DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post

**leflyCode** · 08-04-2010, 05:25 AM

I wonder if you could share how you find a balance in your practice?

I'm a householder with wife, kids, cats, dogs, fish, etc. I have a normal day job working for an insurance company. Simple stuff.

As time goes on, my interest in Dhamma has grown and would like to spend more time with monks and nuns at a fairly local monastery in Chithurst, West Sussex. However, lay life takes precedence at the moment, how can I simply stay with this desire to spend time with like minded people (as I'm not in regular contact with a local Sangha), without clinging?

At the moment I feel as though I'm just at a certain life stage of raising kids and maybe I'll have the opportunity to deepen my practice in the future, at some point. Tricky, when you realise you might die today Tongue

The skilful desire to study and practice the Dhamma strengthens when you get results from study and practice. If time is scarce, practicing awareness of thoughts and their movements can be done at almost any time during the day. That way you are never far from close contact with the Dhamma. With practice, awareness grows and strengthens and we gradually realise that thoughts are not self. With this realisation comes peace and the knowledge that the Dhamma is effective. So, we want to practice more.

08-04-2010, 05:25 AM	#7
leflyCode Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 357 Senior Member	I wonder if you could share how you find a balance in your practice? I'm a householder with wife, kids, cats, dogs, fish, etc. I have a normal day job working for an insurance company. Simple stuff. As time goes on, my interest in Dhamma has grown and would like to spend more time with monks and nuns at a fairly local monastery in Chithurst, West Sussex. However, lay life takes precedence at the moment, how can I simply stay with this desire to spend time with like minded people (as I'm not in regular contact with a local Sangha), without clinging? At the moment I feel as though I'm just at a certain life stage of raising kids and maybe I'll have the opportunity to deepen my practice in the future, at some point. Tricky, when you realise you might die today Tongue The skilful desire to study and practice the Dhamma strengthens when you get results from study and practice. If time is scarce, practicing awareness of thoughts and their movements can be done at almost any time during the day. That way you are never far from close contact with the Dhamma. With practice, awareness grows and strengthens and we gradually realise that thoughts are not self. With this realisation comes peace and the knowledge that the Dhamma is effective. So, we want to practice more.
	Quote