Consider a life lived freely, to go and do and be and feel as one chooses. What would it take to succeed in this? Many presume living a materialistic lifestyle will provide the ultimate basis for freedom. Certainly there are many levels which support a flourishing existence, each an area for growth and development. This page will collect links to resources for learning to live lucidly.
Living instead of working
Society is strongly tilted towards pursuing wealth, work and career, and as deceptively pleasant as the hedonic treadmill may be, some days we feel like a tool. Learning to live with less is the basis to pursue that which you find most meaningful.
- The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss is a manual for designing an automated business to support a liberated lifestyle.
- Learn how Jacob Lund Fisker enjoys a middle class lifestyle on $7,000/year.
- Brandon and Matt’s Automate My Small Business blog and podcast promote modern tools that do the work for you.
- Location Liberated, a blog and guide to escaping the cubical.
- Articles on WikiHow on the subjects of How to Live Free and How to Live on Practically Nothing.
Movement and living anywhere
- The Art of Non-Conformity discusses how to change the world by achieving significant, personal goals while helping others at the same time.
- With a few smiles, you’ll find you have friends and can stay anywhere for free. Learn how to travel with hospitality exchange networks. Here is a introduction to the art of couch surfing. We have travelled two months entirely on the generosity of hosts and it has been an incredible and heartwarming exchange.
- Bicycle touring! Here’s a style that inspires me.
Making friends with your body
Our subjective experience is tightly coupled with the state of our bodies; sight shifts in blood chemistry affect our mood, and when we’re old and toothless we’re really going to be sad. Must that be the case? Only if we grasp to an identity of a healthy and beautiful young body. If we instead are able to accept the dynamic nature of our bodies we can enjoy what we have, good and bad.
- Touching Enlightenment: Finding Realization in the Body by Reginald A. Ray.
Buddhist meditation
- B. Alan Wallace for a very good approach for westerners, due to his scientific background yet with a strong adherence to traditional methods. He has many articles and books and excellent podcasts and retreats. A good beginning course is Balancing the Heart and Mind: Practice of the Four Immeasurables and Shamatha Meditation.
- For the intensive introduction to the experience of meditation, we recommend a ten-day retreat as taught by S.N. Goenka. The courses are by donation, and centers exist around the world. Don’t miss the big picture however; see Alan Wallace’s Eight Week Shamatha and Four Application of Mindfulness Retreat.
- The Buddhist Archives of Dr. Alexander Berzin for his extensive translations and lectures on Tibetan Buddhism.
- Buddhist Geeks and their tech-savvy podcast for Buddhists looking for a fresh perspective on being a modern-day Buddhist practitioner.
- VajraTV provides quality videos from many great teachers.
- A formal education in buddhist philosophy is available from many programs such that of the FPMT
Practicing lucid dreaming
This video by Charlie Morley is a good introduction to bringing mindful awareness into all stages of dream, sleep and waking life.
