Most people have to juggle work and dharma practice. some people have some problems with switching their minds from one phase to another. If let’s say we are in a retreat, having built up momentum, it is easier to carry on with dharma state of mind. If in a work pattern, it is difficult to shift from one state to another due to having to cut the momentums of each state and transfer to the other state, again and again. Sometimes the frustration from that is immense and i can well understand that.
Daily dharma practice in our daily life is our main way to stay on course. It is like taking time to recharge, even if for an hour or less everyday, from the usual pattern of thinking alot, planning, hopes and fears, emotions, acting roles in the play of our social lives and so forth. During dharma practice, one has the space to relax all of that, and just remain in unconditional awareness. This is very very critical to our lives and many people do not appreciate that.
Just remaining in that space of awareness and mindfulness, not doing much (or if you are good, not doing anything at all) unfolds a potentiality that brings us closer and closer to a state of breaking down all barriers and neurosis. The reason for doing anything at all on this earth is to experience happiness and avoid suffering. But all these barriers and neurosis are the very antithesis of happiness, keeping us feeling separated and cut off, in a state of psychological poverty and of always needing something more.
Many people have experienced that we sometimes feel like skipping our daily practice. We don’t feel like it, got out of the wrong side of bed today, bad mood, boring, need something stimulating etc. Whatever, there’s always tomorrow! The excuses are endless and we often give in to distractions on the basis of some subtler wish to escape practice. It takes some self-scrutiny sometimes to see this.
However, what many people don’t know is that the more you experience that resistance to practising, the more your inner being is actually screaming for practice. Every seasoned practitioner would know from years or decades of practising that the more you protest and feel that inner tension or resistance to practice, it is basically a sign of your spiritual hunger screaming at you for more spiritual nutrition. It actually means you need to practice NOW! (The only exception to the case i can think of is a serious case of LUNG which comes from too much practice in a greedy way, so not truly applicable here) You can call it your inner voice, intuition, Buddha nature, inner Guru, cosmic awareness… whatever. But our inner being does send us signals. But oftentimes, these signals are misinterpreted by us. We think it means that we should probably not practice and therefore cave in to some other distraction… in this way, we fall prey to our misunderstanding and impulses.
Actually an analogy of this phenomenon would be like thirst, sometimes a complete lack of thirst even though you have not been taking in water, can be a sign of severe dehydration.
And when you do really get down to practice, in spite of the confusing signals they send you, you will find out usually by the middle of your practice, that yes, this is exactly what you need. And no amount of other worldly activities, no matter how blissful or attractive they seem, would or could have satisfied you except this. If you had went on to do something else in the first place instead of practising, then on top of that spiritual hunger gnawing at you, you will perhaps feel guilt, even more dissatisfaction and so on…
As spiritual practitioners, we have to put value on commitment. If we have committed to do something like a daily practice, we should do it in spite of all costs. In this way, you can overcome any emotional hanky panky and break through all the obstacles. Usually, before great realisation, there is often a huge crisis in the life of the practitioner. For us, on a more ordinary level, it could be that karmic creditors or negative provocations are creating obstacles to prevent us from advancing spiritually. It can be seen that anything worth doing usually has some kind of resistance to bring out our potentiality. Whatever the case, only a definite unwavering commitment without allowing for any kind of interference or distractions will allow us to travel the path to enlightenment.
When we are meditating, doing sadhanas, reciting mantras whatever, the body starts to relax and subtle energies start to get released and flow properly. In the space of awareness, not lost in endless proliferation of thoughts, we return to our true nature. The sense of integration and well-being starts to flood us. This is where contentment and satisfaction arises, this is where compassion for others can start, this is where you see the benefits of meditating on emptiness, non-self, shunyata and so forth. The benefits are not for self-gratification but rather it enables you to enlarge your perspective and change your paradigm of experiencing reality. In my opinion, with such effects from daily practice, then there is the possibility for one to begin to bring the effects of daily practice into their daily life and bridge the gap between dharma and work.
Some people might think, why are you always writing such things that we know all the time. It is like ABC to us! Well, if not for you, then for me. Maybe my writing urges need to find some release. Then let it be a reminder to myself.
