On Working for a Living

Last updated on: August 28, 2008 at 2:14 pm by Dosho Port

On Working for a Living 2008-08-28T14:14:00-06:00 Dosho Port

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I’m back at work full time so its been a while since my last post.

There are advantages and disadvantages of being a Zen practitioner and a regular full time working grunt.

On the plus side, there’s really knowing how it is to work full time in something that isn’t so-called “dharma” work. How is it? Well, let me remind those of you who haven’t done it for a while, it is damn hard. I’d like to know whose flippin’ idea was the five-day work week?

Anyway, from here it seems like enough sometimes to just keep it all going, let alone practice and volunteer – expectations at a lot of Zen Centers. That is expecting a whole lot that probably isn’t so apparent to those running the show.

Another plus is in not depending on dharma work for support. This is certainly freeing. These days, supporting myself and my kids is not dependent on what I offer at my place and how I teach and practice. There’s so little temptation to curry favor for donations or beat the drum to increase participation in classes and sesshin in order to increase income that even a scoundrel like myself can deal with it.

And in my line of work I get to see people that are in really tough situations and sometimes dealing with it to the best of their ability with considerable dignity despite repeated failure over many years. That’s inspiring.

Compared to the young people I see, the common middle class Zen student with terminal affluenza really appears to be an incredible whiner.

That said, the negatives that I had in mind disclose how I myself am a middle class Zen student whiner.

So I’ll shut up and take the dog for a walk on this clear, cool night with a setting sun with my best friend.

What do I really have to complain about?

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