About

The problem with mindfulness and philosophy is that the only people reading it are the people who already are seeking it out. I want to talk about these things in a way that interests and maybe helps people.

I'm not a meditation teacher, a monk, or anyone's guru, just someone who practices and writes about what I find. I taught philosophy in a classroom, but I found meditation somewhere else entirely, and I'm still learning it. I'd like to invite everyone to learn with me. The writing is the thinking, and by putting my thoughts down on the page I hope to clarify my own thoughts and enter a conversation with everyone else about things I know and things I want to learn.

My name comes from the Japanese for lotus and from the concept of waking up, a tribute to the Awakened One, the Buddha. I chose it to remind myself to stay close to nature and to keep mindfulness and love close to the surface of my thoughts. Things in the world have been very hard; I've struggled a lot with cynicism and becoming jaded, and remembering mindfulness is the only solution I've ever found that worked. It's not easy, but it keeps me sustained for the long run.

From me, you can expect essays and a newsletter, about once a week. I'm hoping to introduce some useful or interesting ideas, some thoughts about how to navigate the changed world we find ourselves in, and some personal thoughts about struggle. Please subscribe, and maybe shoot me an email (hello@renwakefield.com) or send me a message on Bluesky (@renwakefield.com). I'd love to try to figure this stuff out together.

-Ren