best life possible, the fulfillment of our human potential that biohacking aims for.
Neuroscience and ancient wisdom agree that if we want our greatest fulfillment, we find it through service, contribution, and love. Thus, to truly reach ones potential as a biohacker, one must eventually take up the ideals of the Bodhisattva, because nothing optimizes our body and mind more than compassion.
This is an age of fusion, between old and new, exteriors and interiors. The paradox is that if we want to be as traditional as possible, we must evolve, be curious, and transgress venerable fixed ways of being. The legacy of the yogis and bodhisattvas is one of inquiry, exploration, and experimentation.
Yogins were the first biohackers. It's why qigong and yoga look so weird. We were fasting, jumping in cold water, and holding our breath before it was cool.
Now is the first time that the outer technology has reached the level that we can measure what we once only knew from the inside, and this affords us great benefits. We can cut through much of the darkness and fog of inner exploration by using scientific methods and understanding. Perhaps even more importantly, we can utilize our evidence-based spirituality to re-invoke meaning and beauty in a modern world that loses sight of them all to easily!
We need to marry sense and spirit, science and soul. Only then will we have brought our full selves to the table. The traditions of alchemy have always taught this way - to resolve those seemingly disparate parts of ourselves and find a higher Union.
The mission of Templestyle is to facilitate this exploration - to help each of us to build that alchemical laboratory within, wherein we can engage in this most rewarding exploration. It's a new way of thinking about the path, but it's at the same time the inheritor of a long lineage of innovators, bodhi-hackers, explorers, and heart-warriors.
