Alan Chapman » Monasticism and Lay Practice Open Enlightenment

Some sound advice from Alan Chapman at Open Enlightenment:Monasticism and Lay Practice.

“The division between monastic and lay is a cultural division. I’m more interested in how you can experience awakening as a human being… None of the [monastic] frameworks have a monopoly on your experience of enlightenment.”

Chapman’s advice seems to be that, if you’re called to monasticism or curious about it, go for it, but don’t think that monasticism is the only way, and don’t expect it to eliminate any of your problems. Further, monasticism is problematic in as much as it doesn’t give you a chance to integrate your experience into life (money, sex, relationships, work, etc.).

Monasticism and Lay Practice from Alan Chapman on Vimeo.