Always Shining
[asked whether retreats are practical for today's busy people] Well, how practical is birth, old age, sickness and death—human suffering? So, it’s not about being “practical.” If the Buddha was going to be practical, he would have stayed back at the palace. There are things people do and there’s always the motivation, the why to it. And there’s always a reason why they do certain things. So, I wouldn’t use the word practical. There are many practitioners and lay teachers who lead a busy life and they definitely find time to practice. Actually, practicing within everyday life is the most powerful way to practice. It’s kind of like a tree raised inside a greenhouse: if the greenhouse ever goes away, that tree can be easily blown down. If that tree is raised outside, it will be strong and not so easily moved. So actually, the practice within daily life is the strongest... I recommend you do it 24 hours a day. It means to remain aware and return to your true self all the time, regardless of circumstances. The true self is not based on circumstances—it’s always there, just that you don’t know it. The Buddha said everybody already has it, just that they don’t know that they have it. It never gets bigger, it never gets smaller, it never comes—it’s always there. It’s like the sun, always shining.