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Pain and emptiness from renunciation before the fruits of the path begin to bloom

shays860shays860
edited September 2011 in Buddhism Basics
The title pretty much says it all. I don't know how much or what aspects of my current day to day life to renounce. I am afraid that i am just going to be even more depressed until the path begins to bear fruit. I don't even have a local sangha to take refuge in... Even if i were to renounce I don't really know what to do with the time between meditation sessions... What do buddhists do when they're not directly practicing?

Comments

  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited September 2011
    Every moment in normal life can be part of your practice. Maintain mindfulness, be on the inside ("the one who knows") watching the arise and fall of your external sense-world as well as upon the thoughts and feelings etc. that arise/fall in the mind. Keep the precepts, try to cultivate generosity and compassion, generally just try to be a good person (act skillfully) in your normal life.

    Many Buddhists are just like this, they don't seem different just to look at them and they don't live "abnormal" lives. They just try to act skillfully and be good people in general, and add a meditative practice to that to help foster insight. It's just like breathing... you don't try and change your breathing in your practice, but do try to remain mindful of it.
  • shays860shays860
    Thank you Cloud :) I think my biggest problem is probably the lack of a local sangha... And the only decent friendship I really have right now revolves around alcohol and videogames... lol I think some of my posting is partially a sort of venting and thinking out loud to clarify my own thoughts on things... I hope that's okay...
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    You're not alone, no sangha here either. It can take a while to get in the groove of things, especially when you have to find your way basically on your own.
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