Practicing Amid Life's Flood
People often say:
“Life is hard and busy. I don’t have the mental, physical, or time capacity to practice.”
That’s true. It’s an understandable statement.
Life is like a leaf swept away in a raging current.
One moment we’re born, and before we know it, we’re aging, falling ill, and standing before death.
Yet, even in the midst of such turbulent flood, there are people who continue their Dhamma practice. So how do they maintain NBEF practice in such a busy life?
1. Insight Practice
Insight and daily life do not require separate time slots. Insight practice begins right here and now—by observing life just as it is. Watching ourselves and others live, observing thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and recognizing the underlying lust, hatred, and delusion (taṇhā, dosa, moha)—this is the practice. Life itself becomes the field of practice.
2. Concentration Practice
Each day, we take about an hour to sit quietly and focus the mind. It doesn’t have to start with a full hour. Begin with five minutes and gradually increase it. The key is consistency. Through this practice, body and mind naturally settle and become clear and calm.
3. Virtue Follows Naturally
As insight and concentration practice mature, virtue is no longer something we force ourselves to follow—it naturally aligns. Right virtue becomes a protective shield and a guiding light on the path.
4. Practice Review and Guidance
Once a week, for about an hour, practitioners receive online guidance. This session is crucial for realigning the direction of practice and deepening its quality.
Conclusion
To put it simply:
If we can face the true nature of life—the impermanence of all things and the suffering rooted in lust, hatred, and delusion—then practice is not distant or impossible. Rather, a person who practices in the midst of life is one who walks upstream—toward freedom.
Through this practice, we cross the raging current and experience genuine freedom, peace, and true happiness—the realization of liberation and Nibbāna.
Helpful sutta reference: SN 1.1 — Ogha Sutta (Crossing the Flood)