Thank you Ayya. I feel the same way about the newspaper!
With the precepts and renunciation in general, Iāve found they follow sort of a natural progression. When something begins to be seen as a burden, it is a pleasure to give it up - eg television, sex, having things, etc etc. With the entertainment stuff, I have just gradually found things to grow increasingly distasteful and unpleasant - eg with books, I find that basic fiction etc canāt keep my attention - they just feel like a waste of time - so to stop reading them is a natural result.
The basic question I ask is - is this of benefit? if yes then itās ok, if not , then not
I also tend to be kind and forgiving in my approach and I have a āsliding scale of importanceā on the precepts. eg watching an uplifting movie once in a blue moon, not so bad - lying, definitely not allowed.
Itās all about the degree to which it assists or hinders progress on the N8fp. But even with quality movies etc, I find that they really are pretty ridiculous and it is hard to sustain attention. Though sometimes they can be a wonderful device for observing, and then reflecting on Unskillful Means
This in a very interesting subject to me. When I watched this document the interview that inspired and spoke to me most (beside that of Ajahn Brahmali) was that of Ajahn Nissarano who described living a solitary life (though as a monk not as an anagarika)
It is very obvious to me that one is happiest when living in solitude.
Itās interesting however that A Nissarano quotes Ajahn Chah as saying that solitary practice can be the best possible practice, but it could also be the worst.
Also I remember Ajahn Brahm saying that when Ajahn Chah saw monks who just wanted to be alone for the wrong reasons, he used to send them to the places with the largest building projects so that they had to work the most So it appears to be all about your motivation for living alone (in your case as itās looking after your parents itās a very beautiful one) and how you do it.
Iād suggest you look at your motivation for engaging in the action, ie reading, then check back in and see how the action is affecting your mindfulness, mood etc.
I watch documentaries occasionally. I find movies way too fast paced. Anything shot on more than one camera and edited quickly gives me a headache. I feel no desire to read novels. Sometimes Iāll notice that Iām just picking up a dhamma book just to distract myselfā¦ but sometimes the same comes with coming on D&DSC.
Iāll jump on news website once in a while and I listen to a podcast which give a good round up of the weekās news. Itās important to be informed but I donāt find that much changes that I need to know about urgently.
Me too exactly
Solitude doesnāt always mean the same thing as letting go or dispassion (viraga). Peace of mind and calm isnāt the same thing as not being attached to the five aggregates. Being peaceful in a natural setting one is still in samsara but letting go of the aggregates is the final common path to Nibbana. The former is Samatha and the latter, vipassana. Both are essential.
As a lay person not following the Vinaya, I am conscious of the effects of what I do are having on my state of mind. That is I make my guidance as I go. If Iām tired or sleepy, when I shouldnāt be, I partake in entertainment to increase my energy and ābrightnessā of the mind. Iām mindful whether there is agitation to watch something as to me this is a good indication that it is craving that wants to watch. The Buddha asked us to balance the enlightenment factors with mindfulness. I use whatever I have at hand to bring my mind to a positive state (while keeping the precepts I have taken).
Thereās almost something to be said for taking precepts one is comfortable keepingā¦ I assume the inner mental state of abstinence is more important than the āoathā. The essential 7 precepts are the 3 action and 4 speech āpreceptsā in the Noble Eightfold Path I suppose. Any more would be great and likely to be beneficial.
With metta
I have experienced this too. Any kinds of shows (or books) with violence, fowl language, arguing, etc. seem to make me ācringeā and I just canāt watch.
This seems like a practical approach to me. Trying not to engage in things that are just a waste of time and are incongruous with the dhamma.
I agree!
I have found this to be true in my experience as well.
I had seen this video some time ago but went back and watched the section with Ajahn Nissarano. It was very helpful. I liked how he described the calling for full-time practice as being pushed from behind by suffering while being pulled forward by happiness. The story of the monk who has lived alone in the forest for 40 years is quite inspirational for those seeking solitude. He says that the good part is being able to see into your own mind without many distractions and the bad part is that you can get stuck in your ways and lose perspective. Certainly something to be careful of.
Great advice! And the examples you give are very helpful.
Very good example! I think that type of agitation is a great indicator to watch for.
I think so too. To be mindful of the effects that the rule is causing rather than just blindly focusing on the rule itself.
I just thought Iād give a little update in this topic of Solitary practice. Since writing in this topic Iāve made substantial moves to increase solitude, and have 95% let go of the householders life. Since my previous post here, I gave away/threw out and packed up my house closing it down. I Have a small van and a tent, and took just enough stuff to sustain a simple life. And drove away, with no need to return
(this gave me some insight into just what an amazing act complete renunciation is - the experience in giving away everything as a monastic - even though I have retained ownership of my property, so I can go backā¦)
While I had all the solitude I wanted for practice, Iāve just felt increasingly burdened by being responsible for even small decisions regarding the house and farm, and even the modest entanglements with local affairs etc. So to this end I thought Iād try an experiment - and just walk away.
It has been 3 weeks so far as I travel further from civilisation and into a more remote region in Western Australia. My intention is to find a remote and secluded place in the outback and just be.
It is proving to be a really interesting and worthwhile journey so far, from a practice perspective. In particular self view/identity has come into stark focus ā¦ all the myriad of āthingsā that defined oneself. Possessions being clearly identified as what is necessary and what is desired. Additionally the dropping away of entanglements has been wonderfully freeingā¦
Also with no time frames of any kind, it is so much simpler to just be. This was my primary aim for this āexperimentā - to just be - no past, no future - just be.
As soon as I make a committment to be somewhere at a particular time - I find that the present moment is compromised. Iām on the outskirts of a township at the moment, and have internet, so have spent some time back at D&D
I donāt know if this post, and this experiment, are of use or interest to any-one, or even belong on this forum, which is focused more on scholarship than practice. So @moderators please feel free to delete as appropriate.
How wonderful, Mara! I wish you all the best in your renunciation.
I just bought an older van two weeks ago and have been working to get it ready for long term travels. Hopefully the causes and conditions will arise for me to do this full-time as well.
Thank you for the update!
Wow, I hope the causes and conditions come into play for you too!
Thank-you for the kind wishes
It sounds like your experiment is bearing great fruit, anumodana! I hope to bring about the circumstances to do something similar myself one day.
On the subject of vans, this is an interesting site about making a DIY van/RV sort of thing, a ācampervanā: http://thevanual.com/
I have a VW used van that had seating for 7. However I consciously made the decision NOT to have a converted camper van, I simply took the passenger seats out.
Because my primary aim is practice and not holiday, everything is exceedingly simple. I have a simple raised bed, which can be moved into the tent. All my things are stored in plastic crates under the bed. Water is in storage containers, as is food. I have no cooking facilities and no power source, except for some recharging from the car battery while driving. Eg Phone.
The reason for this is to keep it simple and to keep mindful about the purpose of the journey. Some of the set-ups I have seen look like ultra luxury mobile hotel suites. That is the opposite of what Iām looking for.
I just wanted to make it clear that this is totally about practice - and a lot of thought and preparation has gone into it. I already consider this to be āluxuriousā - but given my age and health issues, as well as being a bit more vulnerable as a female, I decided that overall this set up was the best compromise. Otherwise I could see myself doing this with a backpack -
The other part of this, that distinguishes it from āa trip/holidayā is that I have made sure that I have no unfinished business with anyone - ie being reconciled to an unknown future with no guarantees of meeting again (including my family). Generally, this has been my approach in all dealings for more than 10 years - but very consciously entered into at this juncture, and an interesting process to let go of all existing relationships .
Ensuring that ones interactions with others generate no regrets, is an interesting exercise for anyone looking to let go of the past in a daily practice. At first it takes a while (great for limiting ego), but then it becomes automatic. I also find it very useful as a tool to help guide right speech and right action - ie no regrets about ones behaviour that need attention. I am very far from perfect, but this approach has helped me a lot
Thanks for the feedback.
May all beings be free from suffering
I hope it wonāt be deleted! It is very inspiring to read your experiment and story, thank you very much for sharing.
For me this is part of what unentangling the tangle is about. Social relationships are the tangle: one has to give news to friends and family, call them, visit them once in a while, go to weddings and birthday partiesā¦ just to be able to maintain these relationships, what a burden. Being close to no one but impartial to all and harming none, thatās how I understand the arahant ideal (presently at leastā¦ Iām certainly wrong). Not necessarily an easy thing to achieve though!
Taking care of the vehicles (van, body, even āthe experimentā as if it were a thing, for the purpose of the Path. Unburdening but mindful, simple, supportive of practice. Thank you for sharing, it is helpful for me and it seems others.
Conclusion of the experiment.
Firstly I have a name change from mpac to Viveka.
Iāve returned home, earlier than expected, but feeling that my āmissionā has been accomplished.
While I view the experience as successful, the outcomes are absolutely not what I expected. What I have observed and learned include the following;
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While the details might vary, decision making is part of human existence and canāt be avoided. It is only the nature of decisions that changes with the context.
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Craving a more peaceful existence is still craving. In my case it became clear that it was based on fantasy, imagining that it would be easier in other circumstances. What I found was that chasing an ideal, thinking that the āgrass was greenerā somewhere else was just a sneaky hindrance to following the path. It turned out that I just swapped one set of challenges for another.
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I now realise that the most beneficial place for me to follow the path is actually continuing in my seclusion at my home > though with heightened awareness of what I can and canāt adapt, in order to be more diligent in practice. It has also highlighted, that āperfect conditionsā are impossible! This is samsara!! And to imagine and crave for this is not useful !!! For this reason alone, I am thankful for my experiences while in the āexperimentā.
Wishing you peace, metta and contentment
Addendum:
I was lucky enough to spend some time at Bodhinyana, during my journey. Iād like to pass on something that Ajahn Brahm reflected on in a dhamma talk, while I was there.
He said that too often we focus on all the things that still need to be doneā¦ looking forward - even finding fault with not having worked hard enough or attained enough. That this is not very useful. As a balance, one needs to look behind as well and to take stock of all the things that have been done, the effort and achievements > to acknowledge how far we have come.
So rather than focus on what is still missing from āperfectā practice, to look at how much has been learned and how much further along the path one has come so far. To feel happiness at this
I found this perspective beautiful, comforting and useful. I share it in the hope that it will be of use to those who read it as well.
Metta
We often think (me included) that practice (or life) is a place and not a journey. Our craving for permanence, has no bounds. In any case I think what is important is we salvage what was beneficial and let go of the rest, and utilize the experience for further development or progress.
Much mudita,