..續本文上一頁fering in the practice, but if you don”t know your own suffering you won”t understand the Noble Truth of Suffering. To understand suffering, to kill it off, you first have to encounter it. If you want to shoot a bird but don”t go out and find it how will you ever to shoot it

　　 Suffering, suffering... the Buddha taught about suffering: The suffering of birth, the suffering you won”t see suffering. If you don”t understand suffering you won”t be able to get rid of suffering.

　　Now people don”t want to see suffering, they don”t want to experience it. If they suffer here they run over there. You see

　　 They”re simply dragging their suffering around with them, they never kill it. They don”t contemplate or investigate it. If they feel suffering here they run over there; if it arises there they run back here. They try to run away from suffering physically. As long as you are still ignorant, wherever you go you”ll find suffering. Even if you boarded an airplane to get away from it, it would board the plane with you. If you ped under the water it would pe in with you, because suffering lies within us. But we don”t know that. If it lies within us where can we run to escape it

　　People have suffering in one place so they go somewhere else. When suffering arises there they run off again. They think they”re running away from suffering but they”re not, suffering goes with them. They carry suffering around without knowing it. If we don”t know the cause of suffering then we can”t know the cessation of suffering, there”s no way we can escape it.

　　You must look into this intently until you”re beyond doubt. You must dare to practice. Don”t shirk it, either in a group or alone. If others are lazy it doesn”t matter. Whoever does a lot of walking meditation, a lot of practice... I guarantee results. If you really practice consistently, whether others come or go or whatever, one rains retreat is enough. Do it like I”ve been telling you here. Listen to the teacher”s words, don”t quibble, don”t be stubborn. Whatever he tells you to do go right ahead and do it. You needn”t be timid of the practice, knowledge will surely arise from it.

　　Practice is also patipada. What is patipada

　　 Practice evenly, consistently. Don”t practice like Old Reverend Peh. One Rains Retreat he determined to stop talking. He stopped talking all right but then he started writing notes..."Tomorrow please toast me some rice." He wanted to eat toasted rice! He stopped talking but ended up writing so many notes that he was even more scattered than before. One minute he”d write one thing, the next another, what a farce!

　　I don”t know why he bothered determining not to talk. He didn”t know what practice is.

　　Actually our practice is to be content with little, to just be natural. Don”t worry whether you feel lazy or diligent. Don”t even say "I”m diligent" or "I”m lazy." Most people practice only when they feel diligent, if they feel lazy they don”t bother. This is how people usually are. But monks shouldn”t think like that. If you are diligent you practice, when you are lazy you still practice. Don”t bother with other things, cut them off, throw them out, train yourself. Practice consistently, whether day or night, this year, next year, whatever the time... don”t pay attention to thoughts of diligence or laziness, don”t worry whether it”s hot or cold, just do it. This is called sammapatipada -- Right Practice.

　　Some people really apply themselves to the practice for six or seven days, then, when they don”t get the results they wanted, give it up and revert completely, indulging in chatter, socializing and whatever. Then they remember the practice and go at it for another six or seven days, then give it up again... It”s like the way some people work. At first they throw themselves into it.…

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