Sangha of Auspicious Companions

The Origin Point of Stories

There are two places a story can come from, remarks filmmaker Nic Askew, who has sat with thousands of people over decades, being an authentic witness to their stories. One is the calculating mind, which speaks *to* someone with the notion of giving or getting or contributing something. The other is a deeper source that speaks *through* a person once they set that all down. In a short piece of raw, unedited footage, Nic describes the process of inviting people before the camera to “start with nothing … no thing — no act on your part” and simply wait for the experience to find them. “For this moment, let yourself be undone and speak from what remains. Trust the field. Trust life itself.” What emerges through the stillness is different in kind from the story we would have chosen to tell. His central provocation is quiet but transformative: “We’re not really the writer of our stories. We’re the page on which a story is written.” This is not a call for passivity; rather, it is pointing to a practice of listening so subtle and complete that the quality of something true can finally surface.

Be The Change

Before a conversation today — whether a meeting, a phone call, or even an informal chat — give at least one minute to be in genuine stillness beforehand. Set down what you want to get or prove, and ask instead: what wants to come through here? Notice whether anything shifts in what you say, how you listen, or the way the other person responds.