Dharma run - Scaping the rat race

Project Title

Six Months Ordinary / Six Months Dharma
A Path of Sustainable Livelihood and Spiritual Development for Buddhist Professionals

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Core Idea

Many sincere Buddhist practitioners feel trapped in the demands of modern work life (“the rat race”), which limits their capacity for practice, service, and inner development.
This project creates a practical, financially-stable model for Buddhist managers and professionals to:

• Work 6 months per year in flexible consulting, remote or project-based roles
• Dedicate 6 months per year to structured dharma practice, study, retreat, volunteer service, or pilgrimage

This ensures personal sustainability, no financial stress, and deep integration of dharma into life.

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Purpose / Why This Matters

This model addresses key modern suffering points:

Challenge	Project Response
Overwork + burnout	Creates space for rest, reflection, meditation, service
Loss of meaning	Aligns livelihood with values + spiritual growth
Fear of financial instability	Provides structured financial planning + community support
Desire to serve but lack of time	Gives months per year for volunteering + retreat

This is not escapism — it is precision lifestyle design grounded in Right Livelihood, Right Effort, and non-attachment.

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Target Participants

• Manager-level professionals in corporate, government, NGOs or business
• Individuals with stable skill sets, work experience, and reliability
• People already established in Buddhist practice (Theravāda, Mahāyāna, Tibetan, Zen, Chan — inclusive)
• People motivated to simplify, practice, and serve

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Program Structure (Year Cycle)

Time Period	Focus	Activities
Months 1–6 (Work Block)	Earn income in a focused, ethical, efficient way	Remote consulting, short contracts, management support roles, ethical business, digital freelance
Months 7–12 (Dharma Block)	Deep practice, service, retreat, study, and community engagement	Meditation retreats, monastic residency, mindful travel, volunteering, supporting sangha projects

Participants rotate annually.
Some may choose 4+8 or 8+4 depending on need.

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Core Elements of the Program

1. Financial Planning & Budgeting

   • Low-consumption living model
   • 12-month cash-flow plan
   • Community cost-sharing or housing support during retreat periods

2. Skills for Flexible Work

   • Consulting frameworks
   • Remote client management
   • Project-based workflows
   • Profile + portfolio building

3. Community Accountability

   • A peer circle meets monthly online
   • Support for practice discipline, ethics, wellbeing, and reflection

4. Retreat & Service Pathway

   • Partner with monasteries and meditation centres for 1–12 week practice periods
   • Volunteer placements in compassionate service organisations

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Outputs / Outcomes

• Reduced burnout and increased wellbeing
• Deeper meditation capacity + emotional clarity
• Stronger alignment between Inner (dharma) and Outer (livelihood)
• Real service to communities without burnout
• A replicable, scalable life-design template

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Pilot Implementation Plan

Phase	Timeline	Activities
Phase 1: Recruitment	2 months	Identify 6–20 founding participants
Phase 2: Work Portfolio Setup	3 months	Career restructuring + finding flexible income channels
Phase 3: Dharma Living Cycle Starts	Month 4 onward	Begin year cycle; establish accountability group
Phase 4: Evaluation + Storytelling	End of Year 1	Produce case studies to share model widely

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Name Options

• The Middle Way Work-Life Program
• Dharma Sabbatical Cycle
• Six & Six Path
• Buddhist Intentional Work-Life Fellowship

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Slogan

“Enough time to make a living. Enough time to live.”
“Work to sustain life, not to escape it.”
“Dharma cannot grow in a rushed heart.”

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So?

Next step: send me your expression of interest to be part of the Dharma Run ORR (out of the rat race). You should have my contact by now 😀. Founder: "I already did this before for almost 20 years... now I am on the RR and want out!"