Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Exploring Theravāda's connections to other paths - what can we learn from other traditions, religions and philosophies?
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purple planet
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Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by purple planet »

i want to put to discussion 3 issues :

1 . Is it possible to work in a job that requires thinking - in a mindful way and all the time i use the mahasi technique of labeling so i wonder if i can find a job that i can be mindful at like im washing the dishes in a mindful way ?

2 . what jobs are out there who dont need any thinking - the more job ideas the better

3 . what jobs do you think are better to help in mindfulness ?

edit - ignore this 3 topics just answer how you like : i want to find a job and want to be as much mindful in it - what jobs are best and add any thoughts on the topic
Last edited by purple planet on Sat Aug 17, 2013 10:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Modus.Ponens
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Re: Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by Modus.Ponens »

I think that's one of the shortcomings of the Mahasi technique.

"In the cognized let there only be the cognized" works for me.
'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.' - Jhana Sutta
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purple planet
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Re: Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by purple planet »

do you work ? if so are you fully mindful when working ?
Arali
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Re: Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by Arali »

Dishwasher (at a restaurant) is a job.
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Re: Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by lyndon taylor »

Politician, Government official........
18 years ago I made one of the most important decisions of my life and entered a local Cambodian Buddhist Temple as a temple boy and, for only 3 weeks, an actual Therevada Buddhist monk. I am not a scholar, great meditator, or authority on Buddhism, but Buddhism is something I love from the Bottom of my heart. It has taught me sobriety, morality, peace, and very importantly that my suffering is optional, and doesn't have to run my life. I hope to give back what little I can to the Buddhist community, sincerely former monk John

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purple planet
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Re: Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by purple planet »

See my shoulder and back are killing me - im looking for a job -

there are some interesting non-physical jobs but they require thinking - on the other hand if i would find a non-thinking - not to hard on the body job i could practice while working
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Re: Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by Coyote »

I feel that being mindful of thinking is more difficult than being mindful of physical processes, but is a good thing to learn. A "thinking job" might be especially good if you are working with others.
Finding a wholesome livelihood might be a better way of integrating the dhamma into your working life though.
"If beings knew, as I know, the results of giving & sharing, they would not eat without having given, nor would the stain of miserliness overcome their minds. Even if it were their last bite, their last mouthful, they would not eat without having shared."
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barcsimalsi
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Re: Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by barcsimalsi »

If you don't mind the low salary, work for security companyImage
you can do samatha and vipassana all day and still got paid.
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Re: Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by chownah »

For me any job which has physical repetition. Factory work like dumping containers of frozen food out of trays onto a conveyor belt ....or cutting large amounts of trim for furniture with a chop saw and stacking the pieces. I'm an organic farmer and you can imagine how repetitively boring that can be :tongue: ......I love it!.....lots of opportunities for mindfulness!

Almost all work can be done mindfully, the only limit I think is in one's ability to be mindful. I find that doing Tai Chi is excellent for developing mindfulness while being active.
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Modus.Ponens
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Re: Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by Modus.Ponens »

purple planet wrote:do you work ? if so are you fully mindful when working ?
I study. I used to apply the above advice from the Buddha when I was reading. It was very useful. Now I don't do it, but for the time I did, it worked. I never tried it when I wanted to think creatively. Try it. You have nothing to lose.
'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.' - Jhana Sutta
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Re: Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by befriend »

I sand and paint furniture, I mostly use a power sander, and painting furniture is not hard on the body, except you have to stay standing up.
Take care of mindfulness and mindfulness will take care of you.
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Re: Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by Cittasanto »

purple planet wrote:i want to put to discussion 3 issues :
OK
1 . Is it possible to work in a job that requires thinking - in a mindful way and all the time i use the mahasi technique of labeling so i wonder if i can find a job that i can be mindful at like im washing the dishes in a mindful way ?
how are you mindful of washing dishes? can you describe it?
2 . what jobs are out there who dont need any thinking - the more job ideas the better
for what purpose? do you want to be asleep/on automatic pilot all day? or fully aware of what you are doing?
3 . what jobs do you think are better to help in mindfulness ?
Any and all! it is how you approach work, not what you do that matters.
if you want to follow a specific technique you do on retreat/personal formal sitting/walking practice you should go to a monastery/meditation center that focuses on meditation as the main activity.

you may find what I am about to say not to your taste, but....

it is silly to expect to have ideal circumstances for practice, in the householder life we need to interact, pay bills... and this requires at the very least the first five of the noble eight fold path. If all you want to do is a formal sitting walking standing or lying down practice then work is not for you, and it is ridiculous to try to find a job where you can.
At present I am a cleaner/supervisor, and it requires thinking about how the work has been done, as a Kitchen Porter I was required to pay attention to how the job was done, as a manager of a store it required me to think about the duties and other things that needed doing..., there are duties and extras needed to be done in any job USE THAT TO BE MINDFUL if you don't want to be a hermit.
p.s. there are still duties... for monastics in a monastery even those mainly focused on meditation.
the only job I believe you are looking for is a hermit.
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purple planet
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Re: Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by purple planet »

Thanks for the reply - i changed the 3 topics things - but thanks for that answer

Cittasanto about what you said - if i wash dishes its labeling like : lifting moving pushing scrubing ect ....

and about the jobs if i wash the dishes for instance i need to talk a little when i meet people but then i just clean them and there is less need of talk

if i need to hear someone say wash this 6 dishes i need to think but not as much as in a costumer service job - which i think not to choose cause of this issue
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purple planet
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Re: Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by purple planet »

talked with a monk - he said its important to make merit in the job -

so being a doctor can be more efficient then a meditating guard

every job you do if you do a bit extra for someone you create good merit

and he said that its possible to be mindful in any job - only its much harder for some jobs than others -

so there is an advantage for being a guard but there can be good sides to any job
dagon
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Re: Jobs who require no thinking so i can meditate

Post by dagon »

Out of all the jobs that I have ever had I think that being a dish pig (washing up) was one of the least conducive ones to any kind of spiritual development. It would be rare for you to work in isolation and the conversation going on around you would exemplify wrong speech!!! On a practical side bending over a sink may not be the best thing for the pain in the shoulders and back ….

My current job (soon to be discontinued) is the best job that I have ever had in trying to follow the Dhamma. I work in a nursing home providing personal care and basic medical interventions.

At one level I spend most of my time up to the arm pits in sick and aged bodies and everything that leaks out of the 9 openings and additional ones resulting from medical procedures and infections. The rest of the time I am trying to work out what is causing the pain and suffering of those afflicted with dementia.

At the other level I get to put in practice love, kindness, compassion, joy and deal and apply equanimity to all of that. In return I receive love kindness and compassion from most of my clients and family; none of who can understand just how much they give me. Being mindful helps me to do the work to a very high standard (according to my clients). There is continual reinforcement in my mind of the first Noble truth with practical demonstration of the suffering caused by greed, attachment, aversions and grief. The situation forces me to be mindful and skillful in my speech (one of my weaknesses). It provides me with all the assistance I need to be celibate for the time being (no I have not taken that precept). I get to practice the practical side of phoneme and the use of the mind to block the 5 external senses. This helps my meditation and my meditation helps me to apply this. Actually there is a lot more that it gives me but that should provide an idea of my rewards. I go home from work knowing that I have directly made 20 people’s lives/death better than it would have otherwise been on that day. Who could ask for more.

Paul
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