We can do both; have a life and a family, and be a fully ordained monk. The reason I say it this way is so we don’t confuse the mundane with the spiritual path. The important thing on the spiritual path is to just intend. The goal that I recommend is to see the truth yourself.

https://youtu.be/9KESGDMo7w4

Patience acknowledges anger more than anything else. The Buddha paid special attention to anger. Patience is our willingness to be with the loneliness and pain that can arise on the path and to be without resentment.

https://youtu.be/d4jiZHX_bWo

Prajna is sometimes called mirror-like; it’s reflecting back the mystery of the whole thing. You can’t know what this is. Everything that’s showing up in your life is unreal. You can continue to look at everything and just receive it.

https://youtu.be/DAKI8feFhxk

The inspiration of the bodhisattva path is at the core of our practice. Chiezan talks about ground, path and fruition, and the first paramita of generosity. We are beginning to transition from a poverty mentality to a mentality of abundance.

https://youtu.be/0B2jCWLKpKc?si=QWFHuwB75Ci4vcWP

We are conditioned to make assumptions. We live in a consensus reality. The Buddhist path encourages us to begin to look beyond the reasonable aspects of our phenomenal world, to see non-duality, beyond the fear of groundlessness or spaciousness.

https://youtu.be/wXCl9ZbA0Fc

https://youtu.be/T5EfdwVKTEE

Be responsible for your mind stream without adding your personal condiments to everything. Grasping comes out of desire, which stops the awareness, the wisdom mind. The response is just to include and observe the desire. There is no formula or standard there.

https://youtu.be/DCRwdQrI87c

This is a way of looking at not attaching to what arises. Don’t buy in, but also don’t dismiss or reject it. Don’t take any position on anything. This is very difficult to do. Have some consideration for the energy that’s moving around in your kitchen or in your mind stream. If you’re training your mind, you will know if you need to do something.

https://youtu.be/HnmB91AJ_Hs

The fundamental issue is the suffering, anxiety and difficulty we run into, sometimes with no apparent cause. We are trying to squeeze some happiness out of samsara. You can’t fix it. This is the illusion you need to see. If you see this, nothing will be running your life.

https://youtu.be/kL1GDEqPOS4

https://youtu.be/hFsLWvYa-bo