is the life purpose course a "waste" of time and money if i'm pursuing enlightenment?

[math159w]

in Leo's life purpose course video he says that the course is second only to enlightenment, and so I'm curious as to whether i should be spending my energy on the course, or is it just a distraction from enlightenment work?

[Dogstar]

I bought the life course - haven't delved too deeply in it yet - but it is mainly oriented towards finding and creating a career.. finding your place in the world.. very practical. I don't think it will help you much in the area of spiritual enlightenment. 

[Nahm]

@math159w

is the life purpose course a "waste" of time and money if i'm pursuing enlightenment?

Imo, no, definitely not a waste by any measure. This is just one opinion, but I’d go so far as to say do it right now - don’t think about it, just take the course. Get started, by ‘getting out of your own way’.

You’re going to earn / make income, that’s not really in question. What’s in question is wether or not you’ll discover your unique gifts and talents and pair this with the income avenue accordingly. 

What enlightenment work has to do with this (or doesn’t) depends solely on what ‘enlightenment work’ is to you, what your idea or connotation of it is. It is likely that is basically care for the body mind / well being, practices like meditation, yoga, breath work etc, nondual theory, introspection & expression etc, and possibly retreats, trips, etc. 

In that light I would consider a different perspective… I’d reframe ‘enlightenment work’ to ‘my betterment of life work’. If a facet or component of  ‘enlightenment work’ does not serve your life, if it is adverse - I would stop and give long consideration to why you’re even doing it. Then you will likely see that the reason you are doing it is because it does serve your life, as it can never ‘serve enlightenment’. 

[WelcometoReality]

@math159w It's better to focus on one or the other imo. Because somewhere along your enlightenment journey you might find yourself in a place where it is impossible to push yourself to do anything. Maybe the energy you put in to creating a life purpose just falls away and that would be a waste.

If your top priority is enlightenment then focus on that and then if you feel the need to find a life purpose you can do it.

[Moksha]

Tolle talks about the transcendent dimension, and the relative dimension. Being vs. doing. From the perspective of a human life, there is value in both. Transcendence will free you from suffering. Doing will meet your physical needs. Neither is exclusive of the other. Each is of value, and worthy of pursuit.

[Thought Art]

It depends if you want to also have a dream career you are working toward. 

[Matt23]

Maybe it would be wise to pose this question to people who've had enlightenment experience, or are permanently there.  Perhaps also good to ask people who've had experience both with enlightenment and those who've found their life purpose and see how much each of those has influenced their life.  

Keep in mind though, it's your individual journey. 

[The0Self]

Pursuing enlightenment is the waste. Pursuing life purpose is a waste that isn't really a waste. Nothing and everything in life is important. Getting enlightened isn't something that happens -- the experience that it hasn't yet happened ends... but doesn't really end because it's simply the end of the experience that things/circumstances are happening and there's someone aware of things or doing things. That usually is preceded by no longer caring about getting enlightened and being content with it never actually happening -- and that's indeed exactly what happens (it doesn't really happen, and certainly doesn't happen to you).

Looking at a screen is no longer apparently covered over by knowing I'm looking at a screen -- looking at a screen, memories, the past, moments in time, the universe, and everything else is just what apparently happens -- blindly itself, as the causeless big bang itself. There's no one and nothing's happening. That's it, but it's just this, already.

[Shin]

Probably the best thing you could buy in your life.

And it cost only 250$.

[snowyowl]

Imo there's quite a lot overlap between pursuing your career and spiritual work, more loosely labelled personal development if seen as connected. 

Healing past traumas, training your concentration and mindfulness, physical and psychological health, relaxation and letting-go, facing up to your fears. Just some examples of practices which can benefit us both professionally and spiritually. So go find some practices which help you feel good and you'll develop in a rounded way. 

[The Buddha]

How u want to run a marathon if u can't even walk? Is it a waste of time if u already have run some good races. It is absolutely necessary if u have not done any self-help, shadow work, discipline and in general have your life pretty damn good. Enlightenment is the most supreme reward, u can't get to the final boss without playing the whole game. So if u go the final boss u will get frustrated and go through a lot of suffering, instead of doing things properly step by step(I know it for a fact all that I'm speaking). A very simple question: How many times do u lie a die? May a commitment for one day, no matter what tell always the truth (truth doesn't have to be rude), to yourself and others. You will se how much lies there are in your every day and how u wanted the supreme truth, nonsense. So yeah very recommended, it's like entering a cheat code in the game which gives u extra status, the middle boss and the final boss will still fuck u hard as in DarkSouls but anyway it's definately a help. If u truly desire the supreme liberation is an heroic journey, so take that into account.

[puporing]

Not a waste even if you aren't currently wanting to switch into your life purpose, it plants a seed. And that seed will grow especially as you become more and more conscious. In a weird way the life purpose and or work might come and find you and then you cannot help but pursue it... 

[Gianna]

On 6/16/2021 at 2:21 PM, WelcometoReality said:

somewhere along your enlightenment journey you might find yourself in a place where it is impossible to push yourself to do anything

this is exactly where I am at right now. is this nihilism? how do I work through this, do I even need to? 

[The Buddha]

@Gianna Respect and trust the process.

[WelcometoReality]

1 hour ago, Gianna said:

this is exactly where I am at right now. is this nihilism? how do I work through this, do I even need to? 

No there isn't a way to work through it. It's a complete settling into it.

[Nahm]

6 hours ago, Gianna said:

this is exactly where I am at right now. is this nihilism? how do I work through this, do I even need to? 

Let what you desire go from mind earnestly, genuinely, actually. (By instead focusing on feeling & perception). Then, as reality, unencumbered by dualistic thought activity, You become it. Notice thoughts about you getting whatever, and choose instead to Love that very whatever, regardless of you ever getting it or not.

You could consider both letting the activity of thinking go, via meditation and or focusing on feeling & perception… and also inspecting the thought activity, spotting subject-object thoughts and self referential thoughts. These are like corks being plugged again & again into the lamp you are rubbing, which holds the genie, which is already being all which you desired / desire / ever could or will desire. 

 

[Gianna]

@The Buddha @WelcometoReality @Nahm Thank you all! 

[Rajneeshpuram]

Enlightenment is about liberation, life purpose is about  commitment. the two are opposite.

[strwbrycough]

The thinking is too simplistic, if you plan on living in society and not living monastically.  Then yes, you need a purpose and infrastructure, you NEED to be successful or what will drag down your spiritual practice down the fastest is not having worldly problems solved, what do I mean? Can you take a solid month off and not feel the pain financially? How does what you do to earn money make your body and mind feel after your done doing it?

everything is interconnected, once you’ve actually become successful in the world, this will help you grow out of “surviving in reality” to “being reality” see spiral dynamics model. 
 

leo talks about spiritual stuff because after you have made hundreds of thousands and your net worth reaches 7 figures, the most important thing becomes impact. If you want that type of life you need to do exactly the opposite of everyone you know, why? Because they have the wrong mental models and strategies for success by definition you can see what their strategies are based on how they live their life.   Good tool “want their life? Do what they do. This includes look at your parents and friends are they making 6 figures? No? get new friends. This is the cost no one tells you, you have to become successful to have success. 

[Michal__]

You still have to make money even if your main goal is to get enlightened.