I will be writing a series of “Applying the Buddha’s Teaching In Daily Life”, starting with “There is no time to stand and stare.”

yick kh :)

Most of us are familiar with this adage: "Time and tide wait for no man."
(Things will not wait for you when you are late as no one is powerful enough to stop the march of time.)

Let us look at one of the poems by William Henry Davies (1871-1940) titled "Leisure" for the two famous opening lines:

"What is this life, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare."

During the closing chapter of his life, Davies himself poignantly confided in Osbert Sitwell:
"I've never been ill before, really, except when I had that accident and lost my leg... And, d'you know, I grow so irritable when I've got that pain, I can't bear the sound of people's voices. ... Sometimes I feel I should like to turn over on my side and die." --- Collected Poems of W. H. Davies, London: Jonathan Cape, 1943

This is so true in our life when our age is catching up and health is fading. When we are strong, we are so rushed, so busy, so caught up, and so distracted. Can we not be so distracted now while we can, before it is late? Yes, are we sure we can? How?

To experience the silence of the mind, firstly we have to free ourselves from busily telling everyone what we like / dislike and what all our endless daily problems are -- all those things that distract us.

We have to simply stop living such a busy life, running around here and there like a delivery person, heedlessly doing this and that. When we can simplify our social life, we have more time to reflect, read or attend Dharma classes/ talks and retreats.

When there is less distraction, we become more focused on the Dharma; virtuous activities naturally increase as we experience living in the now i.e. knowing what we are presently doing and awakening to the bliss of awareness.

As we start letting go of things that disturb our mind, kind thoughts and peace arise. Attending retreats has its benefits and great value too: our mind becomes more concentrated because our computer is not next to us, the cell phone is off, no glossy magazines /daily newspapers to be available, no television to watch, no car radio to turn on every time we drive, no shopping to be done, no what to buy and not to buy, and no personal cooking. These retreats offer daily teachings and meditation instruction, a schedule of group practice and sharing, individual sessions/ interviews, and long hours of silence. There is nothing for you to do the 'no nothing' at the retreat. Indeed, it is a good training ground for healing, and transforming the mind and heart. For those who have not attended retreats before, please give it a go.

In our daily life, we are taught to avoid discomfort by all means, while perceiving that the pursuit of happiness is the right to happiness. And yet when we suffer, it is so refreshing to have the truth of suffering acknowledged. The Dharma helps us to face our suffering from regret and anxiety to grief and depression.

When we become more practiced, retreat may eventually not be a physical place away from home as what we always used to think it is, but a retreat of mind, body and speech from a hectic and heedless lifestyle, to one with the inner joy and freedom that Buddhist teachings promise, along with a wiser way to care for ourself, for our family and for helping others around us; it is akin to creating a pureland in our present life:).

Smile
yick kh :)