Chan Buddhist.
Writer.
Martial Artist.
Neo-Jungian Psychologist.
Agonistic-Existential Philosopher.
Every man needs a mission. For me, it is the revitalization of the warrior ethos- that is, of a sacrificial ethos-, and the reconciliation of that ethos to my three great intellectual influences- Nietzsche, Jung, and Buddhism. This has resulted in three projects- Foundation, Zenshida’i, & ZenTactics.
Foundation
Tribe. Purpose. Sacrifice.
Foundation is my small group session for young men interested in personal mentorship and masculine self-development. Sessions are weekly, and we will form new small groups as interest increases. Tribe small groups are limited to twelve clients each and do include nominal monthly dues; please feel free to reach out for details.
Zenshida’i
Lei Shan Quanfa de Zenshida’i
Buddhism saved me. As a young man obsessed with warriors but without direction, things could certainly have gone differently- very differently. Thanks to the martial arts, though- and later, to a man named David Verdesi-, I found something special that renewed my belief in meaning. Through the years, I began integrating those religious insights into my pre-existing martial arts, which in the end resulted in Lei Shan Quanfa de Zenshida’i- a holistic, martial / meditative path.
ZenTactics
Psychology. But with Mettle.
Years ago, when I was in graduate school, I became disenchanted with the accepted paradigm of psychology. I found psychology to be weak, fragile, reactive. And I wondered to myself, “Just what would a masculine psychology look like?” So was born “my heroic theory,” which in time it evolved into ZenTactics- a sacrificial methodology for sacrificial personalities. ZenTactics approaches psychology the old way- through a worldview that embraces pain, crisis, and suffering as opportunities for self-realization. We do not teach victimhood; we teach self-mastery. ZenTactics is available on retainer; please feel free to reach out for details.
Biography
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Joshua van Asakinda was born 22 September, 1979 near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He holds a master's degree in psychology from American Military University, and a bachelor's degree in psychology and philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh. For years, he went traveling in search of himself; this led him to the Mahayana, and to the establishment of various protocols fusing religion, martial studies, and evolutionary psychology. Now he has self-published a number of books, including Slay the Maiden; Profiling the Left; Stranging the Beautiful Noise; Strategies of Guerrilla Psychology I: Valhalla; & Strategies of Guerrilla Psychology II: ZenTactics. Finally, he is Chan Buddhist, First of the Zenshida’i, creator of Lei Shan Quanfa de Zenshida'i.
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Publications
A small novel about seven heroes that awaken in a tomb with no idea of why they exist or what they are to do. But the visions of a young boy lead them through a world of gods, where the mystery of mortal tragedy plays out across the backdrop of divine theatre. The first draft was written in seven days; it took years for me to figure out exactly what I had written. I have considered rewriting it; I have decided to leave it as it is. It is based on the Persephone myth.
[ *Link in photo above. * ] |
Is it well-written? No. But is the idea important? Absolutely. When I wrote it, I wrote it in a fever of inspiration; if I had written it today, I would have written it differently- very differently. Still, this small book of 45 pages or so was valuable, even if only to me.
[ *Link in photo above. * ] |
A poetry collection unlike any other. It was largely written in Jungian, stream-of-consciousness fashion. Yet the rhyme and meter of it all has an old school, classical aesthetic, which has been abandoned for quite some time. Some are short and trivial; some are long, mythic, and spiritual.
[ *Link in photo above. * ] |
Cue the Testimonals…
On My Work with Platonic Systems Limited
https://venturebeat.com/business/platonic-systems-founder-isaac-shapira-on-the-reality-of-software-engineering-that-no-one-talks-about/
https://venturebeat.com/business/platonic-systems-founder-isaac-shapira-on-the-reality-of-software-engineering-that-no-one-talks-about/
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Thomas Goosens
R&D, ASML
“Joshua offers a potent mix of life experience; knowledge of mythology, philosophy, psychology, and human behavior. I worked with Joshua at an important juncture in my life and career, which he helped me successfully navigate.”
R&D, ASML
“Joshua offers a potent mix of life experience; knowledge of mythology, philosophy, psychology, and human behavior. I worked with Joshua at an important juncture in my life and career, which he helped me successfully navigate.”
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Nick Van den Broeck
Founder, Synapse
“Joshua’s pragmatic views combine ideas and wisdom from varying domains of life, ranging from philosophy to psychology, and from mythology to history. This made him take the opposite approach of most psychologists I’ve worked with, building up a personal relationship, making it easier to build empathy, and to kick your ass when required. He has lived through hard times himself, and you can feel in his sessions that his theories have stood the test of reality and hardship.”
Founder, Synapse
“Joshua’s pragmatic views combine ideas and wisdom from varying domains of life, ranging from philosophy to psychology, and from mythology to history. This made him take the opposite approach of most psychologists I’ve worked with, building up a personal relationship, making it easier to build empathy, and to kick your ass when required. He has lived through hard times himself, and you can feel in his sessions that his theories have stood the test of reality and hardship.”
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Tom Sydney Kerckhove
Technical Leadership; Creator, Nix CI
“Joshua has helped me on multiple teams by being an excellent mediator, keeping a level head despite soaring tensions.”
Technical Leadership; Creator, Nix CI
“Joshua has helped me on multiple teams by being an excellent mediator, keeping a level head despite soaring tensions.”
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Carmel Shapira
Accounts Payable, Platonic Systems Limited
“I have had the pleasure of working with Joshua van Asakinda for the last few years. Since he was brought on board, I have noticed significant improvement on many fronts including oversight and organization. As Head of Operations, he has taken on many tasks such as risk management, advising, and onboarding.
My experience with him has been nothing short of outstanding. He has been intelligent, punctual, professional, hard working, and above all else a kind, caring human being. If anything stands out to me aside from his body of work, it is his humanity and selflessness. He has always been there when I’ve needed him; he takes on challenges with true leadership and no ego.”
Accounts Payable, Platonic Systems Limited
“I have had the pleasure of working with Joshua van Asakinda for the last few years. Since he was brought on board, I have noticed significant improvement on many fronts including oversight and organization. As Head of Operations, he has taken on many tasks such as risk management, advising, and onboarding.
My experience with him has been nothing short of outstanding. He has been intelligent, punctual, professional, hard working, and above all else a kind, caring human being. If anything stands out to me aside from his body of work, it is his humanity and selflessness. He has always been there when I’ve needed him; he takes on challenges with true leadership and no ego.”
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John Bargman
DevOps, Platonic Systems Limited
“Joshua has managed to resolve a dozen serious interpersonal conflicts between highly specialized developers while I’ve been working with him. His innate sense of understanding the needs and desires of often socially-difficult individuals is second only to his business sense; his advice and lessons have been essential to my personal success.”
DevOps, Platonic Systems Limited
“Joshua has managed to resolve a dozen serious interpersonal conflicts between highly specialized developers while I’ve been working with him. His innate sense of understanding the needs and desires of often socially-difficult individuals is second only to his business sense; his advice and lessons have been essential to my personal success.”
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Finally, in Case You Have Questions, Like…
[ * I love Calvin & Hobbes. * ]
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