Practice

     Thinking about I need to update my friends what is going on in my life. Life is good and everything is well.
      After ten years since I take refuge to the Buddha, to the dharma and the Sangha in 2006, I finally got to the point that I really want to practice the Dharma. Buddhist is all about liberation, liberate from samsara. It is said that if you do not practice, you would not able to be liberated. It has to be my self’s idea to start practice. After watching videos and reading books about practice, I still could not get the idea about how to practice.
      So I went to India in January to seek help.
      There I met with H.H. the 17th Karmapa and My dear master and teacher, the very venerable 9th Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche. I take refuge again in front of H.H. the 17th Karmapa and asked for practice instruction. H.H.’s schedule did not allow him to give me the detailed instruction to practice. So I asked the very venerable 9th Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche. The great master spent his lunch break to give me the lengthened detailed instruction and then gently told me that I do not need to be hurry and just take my time and start practice.
     Started January 17th, the date of the Buddha enlightened and in Bodhgaya, where the Buddha enlightened, I started my Buddhist practice.
     The one of the most important things for Buddhist practice is continue practice and not interrupted. I am doing well so far.
     But I do have some frustrations:
     While I was practicing, my mind is hard to concentrate. My body is there and practice but my mind is somewhere else. There were few times I was doing better with imagination of what I was practice but most time, my mind is not where I should be.
      I also find out it is hard to really find time to practice without the mind preoccupied with daily living. It is said while you are practicing; you should isolate yourself from daily living and be mindful and concentrate with what you are practicing. I try to find the time other matters are already taking cared of: the dog was out for bathroom and fed. The people I live with are all content. The house hood works are all done. And there is work and … But my mind still is everywhere.
     I guess, that is why the great meditation masters had developed the ways to practice and educate us to using the body and mind training to get ourselves into real practice. I appreciate it.
     I think all I need right now it is “keep going”. And I will.