📖 Day 17 Cookbook Discussion Prompt - RIGHT LIVELIHOOD

[Angela_Catalano]

At the moment, I’m working at the front of house in a vegan restaurant, and as a yoga teacher, and I’m so thankful to have these positions that make it easy to feel aligned with my spiritual practice. At the restaurant, I use every day as an opportunity to be fully present with every customer that I interact with. I frequently encounter interpersonal challenges, as with all restaurants, and sometimes these get me lost for a bit but I try to use them for my growth and keep coming back to my center. I’ve learned a lot at this job.

The bigger question is what I want to do as my career. Originally, I imagined myself as a therapist, so it’s so wonderful listening to Ram Dass talk about how he navigated this profession later in his life, and the cautions he gives about making the patient, the patient and the self, the therapist. Reading his book How Can I Help was very helpful to me and I know I’ll use it as a guide if/when I enter this profession. I do struggle with the idea of being a therapist though, because I still wonder, how will I “be a therapist” for a patient, validate all of their worldly challenges, but at the same time not contribute to their being trapped in it? If any therapists are here and have input, I would love to hear. I’ve been questioning lately whether this is even the best helping profession for me anymore, or if there’s another avenue that I can take that would be more conducive to freeing people and becoming free in the process. Thank you for taking the time to read this

[Emily_Shiell]

@Jeremy Thank you so much for those kind words and encouragement! You’re right, making money and making something of ourselves is optional. I am doing what I feel is right for me right now and it is allowing me to explore my interests on a much deeper level than I would if I had a job that required most of my daily energy. I have a feeling this exploration will lead me to something I’m really excited about that allows for self-sustainability eventually

[Travis_Barker]

Relatable questions. A few thoughts…

The intersection of functional stability within the secular and spiritual world is not entirely incompatible.

The challenge is:

• The definition of happiness held by both modelsList item

• The path to attaining it, and

• The intersection of engagement/ equanimity that will not always align with career, family, or socio economic values.

Spiritual and secular models are quite different, and yield very different aspirations and insights. Both views are compatible, but need to be of inherent value everyone involved. Validation of perception, interpretation, and experience is inherent in both views, without getting entangled in right or wrong unless harm is occurring.

Everyone’s path and support needs are different, meaning,

• Support is tailored to the individual

• Level of readiness

• Culture and values

• Views and interpretation

• Goals and aspirations

• Risks and priorities, etc.

The focus of therapeutic supports is determined by the source of funding. Training, education, and licenses differentiate what type of supports can be provided. This is also significantly bounded by context where the supports are delivered. Some therapeutic models are supported more often, and others less often.

And the kicker, not everyone will be interested in deconstructing reality from a spiritual point of view. The client decides what resonates and is helpful. Trying to ‘push’ something different can get messy…

A few career questions may be useful:

• Understanding what models resonate with you,

• Where these models are used,

• What training/education/licenses are required to have the flexibility to use these preferred models, and

• What is the demand/career forecast for this professional path,

• What type of organization/setting do you need/want to work in? (Public/Private, Small/Lg, Owner/Employee, In/Outpatient, etc.)

Each of the above questions are also constraints. The more narrow one’s ‘Ideal’ workplace the less opportunities to help.

Some say everything is spiritual. The language can certainly differ, but doesn’t have to. But talking like a guru while applying CBT or DBT may raise a few eyebrows.

Best of luck to you. Its a complicated and sticky career path. Ideals can lead to a lot of burnout. Secular-spiritual flexibility may help.

Check out -
Mark Epstein, MD
He takes a buddhist perspective/approach to therapy. Lots of discussions in youtube.

[Gail_Rastorfer]

Uh. Wow. Okay. This hit for me. Deep. This maybe what I need to work on/meditate on.
Both Livelihood and Money. Both audios today were blowing my mind. Especially the 2nd on money. I temporarily moved from my home with my husband to another city to pursue more work in 2018. I found out two things.

1. The pursuit of the work in the new environment I was in was ‘enough.’ I felt successful even though I wasn’t making money. My vibration was high all the time even though I wasn’t working all the time. I had like minded beings around me and goodness flowed with ease.
2. I was living VERY sparsely. I only had what I needed to live and it was GREAT!!! It was freeing. The space that was left was filled with contentment.

Coming back to my home state it has been difficult to live how I had been living in that other state. I get a desire to rid myself of the excess in my home and yet…I don’t. I also have a partner to consider in these decisions.
I want to feel the same energy when pursuing work but there is very little work to pursue in my home state…so now what?

How do I maintain and live what I know was/is the right path when live in the old environment? I’ve got a lot to meditate on! I am going to keep coming back to this lesson.

[Angela_Catalano]

Travis, thank you so much for this incredibly thoughtful response. You’ve given me a lot to think about and some really helpful recommendations to move forward. And I will definitely check out Mark Epstein. Thank you thank you!

[Louisa_Flynn]

I had this theme occur in my life only recently. Last year I qualified as a BWY yoga teacher. But I knew I wasn’t doing that to make money. Also, as a stay at home mother, I made that decision to be the main carer for my children (a decision not without sacrifice) but it was the right one for me and my family. Again, the meaning was about more than economics. But we need money in order to live. Luckily, I am able to play around with the way I make my income, and I am also able to team up with my husband and we share the responsibilities. Me cater, he the main earner. As a team. But there is no shame in earning money - however it is we need to - providing we are not harming anyone by doing so. But even this is subjective. It’s an interesting topic, for sure.

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

@Jeremy

Do you walk around with a closed fist and a closed heart when you see others in need?

Perhaps part of my discomfort is based in my own feelings about money. When I have been relatively poor there is so much less guilt in not helping others. Once you have relative wealth, it becomes so much harder to walk through life and withhold that wealth in the face of so much suffering and poverty. Maybe my discomfort is just an arrow pointing to where my work is to be done.

I love your authenticity here! It brings some real light to the nuances we live with in a capitalistic society. Good things to ponder. Thank you.

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

@donna_loney

put my hand on my heart, smile, wave with intention of creating an opening for that person and sometimes, I do give them a dollar. I also give a tenth of a tenth to charities or causes I support.

Right? How do we hold ourselves and others with care when it comes to survival and money in this culture. Treating everyone…everyone…with the same dignity seems to be at least one of the first steps! Thank you for sharing this Donna.

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

@Travis_Barker

The cultivation of capabilities, resources, and wisdom is necessary if a compassionate, just, and equitable society is to survive. Billionares donating their money to charitable causes is a great start, as long as we consider how that wealth was generated. But waiting for pure inputs and outputs before feeding one’s family is impractical, even if a useful normative aspiration. Finding a spiritual-secular balance on the path is a process.

Yes. And so helpful to remember that wealth comes in so many forms. Just because one has money doesn’t mean they don’t suffer or have wealth of time and friends. And just because one is without money doesn’t mean the suffer or are poor in time and friends. Great perspectives to keep in mind! Thanks

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

@Gail_Rastorfer

How do I maintain and live what I know was/is the right path when live in the old environment?

Right?! It’s like the energy of a habit can overwhelm the newly created insights at times. Living in this world has its various demands it seems. Good stuff to meditate on. Thank you for sharing.

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

@Erin_Pillman

A question I have been asking for awhile now is “How can we make it more profitable to honor, love, and care for one another and the Earth?”

I think this is the question needed for our future to be sure!

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

@Zac_Townsend

If you are a bank teller you are present, here and now, and beaming loving awareness and loving kindness outward to each customer and to all your coworkers and bosses. Whatever your job is, you can transfer the stuff we have learned in this course into actual practices done on the job, where the rubber meets the road. A frustrated customer is upset because the store I work at doesn’t carry a specific spice they were looking for? Remaining calm, cool, collected, helping them as best I can, saying sorry, seeing it from their point of view, and then radiating love energy outward is my plan of action in this situation.

Yes. What a practice!

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

@David_Danyluk

ccepting this seems to be an important way of finding the freedom from stories about the existence of money and how I relate to it personally, even if others’ disagree. I must continuously practice w

Well said! Thank you.

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

@Emily_Shiell

I like hearing RD talk about going back home to his dad asking him if he has a job so relatable!

Thank you for sharing authentically and for your vulnerability around your family. It totally makes sense, and the Karma piece of money that Ram Dass talks about is just so fascinating. I see you having the means to care for your nervous system as an incredible blessing and boon for you.

[Jacquelyn_LSRF]

@donna_loney

For now, being here, now, is my work

[Joshua_Schapiro]

I was reminded that your job doesn’t have to be ‘saving the world’ or ‘feeding the poor’… on the spiritual side of things you still learn either way. The trick is to be conscious while doing your job

[Erin_Pillman]

Oh that’s so interesting… I didn’t sense fear from the writer of the article, I sensed humility and a reckoning with the truth (and the math). I guess we all perceive things differently, as you said.

[Adriana_Bolanos]

Hello beautiful people

This gave me great perspective… To see people through the VEIL not as the Role they are playing… This helps me have compassion.

More over to see the part they play to assist me on my spiritual journey of liberation.

Teaching me what am I attached to???

I do notice that life is taking me on a journey of HUMBLENESS… Assisting me in letting go of my ATTACHMENTS. I love how Ram Das explains $$$ as green vibration (energy)
Also how it relates to the ROLES of “livelihood ” wherever I am or whatever I do , use this to spread my teachings through what transpires between me through an interaction… Strengthening in me the FAITH in divinity of man … As Ram Das states

[Kathryn_Erbe]

This lesson, this RAM DASS passage and particularly the story about Maharaja burning the money and his words about needing less as we increase our faith all brings me such comfort. I want to save this talk and listen over and over to try to retain this full feeling in my heart space.