Dhamma Caused My Lack of Drive For The World - Dhamma Wheel

26/8/2558
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Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world?

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Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338349)

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UnreadpostbyAlex123FriMay15,201510:03pm
Hello all,
As time goes, especially after Dhamma, I get less and less drive and motivation to succeed in
the world. World looks less and less exciting. Sometimes I try to be more worldly, but can't.
At least not for long.
Sometimes I get this (wrong!!!) thought that I was happier before I encountered Dhamma and
before I had crisis of meaning. I was happy in a worldly way, and didn't have to worry about
afterdeath, and meaning of life. Future looked bright...
Did something like this happened to you?

Alex
Top
Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338350)

UnreadpostbyzengenFriMay15,201510:09pm
Alex123 wrote:
As time goes, especially after Dhamma, I get less and less drive and motivation
to succeed in the world. World looks less and less exciting. Sometimes I try to
be more worldly, but can't. At least not for long.
http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=23631
1/13
26/8/2558
That's very normal. As you make progress in your practice, your worldly attachment reduces.
If not, you've been practicing wrong.
Alex123 wrote:
Sometimes I get this (wrong!!!) thought that I was happier before I encountered
Dhamma and before I had crisis of meaning. I was happy in a worldly way, and
didn't have to worry about afterdeath, and meaning of life. Future looked
bright...
That happiness is false.
Alex123 wrote:
Yes, it happened to me.

Top

UnreadpostbywaryoffollyFriMay15,201510:43pm
For me I find something different occurs. My baseline happiness without practicing is very
low. It is the time periods during which I am practicing that I enjoy all aspects of my life
more. There is a bit of irony to this situation of course: Although I enjoy my studies more
while consistently practicing, I also am significantly less concerned about them. It is as if the
happiness and joy created by the dhamma follows me throughout my day regardless of what I
am doing. If my practice has been going well, my life as a whole does better too.
The dhamma should not cause you to become more depressed and less motivated. Your
motivations for doing well at work may change, but they should overall improve as your mind
becomes more peaceful with time.
(One caveat: If your job is unethical then your motivation for it will decrease with practice.)
For me my motivations have changed from a fear of doing poorly to 1.a respect for those
around me who are affected by my performance, and 2. a genuine drive to use the
experiences of my day as fodder for practice this mostly entails trying to unify my mind well
upon whatever task is at hand. This does represent a significant increase of motivation for
me.
It is possible that you are in a transition period where you have not yet figured out how to
use your experiences at work to practice well. I suggest you sink energy into this if that is the
case.
Remember, regardless of where you are it is possible to practice well. If you seize every
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opportunity for practice then your motivation and drive for practice will cause your future to
again seem bright.
(Of course the light will now be the that of the dhamma rather than "worldly" success)
Cheers,
waryoffolly
Top

UnreadpostbyWriSatMay16,20151:54am
The Dhamma was intended to bring balance, and it seems you've fallen off the deep end into
aversion. The "worldly" things aren't pure poison. You're just not supposed to be attached to
them. You're being way too hard on yourself to realize the contentment that the path was
intended for. The Buddha did the whole ascetic thing and found it didn't end suffering. Try for
contentment. That's my advice. Buddhism made my life better each day, and continues to
provide strength for me. What you're experiencing is subtle hatred for the world and
obviously that is no way to end suffering. Constant agitation simply by being alive on Earth?
Stay away from that mood, my friend.
Top

UnreadpostbyAlex123SatMay16,20151:57am
Wri wrote:
The Dhamma was intended to bring balance, and it seems you've fallen off the
deep end into aversion. The "worldly" things aren't pure poison.
Well, they bring pleasure only for a while. But the pleasant feeling is like a bubble. It lasts so
quickly, and then it is as if it never happened. Memory isn't the same as having the feeling...
And it seems that there are just as much drawbacks to sensual pleasures as the pluses.
Also some suttas are scary, if the rebirth is true.
Top

UnreadpostbyWriSatMay16,20152:11am
Alex123 wrote:
3/13
26/8/2558
Wri wrote:
The Dhamma was intended to bring balance, and it seems you've fallen
off the deep end into aversion. The "worldly" things aren't pure poison.
Well, they bring pleasure only for a while. But the pleasant feeling is like a
bubble. It lasts so quickly, and then it is as if it never happened. Memory isn't
the same as having the feeling... And it seems that there are just as much
drawbacks to sensual pleasures.
The entire point of all the teachings is to end suffering, and you should be reading them with
that lens. Pleasure is not wrong. Needing things to be a certain way is suffering, as it makes
you discontent, unsatisfied. It is true that the worldly pleasures are fleeting, but that's the
nature of life. Meditation is fleeting, Jhana is fleeting, rapture is fleeting, pain is fleeting.
Feel the pleasure, and let it go. You should obviously keep your precepts as they are meant
to protect you and others, but do you think it's conducive to the path to hate the nature of
life? That's part of suffering, it's part of what keeps making us be reborn. Contentment and
equanimity will be your greatest assets at making peace with this life. It doesn't mean you go
seeking pleasure, but it also means you don't hold hatred over it.
There was a time in my practice when I felt a lot of aversion, and I had to realize that I was
practicing in a way that only hurt me. I wanted to give up the world and become a monk,
thinking that I would escape the harsh reality of life. I wanted to practice the dhamma out of
aversion, and not devotion. Now I don't mind whether I'm a lay person or a monk, I just want
to experience whatever happens, do what I need to do, learn from it, and help others while
being guided by the Buddha's teachings. It's incredibly peaceful, and I always feel content on
some level.
Top

UnreadpostbypegembaraSatMay16,20153:16am
Just because you know sandcastles don't last doesn't mean you have to stop playing with
them. You only need to realise that is what they are. Ajahn Chah would say that you use the
cup as if it is already "broken".
The advice given below is for those who still don't realise or accept that they are actually
playing with sand castles.
"Just as when boys or girls are playing with little sand castles:[4] as long as they
are not free from passion, desire, love, thirst, fever, & craving for those little
sand castles, that's how long they have fun with those sand castles, enjoy them,
treasure them, feel possessive of them. But when they become free from
passion, desire, love, thirst, fever, & craving for those little sand castles, then
they smash them, scatter them, demolish them with their hands or feet and
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make them unfit for play."

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
(http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn23/sn23.002.than.html) "
onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;"
onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
As the Mahayanist say
Form does not differ from Emptiness

And Emptiness does not differ from Form.
Form is Emptiness and Emptiness is Form.
The same is true for Feelings,
Perceptions, Volitions and Consciousness.
Top

Unreadpostbyseeker242SatMay16,201511:10am
Alex123 wrote:
They are, if you do wrong action, wrong speech, etc. That sort of behavior could easily land
you in hell and hell is scary. But, if you never do anything wrong, then there's really no reason
to be scared of it yea?
Top

UnreadpostbyAlex123SatMay16,201511:49am
seeker242 wrote:
But, if you never do anything wrong, then there's really no reason to be scared
of it yea?
5/13
26/8/2558
There is. There could come some really bad kamma from former lives or later in this life.
Also, there is sutta in SN that talks how if one were attached to (sight, sound...) at the
moment of death, one could be reborn in hell or animal realm.
18. (iv) "Now there is the person who has abstained from killing living beings
here... has had right view. And on the dissolution of the body, after death, he
reappears in the states of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition,
in hell.[12] But (perhaps) the evil kamma producing his suffering was done by
him earlier, or the evil kamma producing his suffering was done by him later, or
wrong view was undertaken and completed by him at the time of his death. And
that was why, on the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappeared in the
states of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell. But since
he has abstained from killing living beings here... has had right view, he will
feel the result of that here and now, or in his next rebirth, or in some
subsequent existence.[13]
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .nymo.html
(http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.136.nymo.html) "
onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;"
onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It would be better, bhikkhus, for the eye faculty to be lacerated by a redhot

iron pin which is burning, blazing, and glowing, than for one to grasp the sign
through the features in a form cognizable by the eye. For if consciousness
should stand tied to gratification in the sign or in the features, and if one
should die on that occasion, it is possible that one will go to one of two
destinations: hell or the animal realm. Having seen this danger, I speak thus.
sn35.235
Top

UnreadpostbyAlokaSatMay16,20151:19pm
Alex123 wrote:
Hello all,
bright...
6/13
26/8/2558

Alex
No. Practising the Dhamma gave me more confidence in my job and a sense of greater
freedom in general.
There could come some really bad kamma from former lives or later in this life.
Also, there is sutta in SN that talks how if one were attached to (sight,
sound...) at the moment of death, one could be reborn in hell or animal realm.
I never speculate in that way, I just deal with the present and take one day at a time.
May you be well & happy Alex

Top

UnreadpostbyAlex123SatMay16,20151:49pm
Aloka wrote:
Thank you. But this cold rainy morning, I am so depressed...

Top

UnreadpostbyAlokaSatMay16,20152:16pm
Alex123 wrote:
Aloka wrote:
7/13
26/8/2558
Thank you. But this cold rainy morning, I am so depressed...
I think you should definately consider talking to a doctor/health professional, Alex, because
you seem to have been depressed for quite a long time. Do you have a job, by the way ?
Top

Aloka wrote:
I think you should definately consider talking to a doctor/health professional,
Alex, because you seem to have been depressed for quite a long time. Do you
have a job, by the way ?
Right now I am going for another day of volunteering.

I am volunteering in retail pharmacy because in this bad job market, I can't find a job. I
submitted 70 resumes so far to the hospital pharmacy and got even no interviews...
And as time goes, I have less and less motivation to succeed in worldly life. I have less desire
to eat (i've lost like up to 30 pounds)
Top

UnreadpostbySDCSatMay16,20152:40pm
Sorry for your situation, Alex. It seems as though some ideas are having an adverse effect.
Perhaps there are many things sitting in opposition to one another? If things become too
difficult, please do not torture yourself and seek whatever help you may need to get things
back on track.
Top

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Unreadpostbyieee23SatMay16,20152:53pm
I think there is a difference between anhedonia and detachment. I'm not an expert, but my
guess would be that detachment born out of Buddhist observation wouldn't be anhedonia.
Top

UnreadpostbydhammarelaxSatMay16,20153:11pm
Alex123 wrote:
Aloka wrote:
I think you should definately consider talking to a doctor/health
professional, Alex, because you seem to have been depressed for quite
a long time. Do you have a job, by the way ?
Right now I am going for another day of volunteering.

I am volunteering in retail pharmacy because in this bad job market, I can't find
a job. I submitted 70 resumes so far to the hospital pharmacy and got even no
interviews...
And as time goes, I have less and less motivation to succeed in worldly life. I
have less desire to eat (i've lost like up to 30 pounds)
Hi Alex123
If the job situation is an issue consider immigrating to a different country is surprising the
differences in income there are just because you crossed a border, have you try sending some
metta to your self? wish yourself infinite happiness and smile even if you done feel like it
smile. If you get a nice feeling pay attention to it and relax a bit.
smile all the time
dhammarelax
Top

UnreadpostbyWriSatMay16,20154:19pm
Well, as someone with a fresh degree in Psychology, I would tell you, as others have, to seek
professional counseling. It is indeed a tough world out there right now and getting a job is
especially difficult. It seems like you've gotten frustrated and disappointed with the state of
your community, and your mind is using Buddhism to support that disappointment. I don't
blame you for not wanting to add yet another challenge to your life right now by combating
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your feelings with new ideology. I think it would help you most if you sought after a counselor
as they can lead you in good directions as far as job openings go with they type of resume you
have, and help you cope with the time between now and finding a job.
It's tough out there, but remember that these challenges are always great opportunities to
make you a stronger, more wise person. Keep your mind open, keep wanting to learn.
Top

UnreadpostbyzengenSatMay16,20155:32pm
pegembara wrote:
Just because you know sandcastles don't last doesn't mean you have to stop
playing with them. You only need to realise that is what they are. Ajahn Chah
would say that you use the cup as if it is already "broken".
If you own a teacup that is very precious to you, you have two choices: you can be obsessively
careful with it, and live in fear that you'll drop it, or someone will chip it, or an earthquake
will come and it will fall out of the cabinet. This object, intended to bring you pleasure, can
become a burden.
Or, you can imagine that it is already broken because in an important sense, it is. It's sure
to break someday, just as you're sure to die and the universe is sure to come to an end. Then,
every time you drink from the cup will be a pleasure, a gift from the gods, a special reunion
between you and something you had lost. You will be sure to appreciate every chance you
have to use it, but having already said goodbye you will not need to use it with fear.
This can be applied to personal relationships, to your job, to money... if you give up feeling
that you need things, you can appreciate them more fully.
Some people worry that if they give up attachment to this extent, they will not have the will
to get what they want; they'll end up living in a discarded refrigerator box and starving to
death because they're so laidback. In fact, there is substantial evidence that having a goal
and enjoying a process is not the same thing as kicking your ass all the time, or being
motivated by fear of failure or of becoming a bad person.
Top

UnreadpostbyThispersonSatMay16,20155:36pm
Alex123 wrote:
Hello all,
10/13
26/8/2558
bright...

Alex
Practicing the dhamma can lead to a lack of want of worldly things but ideally it will not be in
a depressed way, more like an indifferent just not interested way. This is not to say that one
will never feel down on the meditative path. You're seeing the nature of worldly pleasures
and you can take that knowledge personally and sulk, or let go of it and develop your practice
and a more reliable sense of well being within.
One thing that you can try is to take a step back and just observe what is happening in your
day to day, moment to moment life. When a feeling of depression arises, do you take that
feeling personally and become a person that has to get rid of depression by solving something
or do you just notice an unpleasant feeling? Next time you feel sadness, see if you can just
feel the sensation without reacting to it. How does it feel in the mind? How does it feel in the
body? What will happen if you just let it go instead of taking it as your problem that needs to
be dealt with? This can be done with other mind states as well. When a feeling of anger
arises, what does it feel like in mind/body? Not in a discursive type of over analysis, just
notice if these states are pleasant or unpleasant. Do they last forever or go away on their
own? Try to keep the attention in the present and see these things as they happen in the very
moment they happen.
Well, they bring pleasure only for a while. But the pleasant feeling is like a
bubble. It lasts so quickly, and then it is as if it never happened. Memory isn't
the same as having the feeling... And it seems that there are just as much
drawbacks to sensual pleasures as the pluses.
Yes, sounds like you are seeing the drawbacks of relying on worldly things. This is part of the
basis for developing the meditative path, finding a pleasure that is not dependent on
unreliable worldly things. So do your best to let go of the unpleasant feelings that your mind
if grasping at and learn to develop the qualities that will lead to right concentration. As you
get more skilled at right practice you will start to develop a state of well being within. Do you
practice metta towards yourself and others? Genuine metta can be quite helpful in breaking
out of the "poor me" type of mindset.
Top

11/13
26/8/2558
dhammarelax wrote:
If the job situation
About job, I was just replying to Aloka. While it is extra negativity, at this point, I have bigger
problems. I don't see anything that would satisfy me for long time in the world. It seems like I
am less able to handle the world which requires enough motivation and certain attitude. But
then I've read "the Broken Buddha" and various other similar disappointing stuff.
Top
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Dhamma Caused My Lack of Drive For The World - Dhamma Wheel

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Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world?

Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338349)

Did something like this happened to you?

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338350)

That happiness is false.

Yes, it happened to me.

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338353)

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338364)

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338365)

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338366)

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338379)

make them unfit for play."

As the Mahayanist say

Form does not differ from Emptiness

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338399)

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338404)

It would be better, bhikkhus, for the eye faculty to be lacerated by a redhot

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338407)

Did something like this happened to you?

May you be well & happy Alex

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338409)

Thank you. But this cold rainy morning, I am so depressed...

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338411)

May you be well & happy Alex

Thank you. But this cold rainy morning, I am so depressed...

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338412)

Right now I am going for another day of volunteering.

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338414)

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338418)

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338421)

Right now I am going for another day of volunteering.

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338426)

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338431)

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338432)

Did something like this happened to you?

Re: Dhamma caused my lack of drive for the world? (#p338437)

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