CURRENT MISSION

I gave most of my worldly possessions away 2.5 years ago - now I live off my backpack, currently tending to a Buddhist Dojo

ABOUT ME

I haven't had a place of my own for 2.5 years now. In that time I have met and lived with the most awesome folks - Yoga teachers, dancers, engineers, vegans, musicians, healers, ... The last year I've been living in a Zen Buddhist dojo, taking care of the daily meditation group

Before I started on this journey I gave away most of my worldly possessions - stereo, furniture, macbook, ipad, just about everything that didn't fit my backpack. Ever since then, I've been meeting new people and enjoyed life to the fullest(;

I actually do have a job, though - I work as CTO a startup in Zurich and I teach at the ZHAW university. Apart from teaching or meetings with customers, my profession allows me to work remote, so it's a pretty good fit for my lifestyle.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've been living without a place of my own for 2.5 years now, so I'm quite experienced - couchsurfing.org, I have only used a couple of times so far. Usually I get to know people by chance^^ Would totally love to expand my experience here, though(;

Interests

As a Zen Buddhist, I practice Zazen daily, meaning I meditate in silence.

Other than that I read a lot - part of what I gave away was a full bookshelf and a cabinet full of books. These days, I mostly read on my Kindle, though, because I usually read a couple books at once, which is not that easily portable(; I enjoy reading in Cafés, on beaches, in parks, on the train - I have the Kindle handy in the mens bag.

I also love running and walking - sports shoes are in the backpack^^

As for my profession, I enjoy creating new applications to improve on something. During the day it's usually on saving paper in a business, but I'm also involved in a lot of non-profit engagements. Right now I'm writing an open source library management tool for a lovely non-profit library and work on a counter-corruption solution for Greece.

• writing
• books
• breakfast
• yoga
• running
• meditation
• walking
• reading
• backpacking
• sports
• business
• beaches
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Tao Te Jing, The Lankavatara Sutra, The last Unicorn, Steppenwolf, Leonce und Lena, Zen in der Kunst des Bogenschiessens, Der Prozess, Gorin no Sho, Die Verwandlung, LotR, WoT, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Movies: Music&Lyrics, Army of Darkness, Falling Down, Léon, Office Space, The Cube, The Crow, Hero, Barfuß, Weil es Dich gibt(Serendipity), The One, Big Lebowski, Wargames, Tron

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Living for a year in a Zen Buddhist monestary has left a big impression on me - the kind of routine and harmony with daily life it teaches is wonderful. I got up at 4:30am, went jogging, showered, meditated for 1.5h, had breakfast and tea - all before going to work on 8:30am. This taught me that every moment and every aspect of daily routine has its place; and all that's needed for true happiness is to be mindful of this very moment.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Switzerland