The World

  What does it mean to “leave the world?”  One hears this in monasteries for instance.  Are monks running away from life, real world problems?  No.  “Place” does not avoid life or problems.  To leave the world does not mean getting away from the everyday, but from a life that is exclusively for yourself.  Then what?  Begin to live for others, be of service, especially service that does not look for rewards or good feeling, but rather serves for the sake of the other.  It is to become more selfless and less selfish.  You can begin this kind of life focus without going anywhere geographically.  It is an interior job of the spiritual path.