The Empirical Mystic

Field Notes for 21st‑Century Realization

Not all data comes through instruments.

Transform your attention into a precision instrument. This book bridges the gap between mystical insight and scientific rigor, offering practical protocols for first-person empiricism that reduce suffering and improve decision-making.

11 Chapters
40+ Practices
3 Core Methods
ATTENTION

Experience the Method

Try the 2-Minute Urge Loop Experiment

2:00 Ready to Start

The Urge Loop Protocol

  1. 1

    Observe

    Watch for the very first impulse to adjust posture or check your phone

  2. 2

    Label

    Name what you notice: urge → tension → action/inaction

  3. 3

    Wait

    When an urge appears, do nothing for three breaths. Keep labeling.

Expected Outcome:

The urge's intensity will shift. What felt like "must" becomes "maybe". You just measured a pattern in experience with a repeatable protocol.

The Framework

Three repeating moves that transform experience

Attend

Direct, non-theoretical observation of what's actually happening in your experience right now.

Inquire

Make simple, falsifiable predictions about what will happen when you apply attention in specific ways.

Integrate

Change how you speak, design, and decide based on what you've directly observed.

Journey Through the Book

11 chapters of practical wisdom and tested protocols

01

The Empirical Mystic

Mysticism doesn't require belief—just disciplined attention and repeatable protocols.

Key Practice: The 2-Minute Urge Loop
02

The Stream of Saṅkhāra

Debug the build process of self. Design an identity with less residue and more clarity.

Key Practice: Dataflow Diagram
03

Dukkha in Stereo

Songs are maps. Use music to study suffering, insight, and release patterns.

Key Practice: The Dukkha Map
04

The Imaginal Faculty

Dreams and hunches carry guidance when handled with protocols and humility.

Key Practice: The Hunch Ladder
05

Anāhata: The Unstruck Sound

Train attention with inner sound as a stable reference oscillator.

Key Practice: Attention Ladder
06

Rebirth & Evolution

Pattern continuity across lifetimes and lineages—without metaphysical strain.

Key Practice: Lineage Ledger
07

Truth as Power

Right speech as psycho-spiritual hygiene in an attention economy.

Key Practice: The Four Gates
08

Techno-Dharma

Build AI and systems that protect persons and reduce suffering.

Key Practice: The Dharma Spec
09

The Feminine and the Fierce

Balance receptive wisdom with protective clarity in one body.

Key Practice: Soften/Guard Protocol
10

Pilgrimage Without Itinerary

Transform daily life into pilgrimage through quality of attention.

Key Practice: Block as Camino
11

The Discipline of Seeing

See through symbols without cynicism, with them without gullibility.

Key Practice: Weekly Iconoclasm

40+ Field-Tested Practices

Organized by time commitment and focus area

Micro Practices

≤ 3 minutes

  • Label Stream
  • Four Gates Check
  • Ancestral Impulse Flag
  • Signal or Projection Test

Mini Practices

5-15 minutes

  • Break a Habit Loop
  • The Dukkha Map
  • Morning Triage
  • Repair Script

Integration Practices

15-45 minutes

  • Dataflow Diagram
  • Lineage Ledger
  • Speech Audit
  • Weekly Iconoclasm

Revolutionary Insights

Bridge mysticism and empiricism

Patternic Truth

A claim earns credibility as it compresses more cases with fewer assumptions while remaining behaviorally useful.

First-Person Empiricism

Attention is a trainable instrument. Use it to detect invariants in lived experience before naming them.

The Urge Loop

Urge → tension → action → aftertaste. Naming the urge changes its waveform predictably.

Idempotent Breath

Each exhale completes the loop. Train for no residue in conflict and communication.

About the Author

Abhay

Builder, Leader, and Contemplative

Abhay works at the intersection of data, design, and dharma. He treats attention as the first instrument and writes about practice in plain language for rigor-loving people.

With a background spanning technology leadership and contemplative practice, he brings a unique perspective that bridges ancient wisdom with modern empiricism. His approach emphasizes methods that reduce suffering and improve action, without requiring belief or abandoning critical thinking.

"Not all data comes through instruments. Some arrives through disciplined attention. Let's treat that stream with the same rigor."

What Readers Are Saying

★★★★★

"Finally, a book that respects both my scientific training and my contemplative interests. The practices are immediately applicable."

- Software Engineer, Silicon Valley
★★★★★

"The Four Gates practice alone transformed my team communication. Conflict resolution time dropped by 50%."

- Engineering Manager
★★★★★

"I was skeptical about mysticism, but this book's empirical approach won me over. The urge loop experiment is genius."

- Data Scientist
★★★★★

"The Techno-Dharma chapter should be required reading for anyone building AI systems. Practical ethics in action."

- AI Researcher
★★★★★

"This book bridges worlds I thought were incompatible. The practices are precise, testable, and transformative."

- Product Designer
★★★★★

"No woo-woo, no dogma, just clear protocols that work. My decision-making has measurably improved."

- Startup Founder

Ready to Transform Your Attention?

Join thousands discovering how disciplined first-person empiricism can reduce suffering and improve action.

40+ Tested Practices
Time-boxed Protocols
Immediate Application
Get the Book on Amazon Kindle

Available exclusively on Kindle

If the practices don't measurably improve your decision-making and reduce reactivity within 30 days, request a full refund through Amazon.