Psychology

A Framework for Taking Action Without Drama

Overcome analysis paralysis with this simple reframe

I named my institutional money management after Daruma, the founder of Zen Buddhism. He’s my favorite Bodhisattva, mostly because he was a bad-ass.

A 6th-century Indian monk who introduced Buddhism to China, he became the stuff of legends:

• He scolded the Shaolin monks for being book smart but real-world stupid and shooed them out from behind the monastery walls. But first, he taught them kung fu so they could defend themselves against bandits.
• He spoke truth to power, telling off Emperor Wu of Liang:

Emperor Wu: “How much karmic merit have I earned for ordaining Buddhist monks, building monasteries, having sutras copied, and commissioning Buddha images?”

Bodhidharma: “None. Good deeds done with worldly intent bring good karma, but no merit.”

• He crossed the Yangtze river on a leaf, cut off his eyelids so as not to fall asleep while meditating continuously for nine years, and was spotted three years after his death walking in the…