Giving expression to your insights
In part one of this article, A system for creative Dharma study, I shared how I set up a Zettelkasten system for creative Dharma study. If you haven’t read that yet, I recommend going back and starting there. Over the past year of using this system, I’ve built up more than 700 notes—each one capturing a single idea and linked to others in the network.
In this article, I want to focus on how to use those notes to create something new. What you choose to create is entirely up to you—it could be a blog post, an article, a book, or even a retreat plan. Whatever the outcome, my aim is to show you just how simple and rewarding the process can be when you start with a well-crafted collection of interconnected ideas.
Insight, the final level of wisdom
In the previous article, we explored the three levels of wisdom: borrowed wisdom, intelligence, and insight.
Borrowed wisdom is what we receive from outside ourselves—through teachings, books, conversations. It’s called “borrowed” because we haven’t yet made it our own.
Intelligence is the process of internalising that wisdom—absorbing, digesting, integrating. Here, one of our main tools for doing that is writing.
And then there's insight. In the Buddhist tradition, insight is often described as a paradigm shift, a shift in perception—a change in how we see ourselves and the world. But for the purposes of our system, we might see a parallel with what happens that when we create something new from what we've learned, we could says we're giving expression to an insight we've had.
Our Starting Point – A Collection of Valuable Main Notes
We’ll begin with our own collection of main notes. For how these came into being, see Part One of this article. As a reminder, each of these notes has a set of defining characteristics:
Each has an address—a unique location within our system.
Each has a title that clearly states what the note is about.
Each is connected to other main notes.
Each links to a reference or source note.
Each is tagged with relevant keywords.
Address
The address is a combination of numbers and letters that places a note in a specific location within the system. As we’ll see later, assigning an address helps notes naturally cluster around related themes. Without it, notes would be sorted alphabetically—meaning we’d have to remember each title to find what we’re looking for.
This particular note is 2.4d1.
(At first, I avoided this system—it seemed far too complicated. But it’s not. It’s actually quite simple—and maybe even worth a short article of its own!)
Title
Above all, we want our notes to be findable. I might have 100 notes connected to the wabi-sabi theme—so each one needs to be distinctive. If each note captures a single idea, then aim to summarize that idea in the title.
For example:
This note explores a particular definition of nirvana as "passed beyond ignorance."
Connections
An important part of working with our notes is creating connections between them. In the note above, you can see connections both within the text and listed at the bottom. As you return to this note over time, you’ll likely add even more links.
In Obsidian—the app where I store my notes—there’s also a handy panel that shows backlinks: all the other notes that link to this one. It’s a powerful way to surface relationships you might not have noticed at first.
Reference or source note
Where did the idea come from? By the time it becomes a main note, the idea has started to take on your own shape—it’s become your idea. But often, it originated somewhere else.
At the top of the note, you’ll see a link to its source: in this case, a book called The Tantric Distinction. This link points back to the reference note where the idea first appeared. Now that I'm writing a book I wish I'd kept far more references for my notes over the years!
Tags
Finally, tags—another way to make our notes findable.
At the top of the note, you’ll see that I’ve added a few keywords as tags. These tags allow me to quickly pull up all notes related to a particular theme. For example, I can search for everything tagged nirvana and instantly see all the related notes.
For a step by step guide on how to make these notes refer to part one of this article.
We now have a decent collection of main notes. Now it’s time to make something from them.
Look for clusters around certain themes
Because each note has an address, it naturally sits near other related notes. Over time, this creates clusters—groups of notes that orbit around shared themes or questions. As these clusters grow, new and unexpected connections start to emerge.
Let’s begin by exploring a few of these clusters—and then look at how we might use them as a foundation for something new.
I’m drawn to this little cluster that begins with “Truth comes from the observation of nature.” It’s sparking an idea for an article on wabi-sabi and its connection to the changing seasons. Ikebana could serve as a perfect example.
Then there’s this little cluster I’ve spotted—it could make a fun short post about how the way we dress relates to our practice. There’s something playful and insightful here about clothing as expression of our values.
Then there’s a particularly interesting cluster of notes exploring the theme of awakening as cessation—and how this perspective doesn’t have to be nihilistic. It’s a thread I’ve been reflecting on a lot recently, and that reflection is clearly mirrored in my notes. This cluster feels like it could evolve into the theme for a new retreat.
Creating structured notes
Once we have a cluster of notes that look interesting and an idea for something to make from them, it's time to set up what Bob Dotto calls a structured note — a note that will give structure to our idea.
Below is our first structured note for an article on wabi-sabi and the seasons.
You can start to create an outline, adding links to your existing notes as you go. To add links, you have two options: start typing the name of the note and it will automatically appear, or simply drag and drop the notes in.
Remember, not all the notes relevant to this theme will necessarily be in this cluster. You can also search elsewhere for related material. Alongside my main idea notes, I keep a library of poems, quotes, and other references—so I might search there too.
Let’s see what it looks like for the blog post about how the way we dress relates to our practice.
In the example above you can see that I've added an image, easy to drag and drop. Also an external link to a podcast I want to reference.
Remember that when you go to write the post, each link you open will lead to a well-crafted idea, ready to use. So even though this note looks brief, there’s actually a lot of information hidden within it.
Create the finished project
If the project is a writing project—like the article or blog post above—I’ll write it elsewhere, using my structured note as a starting point. I could write it in Obsidian, but I prefer to use an app called Scrivener for my writing projects.
If the project is a retreat, talk, or workshop—where I’m speaking directly from my notes—I’ll just use the structured note as it is. I can open up the linked notes depending on where I want to go.
Below is an example of how this might work for a retreat. (This is me just starting to plan it—by the end, the structured note would be a very big one!)
“To study the Buddha Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things. When actualized by myriad things, your body and mind as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away. No trace of enlightenment remains, and this no-trace continues endlessly.”
Conclusion
To end, I want to repeat something I said in the previous article: setting up a system like this—for Dharma study, or any kind of study—is a significant investment. It takes time and commitment, just like meditation. And, like meditation, it’s a practice. Whether or not this is a practice that will benefit you is something only you can decide. But if you’re a writer or a teacher, I’m confident this system will repay your efforts many times over by making your teaching and writing clearer and more integrated.
That said, it’s also important to study the Dharma for its own sake. When I first began practicing, there was a strong emphasis on developing a clear understanding of the teachings. Meditation and somatic work were less prominent. Over time, that balance has shifted—and rightly so. But I sometimes wonder if we’ve lost touch with the importance of Dharma study itself.
I’ll leave you with something I just rediscovered in my Zettelkasten—words from the great teacher Tsong-kha-pa:
Some people question the value of study. They ask: How can conceptual, dualistic analysis ever lead to non-conceptual, non-dual realisation?
But Tsong-kha-pa quotes the Buddha speaking to Kashyapa:
Kashyapa, it is like this. Suppose two trees are rubbed together by the wind, and from that friction a fire arises, burning both trees. In the same way, Kashyapa, if you engage in correct analytical discrimination, the wisdom of a noble being will emerge. And with its emergence, that very discrimination will be consumed—burned up in the fire of wisdom.
So, yes—study and analysis can lead to non-conceptual insight. In the fire of direct wisdom, the dualism of conceptual analysis is consumed.
Some argue that this is a contradiction—that there’s no harmony between the cause and the effect. How can dualistic thinking give rise to non-dual awareness?
But Tsong-kha-pa, perhaps with a quiet smile, reminds us that causes and effects don’t always resemble each other. A large, leafy plant springs from a tiny, grey seed. The result may look entirely different, but the connection is real.
Resources
A System for Creative Dharma Study The first article in this series on how to set up your zettelkasten note taking system.
A System for Writing - Bob Dotto. This is by far the best book on setting up your own zettelkasten, beautifully clear and simple.
Obsidian - Is a free digital note taking app. It uses markdown files that live on your own computer.
