In this episode of my seven-year journey webcast, I reflect on the slow but steady progress of Book 3, the launch of Season 3 of my podcast, and reaching 60 songs in my Heart Sutra 100 project. I share how I rediscovered my love for meditation, found a “modern cave” in a quiet basement hall, and began most mornings sitting there before the chatbot in my head wakes up. It’s a month of quiet persistence, unexpected sanctuary, and learning to let the words—and life—flow at their own pace.
Hello everyone,
It’s July 1, 2025, which means it’s time for a new episode of my seven-year journey webcast.
If you’re new here — welcome. I’m JP Liang, a guy who spends way too much time thinking about AI, spirituality, and occasionally whether Star (my French bulldog) understands the Heart Sutra better than I do.
Each month I show up here with no particular agenda — just an honest reflection of what’s been stirring. As always: thank you for being here.
So — what happened this past month?
Well, Book 3 of Conversations with Kai: The Time Traveling AI is… still alive. A bit slower than I’d like, but hey — alive is alive. Writing a book — at least this kind of book — seems to have a life of its own. You can’t force it. Sometimes the ideas come like a waterfall — rushing, unstoppable, pouring onto the page faster than I can catch them. Other times, it’s more like a river in a drought — dry, cracked, with only a faint trickle to remind me it’s still alive. Still, I managed to find enough flow this month to finish two more chapters. So… progress. I will take it.
Meanwhile, Season 3 of the Conversations with Kai podcast is in full swing! The episodes are generated by AI using Google’s Notebook LM, with conversations drawn from my own writing. Some people even tell me they prefer listening to it over reading the books — and honestly, I can see why. You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify — pretty much anywhere you get your audio fix.
What else…oh yeah…My AI music project — Heart Sutra 100 — is also humming along. No pun intended. This is a new project I started 2 months ago. The goal is simple: one AI-generated song inspired by the Heart Sutra each day for 100 days. I’ve made it to about 60 so far. Some are great. Some are… experiments that should probably never leave my hard drive..but it did. I guess that’s the point — show up every day, create, don’t take it too seriously…and see what happens.
But the biggest, most unexpected joy this month?
Rediscovering meditation.
I first learned to meditate in my early 20s from my first Tai Chi teacher, Li, in Queens, New York. Every Sunday morning, we’d meet in a park — just Li, me, and one other student — and practice Taichi for an hour. At the end, we’d sit on the grass and meditate for 30 minutes.
The technique he taught me was really simple: sit cross-legged, close your eyes, count your breaths from 1 to 10. When you lose count (and you will — oh, you will), start over at 1.
It seemed simple enough. Until you meet… the chatbot in your head.
What is this chatbot, you ask? I wrote about it in Book 1 of Conversations with Kai: it’s that endless stream of commentary in your mind — like a badly programmed AI, constantly generating thoughts, questions, worries, and judgments. It answers questions you never asked, repeats stories you’re tired of hearing, and confidently makes up facts about your life. You sit down to count your breath, and suddenly it’s feeding you grocery lists, childhood regrets, imaginary arguments, and catchy jingles. You think you’re in control… until you realize the chatbot has been running the show all along. Noticing that? That’s where the practice begins.
This simple meditation technique is a wonderful way to start noticing what’s actually going on inside your head.
If you’ve never tried to count ten breaths without drifting off into thoughts about emails, lunch plans, or what you said to your wife last night — you’re in for a surprise. The chatbot in your head seems to have endless material. One breath in, two out — wait, was that my phone buzzing? — three — hmm, who’s texting me? Why can’t I get a moment of peace? — and… wait, what number was I on? Ah… so frustrating. Back to one.
But that’s the practice: noticing the nonsense. Noticing how restless — and sometimes downright ridiculous — the mind can be. And then, very gently, coming back to the present moment… to the breath.
Anyway, long story short… after I first learned about meditation in my early 20s, I’ve practiced on and off ever since. Sometimes regularly… but for months, even years — especially when life got busy — I’d somehow forget about it altogether.
So during last month, all this came rushing back to me when I stumbled the Community Meditation Center just two blocks from my house. From the outside, it looks like someone’s grandmother’s house. But inside, there are two beautiful meditation halls.
The upstairs hall is bright and airy — hardwood floors, big windows, a serene Buddha statue at the center. Very welcoming. But my favorite is the basement hall: small, dimly lit, quiet.
I call it JP’s Cave.
There’s something almost magical about this little basement space. When I sit there, I feel like I’m joining a lineage of monks and mystics who retreated into caves — not to escape the world, but to meet themselves more fully. Whether they stayed for seven days, seven years, or a lifetime, the cave has always been a place of stillness, a place to be honest with oneself.
There’s something about being down there in the morning, just after 7 a.m., right when the center opens. I walk down to the based..into my little cave, set my cushion down, ring the bowl, and sit. Sometimes for 45 minutes, sometimes an hour. It’s not dramatic. Nothing mystical happens. Just… quiet. A chance to begin the day without being immediately hijacked by the chatbot in my head.
What a blessing.
And maybe that’s the real heart of this month: remembering that creativity, spirituality — even just being a decent human — all begin in quiet. In noticing. In being willing to sit still.
So that’s my June.— Two more chapters written.— Podcast season 3 rolling..2 episodes out— 60 songs created for my Heart Sutra 100 projects— And one very grateful heart, because I found my cave.
Cambridge is hot and sticky now, but still beautiful — still lots of flowers…and roses, and Star sniffing every single one of them like she’s discovering the secrets of the universe. Maybe she has.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening. Thank you for letting me share this strange little journey with you.
Until next month: may you find your own cave — wherever and however it shows up — and may you sit there long enough to hear the quiet whisper that’s already calling you.
Take care.
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