In his list of prerequisites for meditation, which is easily applicable to daily life, Kamalashila includes limiting one’s desires. He offers this brief explanation of what that entails: “limiting your desires refers to not being excessively attached to many or good clothes and so forth. The practice of contentment means always being satisfied with any little thing.”
With regards to his third prerequisite, “not being involved in many activities,” Kamalashila states: “Not being involved in many activities refers to giving up ordinary activities like commerce, avoiding too close association with householders and monks, and totally abandoning the practice of medicine and astrology.” Of course, who else would one associate with other than monks and households? Hence, one could read this as meaning people in general. And commerce, medicine and astrology were, in 8th century India, often unscrupulous and fraudulent.
journal of reflections by the resident of the Hermitary