{"id":839,"date":"2009-10-01T17:58:46","date_gmt":"2009-10-01T17:58:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/onecity\/2009\/10\/finding-a-job-sitting-in-the-woods.html"},"modified":"2009-10-01T17:58:46","modified_gmt":"2009-10-01T17:58:46","slug":"finding-a-job-sitting-in-the-woods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/onecity\/2009\/10\/finding-a-job-sitting-in-the-woods.html","title":{"rendered":"Finding a job, sitting in the woods"},"content":{"rendered":"

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by Davee Evans<\/i><\/p>\n

What kind of livelihood works best for a contemplative practice? To afford more meditation retreat time, I switched from full time employment to freelancing; and over the last four years my plan has partially succeeded, but it’s been more difficult than I expected and longer retreats have surprisingly been harder to pull off. I’d recommend the approach with some caveats, for those in a line of work that has a freelance community.<\/p>\n

I was on a longer retreat in 2006, and worrying out load if I should be working and saving for my retirement instead. An older, wiser fellow named Alan offered that more retreat time meant that I needed a LOT less stuff when I retired. You know, becoming an unattached Buddhist and all doesn’t require serious shwag. So retreat was better than a 401(k) plan, he pined. And he seems to be living that truth. But I’m trying to be responsible too, might need to pay for my kids’ college someday – if I ever have kids. So I’m still trying to keep the career going instead of working at a retreat center for good.<\/p>\n

At least one Rinpoche recommended we Buddhists start our own businesses, to have more flexibility for deep retreat. If you’re the top chef<\/a> then you can set your own schedule. But for most of us, I still wonder if contemplative Buddhism in the West is possible, given how busy we all are. In more traditional settings, monks and nuns do a whole hell of a lot more sitting. Do you think deep contemplative traditions are really tenable here?<\/p>\n

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On the down side, freelancing I felt like I had less say in what I was contributing to. But that’s perhaps like any full time work. If work is scarce, there are less options and one might end up working for big oil<\/a>, but if work is more plentiful one can pick and choose more positive projects. But in this economy I should perhaps be more concerned about finding any<\/b> stable job instead of a specific kind. I have more friends out of work then ever before. And if you’re struggling to find work, who has the mindset to go on retreat?<\/p>\n

My latest prayer: “May all beings find sustaining and fulfilling work.”<\/p>\n

That same anxiety and restlessness looking for work was my ongoing experience freelancing. When I had work, I was worried about what was next. Then in between contracts, that was doubled. It would range from a nagging feeling that I was being foolish to irrational anxiety and thoughts like, “That was it; I’ll never find another decent chunk of work.” If I went on a meditation retreat while between contracts, that would steal my mind away. An interesting set of emotions to work with for sure — and maybe i’ll be accomplished enough someday to make better use of that — but for now disquiet.<\/p>\n

I suspect Jamgon Kongtrul’s advice for retreats – make sure you’re safe, he wrote – holds true both physically and also financially. He was talking about both bears and bear markets.<\/p>\n

Some things that I’d recommend if you try a similar approach:<\/p>\n