[fmrcurter]

Hello Lazy Eye,

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". Practicing as a layperson would make us happier/wiser, but wont make us completely free of suffering.

Please allow me to use the following example and i hope you dont take it literally: its like a christian or a muslim who practices his/her religion, but does not want to go to heaven and chooses to live in hell forever!! so why should he/she practice in the first place?

As a Buddhist, you know that living as a lay person would definitly lead to our rebirth and who knows what realm we will be reborn into!! If all i want is to be a bit happier or wiser, there are plenty of other philosophies/religions that offer the same!!

On the other hand, most laypeople get married and have childerns which means bringing new people to samsara to suffer while the ultimate goal is to break out of the cycle of rebirth!!!

The other day i was reading the Metta Sutra and i found that the last verse of the sutra was: Unattached to speculations, views and sense desires, the pure hearted one, with clear vision, being freed from all sense desires, will never be reborn in the cycles of suffering so how can you practice Metta and at the same time bring new childerns to suffer with us in this world?

Regards,
Bundokji