Quitting My Career To Pursue Enlightenment Full Time!

[Wes Thoughts]

I am considering quitting my current career and taking some time off from working to pursue my personal growth and the path to spiritual enlightenment full time. I have been very unsatisfied with my career and have become extremely interested in this path of Truth. I have enough savings to support my current living situation for several months.

My questions and concerns I have regarding this decision are:

• Will this investment in myself outweigh losing money and not gaining "marketable skills"?
• Will I progress rapidly if I devote this much time to learning/practice?
• What would be an ideal daily schedule to achieve the most progress?

Does anyone else have experience devoting themselves full time to growing themselves? What are the results of going all in on yourself for awhile?

I appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks.

[ajasatya]

@Wes Thoughts the best option is to live in a place designed for such difficult task.

some buddhist communities find ways to afford their own food supplies. it's a good way to save money if you decide to spend even more time.

living in a city, paying for rent and expensive/trash food and transportation in a context full of distractions is a waste of time and energy.

the money you have can be a blessing to sustain a simple lifestyle devoted to Truth for YEARS, not just months. you just need to use it very wisely.

i've done it. ask anything if you have questions.

ah, your questions...

1. YES! you're much more than a society tool. live a full life. the life that this sick society teaches us to live is trash;
2. yes. and you'll go even FASTER if you let go of expectations about results;
3. schedule:
   1. wake up extremely early for meditation (4~5am)
   2. breakfast
   3. samu (some works that need to be done like cleaning, dish and gardening)
   4. meditation before lunch
   5. lunch
   6. rest time
   7. meditation at 14:00
   8. samu
   9. small meal
   10. meditation before dinner
   11. dinner
   12. meditation before sleep time
   13. sleep at 21:00

Edited October 11, 2017 by ajasatya

[Viking]

Are you sure you are not running away from your fears or you are just unsatisfied from your life? ask yourself this.

If you are, I think maybe starting to self actualize like finding your life purpose and finding out what you really want to do is a better choice, while also of course continuing the practices.

For me concentrating solely on enlightenment just isnt practical, self actualization isnt just about enlightenment.

be aware that your expectations of how this lifestyle is like are 99% wrong, because you havent done it i guess, and I also guess you dont know personally people who have. It may sound nice on paper but I think transitioning to this kind of lifestyle will be extremely hard, especially for someone who lived in the western type world (I guess) his whole life.

sure you can try it, though living on savings I think is a terrible idea, better to have low income or join a monastery.

[Principium Nexus]

@Wes Thoughts You can dedicate more time to travel or to meditate. Actual enlightenment does not have a quick fix, it comes when it has to come and you cannot fasten that process.

I would advise to focus on enriching your worldview, seeing cultures, places of nature, meeting new people.

Enlightenment imo is a gradual process and if you keep meditating daily you will get there eventually. Indicental long session can be interesting but 30min to 60min a day is normally enough if you keep doing it. You will figure out the appropiate balance yourself eventually. Good luck and namaste!

[Wes Thoughts]

@ajasatya  Thanks for the advice. I don't know if I want to redesign my lifestyle so radically without at least trying a couple of months of it first.

@Ilya I am not running away from fears but I am unsatisfied with my career, so I figured a long break to redesign the trajectory of my life could make sense. That is basically what I am proposing here. To look deeply inside of myself for awhile before deciding how I want to shape the next couple years of my life.

@Principium Nexus  I have really considered traveling a lot! It excites me and lights me up at the thoughts of doing it but I know my savings will go fast and I wouldn't really be sitting down to ask myself the hard questions about what I want from life, what is reality, ect. It seems like that would be more of me chasing the external happiness. On the other hand I totally see how it would help me grow as a person. I just don't know if that is the right direction either.

I think I may take the middle road. I want a career change, I want to travel, I want to grow myself. So I might do all of those things! I think if I take some time off from always giving my time to someone else, I can really gather myself and figure out what I truly want from life. It's just so hard to commit to even just that because from our "money is most important" society it feels like I am going backwards.

[Nahm]

@Wes Thoughts all sounds wise to me

[Leo Gura]

@Wes Thoughts It's a good idea, but if you only have a few month's worth of savings, that won't be enough.

If cash is tight, you need to look for a spiritual community that provides food and lodgings in exchange for some work. Plenty of them around, including Zen monasteries, yogic ashrams, Hare Krishna's etc. But beware, when joining a community, they will indoctrinate you. You'll be dealing with a lot of dogma.

Choose your ashram very carefully. Don't get sucked into a cult.

[Wes Thoughts]

36 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

It's a good idea, but if you only have a few month's worth of savings, that won't be enough.

@Leo Gura Are you implying that taking a couple of months off of work to get farther down the path won't be worth it if I don't take it all the way? I know I won't gain enlightenment during that time but don't you think I could gain enough insight and possibly glimpses during that time to understand myself better and come up with a plan to redesign my life / lifestyle to better support this kind of path? 

I really could support myself for over a year if I went for broke.

Edited October 11, 2017 by Wes Thoughts

[Leo Gura]

@Wes Thoughts You have to be smart here.

Of course 2 solid months of personal development or consciousness work would be a huge boost. If you did it seriously, you might even get a glimpse or two of nonduality. But then what? You go back to working at McDonald's in your half-enlightened state with hardly enough money to pay your next bill?

Going for broke is a bad idea. You don't want to paint yourself into a corner.

It would be smarter to figure out a more sustainable solution. For example, many Zen monasteries charge a low initiation fee for living with them for a whole year. So if did that, you could buy yourself a whole year of practice.

Or you could hatch a plan to save up more money so you have more time later and you don't go broke.

If you are SERIOUS about pursuing enlightenment full-time, there are plenty of ways to do it. Society does have avenues created specifically for such people. That's what monks and yogis do. There are entire communities designed for that, and they don't require you to be a millionaire. But they do take serious commitment.

So the most important first step is to clearly decide how serious you are and what you really want to do for the next few years. If you have no good career prospects, pursuing enlightenment full-time for a few years might be a really good option. But it must be done seriously.

[egoless]

3 hours ago, Wes Thoughts said:

I am considering quitting my current career and taking some time off from working to pursue my personal growth and the path to spiritual enlightenment full time. I have been very unsatisfied with my career and have become extremely interested in this path of Truth. I have enough savings to support my current living situation for several months.

My questions and concerns I have regarding this decision are:

• Will this investment in myself outweigh losing money and not gaining "marketable skills"?
• Will I progress rapidly if I devote this much time to learning/practice?
• What would be an ideal daily schedule to achieve the most progress?

Does anyone else have experience devoting themselves full time to growing themselves? What are the results of going all in on yourself for awhile?

I appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks.

I suggest you to check my topic which I recently opened. It may be another option for you.

Self sufficient lifestyle for enlghtenment

[TeamBills]

2 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

@Wes Thoughts It's a good idea, but if you only have a few month's worth of savings, that won't be enough.

 

That is what I was thinking. If you spend all your free time working on this while still working you would still get the same results, but just in a longer period of time. Honestly, it wouldn't be that much longer of time. Plus non-stop work on it might burn you out.

I think it would be a good idea to save that money for emergencies. I'm not the best person to be giving this advice though!

Edited October 11, 2017 by TeamBills

[Forestluv]

1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

@Wes Thoughts You have to be smart here.

Of course 2 solid months of personal development or consciousness work would be a huge boost. If you did it seriously, you might even get a glimpse or two of nonduality. But then what? You go back to working at McDonald's in your half-enlightened state with hardly enough money to pay your next bill?

My job allows me to take a month off each winter and two months each summer. I'm considering using that time for solid consciousness work. I have a career that I find rewarding and it comfortably pays the bills. 

I'm curious to what extent full-time communities, such as ashrams, are necessary or helpful. I've had a few glimpses into nonduality (mostly with psychedelics, yet a couple sober as well). One recurring message is that "IT" is right here, right now. That I don't need to travel thousands of miles to India in search of anything, because right now I am zero miles away from "IT". 

The sense feels like "truth". Yet then I read about people going to ashrams and monasteries and think perhaps some are a good idea.

[Brimstone]

@Wes Thoughts , if you are feeling it you should just do it, follow what resonates.

In saying that mind is misleading you to think that you need to go from here to there to realise what you are looking for, as it doesn't come or go so why is there a need to go anywhere, or do anything.

Do you notice the 'here to there' aspect of minds game above? What is that taking you out of? So where do you think you will find what you are looking for? Try asking what will I find there that I will not find here.

Look, don't stress or worry about it, just relax into it, as whether you are a seeker or not, if That wants to slap you on your ass and make you see what a blind fool you were it will happen naturally, and without effort. The 'without effort' is the natural occurance of what is happening with every breath, which is what you are doing right now, without effort.

Hope this helps

Edited October 11, 2017 by Brimstone

[Wes Thoughts]

3 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Of course 2 solid months of personal development or consciousness work would be a huge boost. If you did it seriously, you might even get a glimpse or two of nonduality. But then what? You go back to working at McDonald's in your half-enlightened state with hardly enough money to pay your next bill?

Going for broke is a bad idea. You don't want to paint yourself into a corner.

I won't be going for broke with this plan. I don't really have it planned out long term. I really am hoping that just a couple of months dedicated to figuring out myself and my consciousness will help me decide where I want to go from there.

Maybe I will get such a sweet glimpse of non-duality I will decide to devote myself to it fully or maybe the time I spend contemplating to myself I will discover I want to be a sculptor, I don't know.

I am going to double down on the investment in myself for awhile and see what the return is after a few months. Warren Buffet said "The best investment you can make is in yourself." I just hope that means consciousness work too.

 

[Principium Nexus]

Enlightenment is about balance and being able to keep doing what you love. Follow your heart and let wisdom be your compass. Enjoy life in a mindfull way that resonates with you and you will certainly find truth and enlightenment in this manner.

I have experienced complete ego death, been in non-dual states and they show deep insight what our true nature is. For a human life do what makes you happy, in the end that's the only thing worth living for and will serve the greater good too by sharing life energy and awe

 

[Emptystickfigure]

Quite a bold move! Don't forget the basics, though.

Good luck!

[Joseph Maynor]

What do you feel you still need to learn?

[Wes Thoughts]

@Joseph Maynor The Truth of reality! I also want to find my passion/purpose.

[Joseph Maynor]

2 hours ago, Wes Thoughts said:

@Joseph Maynor The Truth of reality! I also want to find my passion/purpose.

Let go and discover who you are.

[Blissout]

OP, the last thing you should do is listen to this community.

If you want to become enlightenment follow the practice/teachings of an enlightenment person.

No one on this forum is truly enlightenment.