Practising full time as a lay person

[NandhaNanda]

@Viveka

What I’m getting at here though is that one doesn’t wait to begin practicing the Dhamma until one has time - one just practices as much as possible… the stronger the drive to do so, the more work life needs to be adapted.

Excellent and down to earth sharing and wholly in sync with every day worldly duties. This is the season of Gimhāna and a perfect time for cultivation of Dhamma, discard unwholesome habits & take on wholesome ones ahead of Asalha Day. May all of us continue to transform ourselves and develop harmony in living with others whether as a disciple, lay person or monastic.

[Ehipassiko]

This is such an inspiring thread, I feel deeply touched by all your contributions. Thank you @Viveka for sharing your personal story. As a lay practitioner with the intention to devote my life to the dhamma and a long way to go, I have bookmarked this thread and expect to return to it often.

[owl]

What a great thread!

I’m too young to fully retire so am currently in the process of ending my high intensity career to retrain in something that would help others in as little as 20 hours of work per week. I am also married so both have an obligation to keep the household up as well as the financial support of another human being. I have been on and off 8 precepts, dinner being the hardest one in lay life. My intention is to meditate at least twice per day, read the Suttas daily, and spend a lot of the rest of my time in service or physical labor when not doing paid work. This feels like a balance not far off of monastic life.

I also have a Bhikkhuni sangha nearby I spend time with and receive excellent teaching from and I think without that this way would be much harder and slower.

Like Viveka I’ve found this a gradual and self perpetuating process. Giving up killing, intoxicants, excess posessions, entertainment, beautification… Have all come in big steps as well as more subtle refinements. And with each act of renunciation and the deeper and deeper meditations more faith and energy develops so I find I just naturally keep spending more of my energy in Truth and less in the trappings of samsara.

Gratitude for the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. May we all awaken

[rcdaley]

We are all trying in our own way. That is the beauty of this forum; getting to connect with others who are just trying their best!

[Gillian]

I’ve been wanting to contribute to this thread since it started, and now I finally have time, I see that Viveka and Owl, backed up by

@rcdaley

We are all trying in our own way. That is the beauty of this forum; getting to connect with others who are just trying their best!

have probably said it all.

I’d suggest that a lay practitioner wanting to commit to full-time practice first needs to get clear about

• their housing needs and the easiest way to have them met
• their current financial needs, whether these can be can be reduced, and how they can be met
• whether moving to another place would significantly improve housing/financia issues
• their physical fitness and general health
• their family and other commitments

Some people feel drawn to jumping straight into 100% practice (sadhu) but it’s OK to move slowly, for eg

• does one still watch TV (play video games etc etc)? Try a months fast and watch one’s reactions. (I passed on my TV when I realised I’d not switched it on for well ver a year.)
• are there areas where one is still feels drawn to give service which would detract from practice? These aren’t hindrances if undertaken with metta and mindfulness. (This is something I work with when visiting my grandchildren.)
• how can one adjust the routine of formal practice to suit one’s circumstances? In a monastery there’s a program to adapt to, in lay life practice is often what gets adapted; this can be skilful or unskilful. (When I was the mother of teenagers with stressful job that demanded long hours I had a rigid cushion practice of an hour each morning and evening. Now that I am retired and assailed by various ailments the pattern of formal practice is much more varied.)

Personally, I have the opportunity to move between periods (ie weeks or months) of rural isolation and living alone in a city flat with various community and family contacts. I like both, but find the changeover periods challenging. A lot of trail and error is helping me work this out, and I got some helpful ideas from A Householder’s Vinaya by Allan Cooper (the full retreat ideas relate to Mahasi style meditation retreats).

Gratitude for the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. May we all awaken

[eddiepuss]

This is a wonderful blog of a lay practitioner I am privileged to support in her practice in the UK. Her research and writing on Early Buddhism and lay practice is wonderful and I would love for more people to read it - you may find some of these interesting and helpful for your lay practice also
https://kalyanamitta.blog/ https://kalyanamitta.blog/

[Ficus]

Welcome to D&D eddiepuss!

[TomSchulte]

I’m really impressed by the book a Householder’s Vinaya and would love to hear more discussion about it. Maybe it deserves a topic of it’s own?

[Gillian]

That would be good Tom, care to start one?

[TomSchulte]

I did so in the Watercooler category. Now, hopefully the topic will generate some interest

[Gillian]

Here’s a link to the new thread.

A Householder's Vinaya With Home and Sangha Retreat Guides By Allan Cooper

For one who aspires to deepen their practice, This is a resource that I have found to be quite helpful. One can get a free pdf of it at: https://householdersvinaya.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/A-Householders-Vinaya-Allan-Cooper.pdf . I’m starting this topic to find others with an interest in the book and the practice. Please do contribute your thoughts.