I would love to get paid to contribute to people’s lives in a way that actually helps them. I’ve worked in non-profits and schools, but the most meaningful tool I know to contribute to people’s lives is dhamma. So how do I make a living contributing to society in a way that helps people grow in dhamma? I’m not talking about getting paid to teach dhamma. I agree with Goenka that Vipassana is a treasure that should be available to anyone free of charge. But for Vipassana to truly integrate into our world, don’t our jobs need to be embracing dhamma? Shouldn’t our companies encourage the 5 precepts? Wouldn’t it be great if your office had a room dedicated to meditation? Wouldn’t it be great if more companies worked to help support people living with dhamma by selling wholesome products instead of streamlining to the most profitable strategies?

My experience with meditators so far is that they keep their practice to themselves. This tradition is still so new to the world that many of us our isolated with this practice in our communities. But slowly the number of meditators is growing, and slowly we can change the culture of our local governments, companies, and schools. The only way to impact our communities at this level is to start voicing our opinions. People should know our thoughts and ideas connected to dhamma. We should feel comfortable expressing ourselves.

Maybe I’m simply talking to myself. Maybe I’m disappointed in how quiet I am about my own practice. I’ve just discovered so many times that many people aren’t interested in meditation so I stopped trying. I’ve also noticed that I might be driving people away by coming across as pushy. So there’s a middle ground here somewhere. There must be some jobs out there that value having a meditator on their staff. There must be some jobs that are both rewarding for their benefit to society and for the income they provide. I’m just not sure at the moment what they are. Time to meditate.