Published on February 2, 2025 8:57 AM GMT
In my opinion, the most straightforward writer on the topic of meditation is Daniel Ingram. There are many holistically better writers (Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki comes to mind) but nobody on Earth even comes close to Daniel Ingram's bluntness. It's not even a competition.
I don't find all of Daniel Ingram's book useful to me, personally, but that's like saying I don't find all of Wikipedia useful to me, personally. Much of the book is there just in case you need it. Ingram states this explicitly.
My point is that if you wanted to list the most important writers in all of Buddhist history, Daniel Ingram might not be at the top of the list, but he'd at least deserve a nomination. Daniel Ingram is like Ryokan or Dogen, except he speaks English and happens to be alive right now. Getting to talk to him would be like getting to talk to Dogen.
A few years ago, Ingram was the guest of honor at an online Astral Codex meetup, open to everyone in the world. Fewer than 30 people showed up. Most of them hadn't even read his book.
Imagine if the Dalai Lama or the Pope hosted an online meetup for anyone to attend. More than 30 people would show up.
When I write to my favorite bloggers, I am surprised by how many of them write back.
What's going on here?
Fame is Pareto-distributed. A small number of creators get most of the attention. MrBeast would[1] reply to every comment on his videos if he could, but he can't. YouTubers with <10,000 views per video often fit in this category too.
Being famous and being world class are correlated, but weakly so. If your interests are at all quirky (and, let's be real, you're on Less Wrong—you're not 100% normie) then it's possible at least one of the creators you follow will have a small enough following every message gets noticed. You might make their day by writing a nice letter. The only way to find out if this is true is to contact them.
Tips:
- It's best to pick someone you've been reading for at least a few months. It's often obvious to me when I get an email from someone who found my blog today vs someone who has been reading it for years. (This isn't to say you shouldn't initiate contact with others.)If someone has a public email, then that's an invitation to contact them. Unless they give specific instructions otherwise. If someone has instructions on how they like to be contacted, then follow those instructions. (One blogger I enjoy likes to receive messages by paper mail. He wrote me back by in ink on his custom stationary.)Make sure your first message contains genuine compliments. This isn't just because it flatters egos and makes people happy. It's strong Bayesian evidence to the recipient that you'll be worthwhile to talk to, and not just because it shows that you're nice. Compliments also communicate, indirectly, how carefully you're read (or watched) their work. For example, a menswear YouTuber liked that I noticed how a subtle color in a tie paired well with the color of a jacket.Do not use a throwaway name unless you have real security concerns. Everyone interaction I've had with someone who initiated contact with me via a throwaway name has been awful, because they started out in bad faith. Established pseudonyms are fine. If you have an online handle, then use your established online handle.If it can be a comment, then make it a comment. Private messages, such as emails, are for things that don't make sense as comments."I found you through ____" is often useful market research data.Don't worry about being an awkward nerd. In my experience, artists tend to be awkward nerds too.Don't worry too much about writing perfectly. The worse introductory email I received was a long list of insults, complaints and accusations against people I am fond of. I doubt anyone reading this post will write an opening message that awful. The best introductory email I have ever received was missing paragraph breaks. (It should have had paragraph breaks. Please do use paragraph breaks.) Use proper punctuation. Put effort into into your message, but don't obsess over it.If you don't get a reply, then don't take it personally. When someone doesn't reply to you, it's basically impossible to reliably guess the real reason. For example, Discord has locked me out of my accounts multiple times. This makes conntacting creators positive expected value like Pascal's wager, except God isn't real and bloggers are (for now).If you do get a reply but don't hit it off, then don't take that personally either. I and <Tumblr writer I know> have very different preferences of what people we like to be around. I find her friend group tedious. She considers mine illiterate.
He advises small creators do this for as long as is practical. Paul Graham recommends this attitude as well. ↩︎
Discuss
