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**suilusargaino** · 12-04-2011, 09:48 PM

As you know, living like a layperson means "not going all the way" which have been described as "a mistake" by the Buddha!

I'm not sure the quote is irreconcilable with lay life. The point is not to lose sight of the ultimate goal, not to stop practicing, not to think one has finished the path when in reality one isn't even at the halfway mark.

There are countless areas where we can work on reducing our greed, aversion and delusion. Simply perfecting the five precepts is a lifetime of work. A layperson will probably direct his or her efforts towards those areas that are appropriate to his/her situation.

For example, personally speaking, I try to simplify my life, follow Buddhist ethical principles in my interactions at work and in society, spend less of my time chasing after material satisfactions, contemplate the truths of annica, anatta and dukkha, cultivate the paramitas, practice loving-kindness, and so on. It would be a mistake to say "because I'm not a monk, I can't really get anywhere in my practice".

12-04-2011, 09:48 PM	#20
suilusargaino Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 593 Senior Member	As you know, living like a layperson means "not going all the way" which have been described as "a mistake" by the Buddha! I'm not sure the quote is irreconcilable with lay life. The point is not to lose sight of the ultimate goal, not to stop practicing, not to think one has finished the path when in reality one isn't even at the halfway mark. There are countless areas where we can work on reducing our greed, aversion and delusion. Simply perfecting the five precepts is a lifetime of work. A layperson will probably direct his or her efforts towards those areas that are appropriate to his/her situation. For example, personally speaking, I try to simplify my life, follow Buddhist ethical principles in my interactions at work and in society, spend less of my time chasing after material satisfactions, contemplate the truths of annica, anatta and dukkha, cultivate the paramitas, practice loving-kindness, and so on. It would be a mistake to say "because I'm not a monk, I can't really get anywhere in my practice".
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