[Turn] Meditation programmer Ten Commandments

Summary: What does it mean to be a meditation programmer? That means you have to hold on to the 10 Commandments I learned from Zen, which are closely related to the modern world of computer programmers.

　　View English Original: TheTen Rules of a Zen programmer

It was raining outside in the morning, and I found myself sitting at my desk pondering the problem of efficient work (efficient working). In the days before I became a freelancer, despite a lot of work, looking back on the past is just a mess.

Thinking back to my meditation in 2006, it was a while ago that this thought clearly floated in my mind: Hundreds of years ago, the old master was aware of how the programmer was going to work today. Although I don't like posts such as "Becoming a better programmer," I want to summarize some of my ideas from that morning. I would like to use this as a reminder, but if you have any thoughts about this, please feel free to enlighten me.

1. The mind is not chaotic (focus--concentration)

Once you have decided to deal with a task, you should do your best to do it well. Don't start a few things at the same time. Do only one thing at a time. Multitasking doesn't make you faster, you're just working on a multi-line program. If you're working on a multi-line program, you'll be exhausted, wrong times out, and a waste of time to jump from one task to another. This applies not only to programming, but also to general recommendations.

Zemking (Kodo Sawaki) said, "If you want to sleep, sleep." When you are ready to go to bed, don't calculate the software. Just go to sleep. if you want to encode it, encode it. never waste time-concentrate on coding. If you are too tired to write the program, then go to sleep! Even a well-known multi-tasking processor like Stephan Uhrenbacher will decide to do a single-threaded operation at this point. I had a similar experience with Stephan, and I finally wrote a time tracking tool called Hours & Bill. The goal is to keep track of my time, even if it's a small task like a phone call. Now I can create a few stopwatch at the beginning of every day, and I can track my time with just a few clicks. But it turned out to be a disaster: Sometimes I just worked on a task for a few minutes until I moved on to the next task. Now my situation has improved. Similar to the tomato working method, I plan to work for a number of periods and concentrate on those times, not chatting, not dozing, and not browsing the exciting new games on the App Store.

2. Inner Peace (Keep your mind clean.--keep heart free of distractions)

Before you start writing software, you need to clear the distractions. Temporarily reach the realm of mind without distractions. If you have any trouble, don't be affected by it. In most cases, trouble will vanish. If the trouble is serious enough to linger, do not work. The problem should be solved as far as possible. At least when you start to work, you need to get yourself into a state of isolation.

Are there some wonderful things in the mailing list? Just let it stay there! You can go back and get to know the wonderful stuff. Stop the stuff that upsets you: Turn off Twitter, Facebook, and your email. You should even mute your phone and put it in your pocket. You might say this is very similar to the 1th "focus". However, there is one limitation: do not use those tools before or during your lunch. They connect you to the outside world and are likely to create new problems or distractions.

Think of it this way: most of the time, when you wake up in the morning, your mind is very sober. Otherwise, you'll need some exercise to wake you up (I'll run). If you feel refreshed, go to work and work hard. When you no longer work, let the noise of the world fill your heart. When you've finished your whole day's work, you'll find that too. Twitter will consume a lot of your energy. Don't think: Just a little while. And that's not the case!

You are already aware of this.
(That's true!) As far as I am concerned, as long as I open a microblog, a few 10 minutes, or even a few hours are fleeting, and the work at hand is stagnant. ）

3. meekness (Beginners mind.--rookie mentality. )

Please remember that you are a rookie of the past. Or in mind, imagine yourself as a rookie. You don't think you'll ever learn enough. Treat yourself as a rookie every day. always try to look at the technology from the Novice's point of view. you can accept a better fix for your software, and if you want to make it easier, get out of the standard path (the so-called "dictionary"). Even those who have been different from you will have some fantastic thoughts.

Have you ever had a two-time experience generating a software in the same way? Even if you copy the software, it will be somewhat different.

4. Without me in my heart (no ego.--without me.) )

Some programmers have a big problem: they own themselves. But there is no time for self-formation. No time for you to be a rock star.

Who determines the quality of your programmer? Is that you? Of course not. Is it someone else? It could have been. But can you really compare an apple with a banana? No. Because you are independent individuals, you cannot compare your whole body and mind with others, you can only compare several aspects.

There is no way to be proud of something. Are you good at Java? That's very good. Others are really inferior to you, but they are better at bowling. Is Java more important than bowling? This is subject to availability. Maybe you make more money in Java, but others may have more fun with their bowling buddies.

Because you are a geek, really proud of it? self-possessed programmers do not learn. is the so-called "full of strokes, modest benefits." The world is my teacher, may as well as to master and rookie learning. As the son said, the three of them, there will be my teacher Yan.

Zemking (Kodo Sawaki) Zen Master said: "You do not matter--as the saying goes, don't always take their own as a green onion, not everyone take you soy pot."

Think about it!
(Note: 3, 42 points seemingly independent, but actually mutual echo, only the first virtual heart, and then slowly in the eyes to allow others, to see the strengths of others, arrogance Qi can slowly dispersed, and really reach the realm without me. ）

5. No desire is just (there is no career goal.--no career goals. )

If you want something, but ignore the "now" life, then you have lost the game. Just do your best, and don't take into account the goals you may be able to achieve in a long time.

Have you been working for 20 years just to be a shareholder? Why can't you just do your best to enjoy the fun of your work? In fact, hard work can also be fun. Zen has a word, one day does not make, a day does not eat .

You don't have to wait until 20 to open the door to happiness. You can be happy now, even if you are not a shareholder, or do not drive a Porsche is also happy. It's difficult, you might get sick, you might get fired, or you might be exhausted (if you follow all of this in this article, I guess the likelihood of this happening is very low).

Before these unfortunate things happen, just go all out to work and have fun. There is no need to stare at the income of their colleagues. There's no need to miss a great new position you haven't got.

After all, you will achieve something. You'll end up with good memories, maybe a good position--and 20 years of excellence. Everyday is a good day.

If you've ever mentioned it bluntly that you don't feel happy working in your company, then you have to leave at once. never stay in the company that takes the joy out of your life. of course, people can choose to leave only in the developed countries can happen. But if you are living in such a good environment, you should do so. Leave with no regrets. You have no time to waste, because maybe you will die tomorrow.

Once you don't have a career goal, you'll be free to leave.

6. Cautious (Shut up.--shut up. )

If you have nothing to say, don't waste your other colleagues ' time. Doing so does not make you look cowardly and incompetent. Every day when you work, you need to try to keep others from getting upset . Imagine if everyone tried to do that-that would be a great working environment? Although sometimes this is impossible. But if you try, you will be happy to do so.

If you don't form yourself, it's easy to shut up and treat everything you say with care. Don't confuse your "experience" with your ego, always remember: You're a rookie. If others have a good idea, they should support it.

7. Bosom (mindfulness. Care. awareness.--Mindfulness, attention, awareness)

Yes, you're working. But at the same time you are living and breathing. Even if you're having trouble at work, you need to listen to the signals your body sends. What you need to know that is good for you. This includes everything, including necessities such as food. You need to be concerned about yourself and everything in your surroundings-because the water you drink is the flowing river. Because you only live for yourself. you live alone, and you will die alone. Even without you, the world is still endless.

Avoid working in situations you don't like. Avoid unpaid work, if that means you will feel bored and will take away your time off. Clean break with the things that make you unhappy. Does unpaid work sound just a theory? Think of people who are doing open source software development at their prime--- If you've ever subscribed to a mailing list for certain items, you probably know how busy it is (at least sometimes). If you can't get the fun out of it-don't do it anymore. I know there are a lot of people who work in open source software environments that they don't like. In addition, I used time & bill to keep track of how long I spent on open source projects, and I was surprised to find that I had wasted so much time there-especially on projects I didn't really like.

In view of this, some people think that only when they have prime time, and all night with the Xbox game consoles and beer accompanying, is their only fun. Although this is sometimes a good idea, it may not be "fun" in your entire life time. If you can avoid situations you don't like, avoid them (as described above). But sometimes it takes some really bad things to do. For example, manually copy/paste the original data into phpMyAdmin from your manager's Excel table. It may take you a few days, and it's really boring and there's no fun. But sometimes you need to do that sort of work. You can't quit your job every time you get a boring task. Zen monks are not ashamed of their work. They get up 4 o'clock in the morning (sometimes early, sometimes later, depending on the monastic court), and then begin to meditate meditation, then work (they even see labor as the meditation). They had something to do, such as cleaning the toilets, farming in the garden, or being a rotor monk, and they had to fire and cook. They work with all their heart. No matter what they do, they are not distressed when they do it, and they are (or should) be happy, because every second is the moment of their life, even if they are cleaning the toilet that second.

That being said: stop crying and if you need to copy/paste Excel, just do it. Don't waste your energy on such things, they will all pass. Or to be the best Excel copy/paste person instead.

If you have a heart attack, people might say, "Well, yes, he does work very hard, and he even works for me at night." But no one will lead you to another world. This last step will leave us alone. You can't exchange anything in the underworld. I can't even have a fart. so it depends on how you take care of yourself in every second. If you don't have it, it's gone. But since you live, you should be alive. There is no time to waste, there must be a race.

In Zen, "care" is a synthesis of words (and I think in all forms of Buddhism). I can't express everything I want to say. It is difficult to understand the different meanings of "care". Perhaps you'd better use the word Awareness (awareness). At every moment of your life, you must know what you are doing. In your life, you must always keep mindfulness. Otherwise, you will waste your life. But of course, it depends on what you do, whatever you do.

8. Preservation (There is no boss.--no boss. )

Yes, someone pays you a salary. Someone tells you what you need to do, and he can fire you. However, there is no reason to give up your own life , or because of pollution sickness. In short, your boss has no control over you. Even if you have doubts about your own self-management--but do not embark on this path of no return.

Come back and talk to your boss: If you allow him to control you, he may make a mess of your life. And the only way out is to say "no"if you're going to do something that will hurt your health or violate your moral standards. What will happen next? The worst thing is that he fired you. So what? If you live in a Western country and you're a famous farmer (and you're probably a code farmer when you read this article), then you'll get another job.

I don't want to say "no" to these tasks such as converting data in CSV format to HTML format. What I'm saying is, is whether 80 hours of work a week makes your body unbearable, or you think your child needs more attention, or if you're forced to fire someone just because your boss doesn't like them, or if you're a counselor, and employed to develop software for a nuclear power plant or tank (someone might say that working for a nuclear power company is fantastic – it goes against my moral standards and is just an example). For the above situation, you can say "no"!

9. Plaything Mingzhi (do something else)

Programmers are more than programmers. You should do something unrelated to the computer. When you blooded, you might as well sail, fish and dive. You can also practise meditation, martial arts, or playing ruler eight (that is, shakuhachi, a bamboo flute introduced to Japan in the Tang Dynasty). No matter what you do, you have to spare no effort. It's exactly the same as when you were working. should be treated seriously. Hobbies are not just hobbies , they are still showing themselves. If someone says that hobbies are unimportant, beware of being deceived! Nowadays, we can try all kinds of hobbies. I've recorded a few personal CDs and I've created some science fiction (but the novel hasn't been published yet and I have to practice more). It is these hobbies that shape me now and eventually lead me to practice meditation and write this blog post. Recently I practiced Zen ruler eight, which occupies a vital place in my daily life.

10. Stoicism (there is nothing special.)

Although the flowers are beautiful, they are just beautiful flowers-that's all. There is nothing extraordinary about it. And you're just a guy who can program. Maybe you are good, but nothing is different. You are like me, or everyone else on this planet.

You must not only eat and drink, but also sow. Of course, I have to sleep. In a long time, you will travel to the West, and everything you create will disappear. Even a symbol of the immortal pyramid will disappear long after. Do you know the names of the people who built the pyramids? Even if you really know, don't you know it's so important? Not so. The pyramid still stands there, or it dies with the wind. Prosaic.

Your software is the same. the bank is making money with your software. But no one will remember you after your trip to the West. There's nothing wrong with that. It's "Lost Time"! you should have no worries about it. If you are following the first 9 commandments, you will find that the last practice is both useful and interesting. Now there are only two things, the passage of time, and the preoccupation with doing things.

It's no big deal if your company is out of business because of financial problems. Life is going to go on. There's no need for Xbox consoles, cars, or anything else. Because most people on this planet live in extreme poverty. They don't care about Xbox consoles because they're happy to get some food and even water.

So...... What is it that makes you different? Is it because you were fortunate enough to be born in a western country? Or is it because you can write code? No, nothing is different. You can give up your ego and live free. Enjoy the colors and aromas of the surrounding flowers. When winter comes, you don't have to cry, and spring don't have to be ecstatic. It's just the Four seasons. Keep in mind that once someone rejects your application, it is because the company is not so different that you need to work hard for that job.

Disclaimer

I am not a Zen monk. I'm just practicing and learning. If you feel there is something you need to understand deeply, ask your local Zen monk for advice. Of course, I will try to answer you in the blog, however, I am only a beginner. Anyway, I'm glad to hear from you, and if you like this article, would you be willing to send this link to Weibo. Thanks for reading!

[Turn] Meditation programmer Ten Commandments