Becoming a Millennial Monk
Vossagg'ārammaṇaṃ karitvā labhati samādhiṃ labhati cittassa ekaggataṃ
“Having laid a foundation through letting go, one gains samādhi, one gains unification of mind.”
As we continue to see more interest in eastern esoteric systems and occultism, more people gather the knowledge of meditation, yoga and other forms of cultivation. They will eventually learn the various philosophies and gather that in order for one to become fully enlightened that they must sacrifice everything. They must throw away all the worldly attachments such as their job, their friends, family and much more. That one must become a hermit or a monk in order to have a lifestyle of only cultivation. This is WRONG.
In the ever-advancing world we live in today, people do not have the proper karma to become a hermit or a monk. There are a few cultural areas that still practice the ability to leave home to cultivate, but it is changing. Due to many factors such as technology, responsibilities, cultural differences and changes, we see the path toward monk-hood become stagnant. With philosophical ideas such as "letting go of attachment", how can one live in a society that is full of attachments and desires? Summarizing the words of the Buddhist master Nan Huai Chin, true Buddhist socialize. This is the polar opposite of what a stereotypical monk is understood as.
Today the path is more open then ever before so one can go far in their spiritual pursuits without having to become a monk and leave home. The blockages that lie ahead or no different than what monks experience. Suffering is suffering.
The last words of the Buddha were, "Strive on with diligence". Even as I write this I can feel the what he meant by this. It does no matter if you choose the lifestyle of a lay person or that of a monk, the path ends the same if you practice with heart, with mindfulness, with faith and sacrifice.
As previously stated in the beginning you do not need to sacrifice everything to become a monk, however you do sacrifice everything not in the way that is normally understood. If you wish to continue with living a life in the western world as a practitioner you will understand the sacrifices that must be made. When you start to gain insight to your own truths it is self evident that all the worldly possessions have less of a grip on you. This is like a knot on a rope, a blockage that holds a grip, but with clarity the knot naturally loosens. A practical example is the foundation of any practice. In order for the full effect of any practice to become self evident, relaxation must be achieved. Once the relaxation is present the movements of prana/chi will eventually remove some blockages preventing your energetic properties to cultivate naturally.
The more you practice you will subtly loose grip on the physical world while cultivating the love for it. You will sacrifice, but your conduct of character will be virtuous. You will sacrifice, but you will become whole. This does not mean you copy the way of the Buddha, but you become more of yourself. Impermanence is sacrifice, for each moment you give up. What exactly are you giving? This depends entirely on the individuals condition. Does he look at impermanence as the result of negativity or something that is fruitful? Sacrifice is synomous to impermanence and giving. You give back by letting go physically, mentally, and spiritually. Vossagga, which in Pali means "delighting in giving up". This can be define in many ways such as generosity, but to me it refers to being delightful for giving in all the ways you can toward the path so you may receive all the rewards from it. Then as the quote in the beginning states, “having laid a foundation through letting go, one gains samādhi, one gains unification of mind".
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