Growing Zen

I was reading in Shantideva's The Way of the Boddhisatva (Shambala Classics edition) this morning and thought what caught my eye was timely, with the approaching holiday spending and gifting season, and its focus on making money, spending money, and acquiring stuff. I'm not trying to be all Thoreau-in-Walden-to-the-max here: work and buying stuff are necessary to life. But especially since we live in such a consumer society*, it is beneficial to stop and reflect on Wise Livelihood, that is, supporting yourself in a wholesome way. The nature of your work is the first obvious aspect to examine, but it's equally important to examine how much and why you work, and what is excluded during your working hours so you can determine what the best course of action is for your continued or increased happiness. It's easy to become zombiefied and cheated out of a full, fulfilling life in the constant demanding crush to work, earn, acquire, and maintain a specific lifestyle (that you might not even want to have).

*"From a very young age, we are taught that if we work hard, we can have anything and everything we want. But what if what we want is not to work hard? What if we want to trade working hard for …

• working on things that matter
• working with people who make us smile
• working right from our heart

More on Wise Livelihood

"The fifth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is samma ajivo, translated as Wise (or Right) Livelihood. This means not earning one's living in ways that bring harm to oneself or others, particularly if it involves killing.

Here's what Phillip Moffitt has to say in Dancing with Life: 

'To me, it also means not having a violent attitude in whatever you do for a living. ... In our time, it is not usually the profession but rather the manner in which the profession is practiced that causes wrong livelihood. For example, if you recklessly drive your car while commuting to work, or prey on the ignorance of others, or mislead or trick others in order to earn a living, you are practicing wrong livelihood.

'In my views, any job that takes away joy, whether your own or others', also constitutes unwise livelihood, whereas any job that supports and nourishes well-being and the sens of the possibility is wise livelihood.

'Wise livelihood matters as a practice because it brings freedom to the mind now and in the future, while unwise livelihood thrusts the minds into turmoil now and plants the seed for even greater turmoil in the future.'" (dharmatown.org)

Cravings and Desires

I want to re-emphasize on the doing harm to oneself through one's job. Shantideva's eloquence says it best:

Some are wretched in their great desire,

But worn out by their daylong work,

They go home broken by fatigue

To sleep the slumbers of a corpse.

Some, wearied by their travels far from home,

Must suffer separation from their wives

And children whom they love and long to see.

They do not meet with them for years on end.

Some, ambitious for prosperity,

Not knowing how to get it, sell themselves.

Happiness eludes their grasp and pointlessly

They live and labor for their masters.

Some sell themselves, no longer free,

In bondage, slavery to others.

And, destitute, their wives give birth

With only trees for shelter, in the wild.

Fools deceived by craving for a livelihood

Decide that they will make their fortune

In the wars, though fearful for their lives.

And seeking gain, it's slavery they get.

Some, as the result of craving,

Have their bodies slashed, impaled on pointed stakes.

Some are wounded, run through by the lance,

While some are put to death by fire.

The pain of gaining, keeping, and of losing all!

See the endless hardships brought on us by property!

For those distracted by their love of wealth

There is no chance for freedom from the sorrows of existence.

They indeed, possessed of many wants,

Will suffer many troubles, all for very little:
They're like the ox that pulls the cart

And catches bits of grass along the way.

For sake of such a paltry thing,

Which is not rare, which even beasts can find,

Tormented by their karma, they destroy

This precious human life so hard to find.

All that we desire is sure to perish,

On which account we fall to hellish pain.

For what amounts to very little

We must suffer constant and exhausting weariness.

Reflect upon the pains of hell and other evil states!

Weapons, fires, poisons,

Yawning chasms, hostile foes--

None is on a level with our cravings. (6:72-84, 86)

Finally, a Simple Living Manifesto: 72 Ideas to Simply Your Life. It's mindful evaluation and editing of your entire life. Too long to post here, so please do follow the link :)

Happy Thanksgiving and family/friend time, everyone!