Is anyone else teetering on the edge of abandoning this earthly world?

[Cthulhu]

Granted, I'm not exactly satisfied with living in a suburban town. It's too... cozy here. Almost boring when no one knows each other and live in their own world of work, family, work, TV, work... This is my premise for abandoning the life of the brainwashed.

Sometimes it's definitely for the better to leave one community in exchange for another, but that doesn't mean you need to abandon society altogether. But yeah I agree it's frustrating when everyone around you seems zombified, and just try and have a discussion deeper than the super bowl or the weather and they think you're crazy. When that happens, I do my best to take the stance that it's my job to understand, but not to be understood.

 

[ResinTeeth]

I've lived in this Zen monastery of mine for 3 days. It was amazing. I felt more alive in those three days doing "seemingly nothing" than I have in years outside...

The Zen Center in Rochester?

If you haven't already, you should read the Three Pillars of Zen. It does well to give an idea of Zen practice in modern contexts. You don't have to be an ascetic or a monk or generally dissociate from the populace to realize "what there is to realize". However, if this is more conducive to your staying constantly aware and realized then I say go for it. Different strokes for different folks. A zen life in a post-industrial world is definitely possible, albeit perhaps more difficult, but then this challenge could provide its own unique benefits.

PM me if you'd like to have somebody to discuss further with

 

[Cartesia]

Sometimes I consider the fact that everything about life will probably be the same as it already has been, and the real mystery lies behind door #2 (death)... But then I realise, that despite the fact that things have been relatively consistent for my entire life, and perhaps the entire history of life.. There is no reason why EVERYTHING couldn't change in the future.. We can't know till we go there..

So I will just put up with this world, and medicate away my lack of friends, love and such..

 

[modern buddha]

Sometimes I consider the fact that everything about life will probably be the same as it already has been, and the real mystery lies behind door #2 (death)... But then I realise, that despite the fact that things have been relatively consistent for my entire life, and perhaps the entire history of life.. There is no reason why EVERYTHING couldn't change in the future.. We can't know till we go there..

So I will just put up with this world, and medicate away my lack of friends, love and such..

Why are you waiting for door number two when you can try door number one and see where it leads you?

I would try standing back and seeing where you life is heading. Is this the life you want to lead? If yes, then continue. If no, then see what types of things you have to power to change in your life.

And we're not talking about death in this thread. We're talking about the materialistic and societal world in which most of us live.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Initially the OP asked that this thread be closed as it had veered way off the starting point of being drawn to or having reservations about monastic living or spiritual seclusion from mainstream society.

I have done a massive cleanup which included tossing out some of my posts, some of the OPs, and many other posts to get back to the original thread of the thread. Let's try to stick with the main topic more. Thanks.

 

[Quantum Perception]

Fuck it all
Don't kill yourself, Forget yourself.

Suicide solves nothing, the body did nothing to you. Its your mind and persona that finds problems with the world. Kill your ego/persona, not your physical organism. Respect that.

 

[being]

To answer the question of the thread title:
Yes, at least in a sense. Will be leaving to a Theravada Buddhist monastery, located in Thailand, in about 2.5 months from now.

 

[deez_nuggs]

Fuck it all
Don't kill yourself, Forget yourself.

Suicide solves nothing, the body did nothing to you. Its your mind and persona that finds problems with the world. Kill your ego/persona, not your physical organism. Respect that.

that was one of the posts that caught my eye in these three pages. and to the OP, i know exactly how you feel. we are all consumers. we drift through life making choices..and consuming those choices. there is nothing more than that. but theres less.

my goal is in fact to abandon my house, bed, money, all possessions.. to wander into the void with the intent of coming out on the other side much more in tune with the self and with reality. because living the way i do, the way we do at this moment in time is arrogant, unsustainable and its raping the planet.

 

[modern buddha]

^ In this type of case, less brings more.

 

[Changed]

I've really been struggling lately-- emotionally and psychologically. I think psychedelic drugs mixed with apathy resulted in me having a warped view of what Buddhism or Eastern thought was all about-- this lasting for the past 4 years or so. Lately, as my mind has begun to betray me in subtle ways, I've really become frightened by the prospect that I'm not totally in control, or won't be forever. This, combined with the fact that I've taken the ideas of "renunciation" way too far, have resulted in me being a stultified shadow of the person I previously was.

But just now, reading the intro of the Bhagavad Gita, I started to feel that warmth radiating from my being. Easwaran summed up the message nicely, saying that essentially, enlightenment or love or supreme wisdom or whatever you call it can be achieved mainly through self-less actions of love towards others.

Me, I've taken the idea of renunciation and turned it into a state of stagnation! I don't like working because I gave up on the idea of material possessions making me happy-- in the process, I've lost interest in most everything else. So, based on what Easwaran is saying in the intro to the Gita: one doesn't need to retreat to a monastery, sitting in relative isolation, cut off from the world in order to reach some state of enlightenment-- in fact, it seems sort of contradictory. The path towards Self-realization can be realized by radiating pure-love to others and all things.

Practically, I see this meaning that I should find a position/job that allows me to help others, or pass along this message of self-less love for others to hopefully realize. I've been avoiding financial responsibility out of some selfish desire to be holier-than-thou, even when I didn't realize I was acting that way.

Now, I simply have to find such an opportunity... Any ideas for a college graduate w/ a liberal arts degree?

 

[modern buddha]

Two words: minimum wage.

I'm finding that through a minimum wage job, you're not taking any responsibilities home with you. No one is calling you to ask you why you didn't fill out this form and that form, and in general, the work that you do with the customers (or patients, etc) is not so overwhelming that you forget your choices of living. In fact, it is a great way for me to work on patience, love and understanding without all of the added baggage. If you choose a minimum wage job, you're really allowing yourself the opportunity to see what it's like "at the bottom of the food chain" and to enjoy everything you're given.