I started my first 9 to 5 on the 6th of the month, which changed everything. By July 10th, I had stopped all formal sits, but increased off cushion practice. I started having trouble sleeping, and this would continue until 6 weeks into the job, when my body would finally adapt to the schedule. Despite this, I had stellar job performance, due in huge part to all the training I had done in recent months. Throughout the month, I struggled with understanding the path itself, particularly the intersection of Right Lifestyle and Right View. Many false dichotomies arose: Buddhism vs Secular Materialism, Insight By the Nature Method vs Insight By Organized Training, Right Effort vs stressful striving, etc. Richard told me that once the mind is free of hindrances (which is roughly where I was at at this point), the task is to investigate the eightfold path as a whole. I began to question the way forum participation was causing unneeded stress, and ...
At the intersection of deep meditation, growing up, and mood disorder.