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Importance of both regular and irregular practice

I found this inspiring and 'waking me up' to practice dharma
Although regular (e.g. daily) meditative practices (including chanting, meditation and/or contemplation) at more or less fixed times (e.g. in mornings and/or evenings) and places (e.g. at home or a Buddhist centre) might be occasionally inconvenient, learning to handle such inconveniences is a crucial aspect of diligent spiritual practice. For instance, if you are scheduled to have a group practice session on Friday evenings at a certain temple, you know you are supposed to block out any other clashing activities – even if you are tempted by an enjoyable worldly event, to make your way to the appointed place at the appointed time for an appointed duration instead. This does require some effort.

Learning to overcome each inconvenient situation with the Dharma is the practice of self-discipline. This is important as our dying moments might manifest at very inconvenient places and times. In learning to conquer more minor inconveniences, we prepare for possibly more major ones, especially those involving painful sickness with impending death. Whether it will be more difficult or easy to muster our spirituality during our dying moments to let go of this samsaric life gracefully with a clear sense of direction depends partly on how used to inconveniences and disciplined we are during everyday practices. When facing this great matter of literal life and death, it is the ultimate test of our lives.

It is a common yet spiritually dangerous illusion that one has mastery of practice, while not practising regularly, believing and even claiming that one can simply practise anywhere at any time (which is probably seldom and only when in a generally carefree mood). Even if this is true while alive and well, one is only habitually practising as and when preferred – usually when not facing any inconveniences; choosing the most convenient occasions instead, when there are few or no ailments of the body or trouble in mind. Not learning to make peace with distracting inconveniences in worse times, death might not be adequately prepared for.

That said, the value of convenient practice is not to be discounted, as familiar and comfortable conditions do help nurture progress of practice to some extent. However, regular practice should still be added to irregular ('random') practice, since there are possible side-effects of having initially 'inconvenient' regular practice sessions eventually becoming convenient routines taken for granted, or even subtly attached to. In such cases, irregular practice at less familiar times and places becomes inconvenient instead! Both regular and irregular practices are thus equally important.
Due to lack of regular Dharma practice,
we are stuck in Samsara regularly.
Due to lack of irregular Dharma practice,
we are stuck in Samsara irregularly
.

=Stonepeace
EvenThirdshadowleaver

Comments

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran
    I can very much relate to this @Jeffrey. Got up around 5.30am Saturday morning to meditate before kids wake. One minute in and 10 month old wakes.

    I am now on the couch at 6am with smart phone in one hand and sleeping baby cradled in other arm!
    JeffreyStraight_Man
  • Bunks said:

    I am now on the couch at 6am with smart phone in one hand and sleeping baby cradled in other arm!

    Ah the famous 'make every minute count' and thousand arm 'baby cradling meditation'. :clap:
    I used to break my irregular meditation into blocks of intensified awareness. Empty dishwasher mindfulness. Play mantra instead of mp3 hipster Muzak . . .
    . . . Mindful munching. Mantra whilst hoovering. Showering away impurities. Smiling at passing Buddhas [all Buddhas? . . . a lot of smiles then] and so on . . .

    Always knew having a thousand arms was useful . . .
    image
    VastmindJeffrey
  • EvenThirdEvenThird NYC Veteran
    Jeffrey, thank you for this post. I've been mulling it over the last few days. It struck me as very true in my own practice, but I've never heard it explained quite like that.
  • I know that in Christian monateries in Europe they have skeletons ,skulls a room of them ,and the burial ground is just right there . Good to remind of death can come any second . Heard it on a talk on audio dharma and fro a friend who stayed in a christian monastery in UK
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