8 precept Hermit call out

[Cheeseg0d]

Greetings,
I’m wondering if there are any solitary 8 precept practitioners who are interested in exchanging tips and tricks about existing within (or outside ) the framework of not only society but ‘Buddhism’. Dedicated lay practitioners are often viewed with derision or suspicion by monasteries and their communities when we no longer have anything to offer them materially, don’t want to join or advance past them spiritually. And to society in general… Well we are completely nuts.

It can be a strange space to navigate. Who do you turn to when there is… noone?

But in this day and age when we can communicate in without physically interacting or breaking up the practice.. hell why not?

For example I have multiple tactics for avoiding people, society and the mess of the world in general: getting groceries delivered, ordering goods off the internet, asking questions anonymously to various teachers on live streams and letters, dressing in particular ways to avoid attention, body language and speech to cut short social interactions.

Maybe you have a tip for killing the last 4 hours of daylight when the thought of more meditation or reading another line of the vishudimagga makes you want to vomit?

A new combination of afternoon allowable to share? The cheese, Miso, honey and soy milk soup?

I’m a rookie at this game. I’d love to hear from anyone else who’s not just living it. But loving it.

Please only reply or ideally PM me if your seriously training in the 8 precepts and have some decent solo time up. By this I mean your alone more or less 7 days a week, 24hrs a day, the focus of your life is meditation and it’s been that way for a while.

Peace

[Pasanna]

You might be interested in this old thread.

Practising full time as a lay person

I would be interested in hearing the experience of anyone who has left their job in order to have more time to practise (for example if your ordination was not possible or perhaps not possible for the time being). Have you found that not having to work at all was helpful for your practise? (I also heard stories of people retiring and then not making good use of their time, since apparently it can be a lot easier to waste your time, so I wonder if that’s a danger). Anyway, it would be interestin…

Good luck making connection and in your practice.

[Erika_ODonnell]

@Cheeseg0d

Dedicated lay practitioners are often viewed with derision or suspicion by monasteries and their communities when we no longer have anything to offer them materially, don’t want to join or advance past them spiritually.

For what it’s worth, I can’t recall ever seeing or hearing about dedicated lay practitioners being treated with derision or suspicion at any monastery I’ve been to.

I think you’re more likely to find people who share your interests at a (forest/meditation) monastery than anything else

[Cheeseg0d]

Not being mean but it’s not worth much at all. I’m on the hunt for hermits here. Who generally don’t hang out with people or at monasteries. But maybe google ‘lay Buddhist hermit’ out of curiousity every few years and might see this thread and message me.

[Dheerayupa]

Ironically, the best period of time that my life focused on the dhamma was when I was still working but living alone.

I didn’t try to escape anything; I simply filled my hours and minutes with the dhamma.

I think it started with the right attitude. Perhaps just like the Buddha says— Right View comes first. I had a strong drive to ‘enjoy’ the dhamma.

As soon as I woke up, I had a dhamma talk turned on while getting ready for work. I listened to a dhamma talk while driving to work (an hour’s drive). While at work, I kept a teaching or two at the back of my mind when I had to be in touch with my co-workers to ensure I followed Right Speech and Right Action.

Coming back home, I had dhamma talks on while I slowly ate a light and easy meal, did the housework and prepared for bed. Slowly so that I could ‘hear’ and ‘understand’ the talks. I meditated before bed. I never watched TV.

On weekends, I kept 7.5 precepts — that is, I would have dinner if my body needed it.

Every year I took an annual leave to stay at Bodhinyana to hear the dhamma talks ‘live’ and to see the dhamma ‘living’.

Now that I’m semi-retired but married, it’s difficult to do what I did. I wouldn’t bore you with my situation.

What I’m saying here is if I didn’t have to earn a living, I’d just carry on with a common layperson’s activities, minus nonsensical interpersonal ones.

Bhante @Sujato just gave a talk on the Anukampa Project platform where he said to practice the dhamma all the time (in all activities we do). I can’t remember exactly what talk.

So, if I were in your situation (no need to earn money and living alone), I’d just have a garden in the backyard where I can meditate and grow vegetables and flowers for my body and (non) soul to promote my emotional well-being to walk the path.

With metta

[Cheeseg0d]

You can be in a similar situation. You’d be surprised how little money you can get by on. A month’s worth of rice is about $8. 300 brocolli seeds about $2. Sounds like you implemented the teaching in your life and experienced some happiness. Set the intention, lay the causes and the conditions will arise. It’s who dares wins in this racket. Don’t die wondering. You might be sitting on a gold mine of good karma but if you never dig how will you know. I mean you can always go back if it doesn’t work out…