Going Forth

Kunga

Hi everyone,

I'm curious about the concept of going forth. I'm a 22 year old who has essentially come to a dead-end in my spiritual/otherwise life. I've had moments of genuine compassion and wholeness, but I feel divided against myself these days. While I take some responsibility for this (lack of steady practice, for one) I also think a lot of the blame rests in the culture that I'm immersed in. I don't think that the American way of life is really that different from the kind of society that the Buddha originally grew up. Could he have progressed spiritually had he not left that royal place of self-indulgence and luxury and "gone forth"? How can we be expected to be compassionate and transcend suffering when Western culture promotes so much greed and aversion? I often feel like just putting on a backpack and "going forth". Of course, I'm fearful of the practical implications of this (hunger, discomfort, etc.) but I find myself returning to the fantasy quite often. I wonder if anyone can empathize with this? Thanks for reading, sorry for the rant.

Cloud

Been there before. Almost ended up going and living in the forest. I think there comes a point for everyone when they see the futility and delusion in "worldly" affairs and become completely disinterested in the kind of life that society deems normal...

Disney

Hi everyone,
How can we be expected to be compassionate and transcend suffering when Western culture promotes so much greed and aversion?

Western culture is based on democracy where you have the freedom not to listen the aversion and greed aspects. You may listen on the greed of donation in kind and aversion of evil self to erect and promote your compassionate self.

Kunga

Its also frustrating because after gaining a glimpse of wholeness, it is easy to see how much suffering there is the world, and for a time you can relate to people compassionately. But then its so easy to fall back into the trap of obsessing about your own little world and blocking out everybody else's discomfort. I think it takes a lot of effort to inhibit our natural drive towards compassion, but darnit our society does seem to try!

SherabDorje

Look up Pema Chodron's "Start Where You Are".

And maybe consider this culture more of a challenge?

Epicurus

The middle way answer between putting on a back back and "going forth" and staying in America might be just emigrating to a country where people are more balanced

There ARE countries where social conscience in some areas is a little bit more refined perhaps. Of course said countries might still have down sides, but....America is just ONE country in the whole world. Don't feel obligated to live there for the rest of your life. You have options.

compassionate_warrior

You can create your own reality, your own environment, live by your own values, surround yourself with like-minded friends. Greed and materialism don't have to be part of your life. It's a choice. You can choose to ignore it. And there's a balance between living in one's own world on the one hand, and "obsessing about others' discomfort", a middle way. Don't blame society for your own inability to stay focussed or true to yourself. Life is what you make of it. Design your own life.

Roger

Look up Pema Chodron's "Start Where You Are".

And maybe consider this culture more of a challenge?

Yup. This culture, it's basically all we got; maybe change assumptions and ways of dealing with it. Alternatives involve major uprooting with no guarantees. Besides we need people like you: awake to the possibility things can be much better based on thinking smarter about what we're doing and where we're headed as a society.



Excellent book suggestion (see below).

Here's a part from the Amazon reader's review. I couldn't have said it better:

"This book works on many levels... I am not a 'serious practitioner,' by any means, but someone who goes to work every day and has to deal with many frustrations and stresses, but this book offers practical methods that help you deal with just these impediments in your life, so that you can be happier, and give more happiness to others."