Hello! I’m Clarke Scott
Welcome to The Contemplative Life Project—In Search of Truth, Peace, and the Sacred.
The thrust of my work is to distill ancient wisdom for modern times, and modern people so that we may all live better.
I do this through research, personal essays, or literary nonfiction, to sculpt words through a lived experience.
To me, this is the heart of a contemplative life.
I write about monks (I was one) and mystics (trying to be one), meditation, truth, justice, the sacred, and how to integrate all this into everyday modern life.
Being radical honesty on the page is not just an act of courage but the quickest way to cleave the egoic mind from the creative process.
This can also make writing a spiritual practice. And that is what I am attempting to do here.
My hope for you, dear reader, is you learn about yourself and your place in the world so you can live your best life!
Join me as we explore together what it means to be human, what it means to live well, and what truth, peace, and the contemplative life.
warmly,
Clarke Scott
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I publish a letter every Friday at 6 pm Australian AEST.
Each edition takes less than 5-7 minutes to read. In each edition, I cover:
What I’ve been researching/mini-essay.
What I've been reading and/or book recommendations.
What I have been working on/BTS book updates.
This weekly newsletter is free forever.
But I also publish premium articles, early access book chapters to upcoming books, and personal essays.
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Access to behind-the-scenes content, early-access book chapters, & other personal essays I am working on.
As a paid subscriber you get everything inside the free newsletter plus:
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Some of the articles I've written for premium subscribers include:
The story of the unusual death of my teacher
This article is a long piece that tells the story of the unusual death of my teacher and the dream I had the night he passed. It goes into how I met him, and how he was such a force for good in my life.
https://clarkescott.substack.com/when-the-darkness-becomes-the-light
A meditation experience some might call mystical
This article documents the story of an experience I had in meditation after a long retreat. This was a pivotal moment in my life as a meditator.
https://clarkescott.substack.com/my-mystical-experienceWhy I stopped being a monk
I have often been asked why I stopped being a monk. Some of the assumptions I hear from people are utterly wrong. So I wrote about it.
https://clarkescott.substack.com/why-i-stopped-being-a-monk
As a bonus for those who sign up for the annual premium subscription, you will also receive all of my courses—including my Deep Meditation Masterclass and 15+ hours of guided meditations.
Becoming a paid subscriber helps to support the project to distill ancient wisdom for modern times and modern people.
Do I have to pay?
Absolutely not. Each week, I’ll write to you for free.
But if you’re able to do so consider supporting the project by becoming a premium subscriber - https://clarkescott.substack.com/subscribe
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About Me
A writer, thinker, and former Buddhist monk from Australia. I’ve been practicing and teaching meditation for more than 28 years. And I am currently working on my first book and documenting the process here.
Between 1995 – 2009, I studied Buddhist philosophy, psychology, epistemology, metaphysics, and advanced meditation techniques directly from HHDL, and Geshe Thubten Loden.
In 2009 I left my monastery to pursue a Ph.D. in philosophy. My research project was Notions of the Self in Buddhist and Western philosophy. During that time I studied widely in the areas of philosophy of mind, metaphysics, ontology, phenomenology, free will, and personal identity.
Since then I’ve gone on to study analytic psychology, philosophical anthropology, and cross-cultural spiritual traditions more widely. I have also read Christian theology and the Christan mystics and this continues to engage me most deeply.
What You’ll Find Here
An external diary of an internal journey where I lay bare my journey through reading, writing, and meditation to deepen my spiritual practice.
While my motivation was good insofar as I wrote to help others, in the end, it did not work and I am thankful it didn’t. Not because one should not try and help other people, but rather because my ego was invested in the outcome of helping others. It’s a subtle but important shift. And this shift has led me here.
Why did I move to this platform to write?
In short, I am done building an audience. Or I should say, I am done caring about building an audience. It was exhausting.
So, Clarke, I have you ask…what will I find here?
Well, dear reader, more of that open and honest discussion about life, enlightenment, God, Buddha, philosophy, my failure in almost everything I have attempted to do, what I learned from it, and whatever else I feel like writing as a means of understanding the journey from where I am right now towards spiritual awakening however that looks.
And I will write for myself. Not for an algorithm. I will write to discover who I am, and what the hell I am meant to be doing in my life.
I invite you along. I hope you enjoy the ride. Enlightened and uplifting. And that you leave better for being here.
warmly,
Clarke Scott
