Whatever we do, we should always practice according to these teachings. Whether we are sleeping, eating, walking, or meditating, we can maintain the practice of giving happiness and taking on misery. No matter what else we are doing, we are always breathing, so we can always continue the meditation in conjunction with the breath from our heart.

The correct motivation for every action is essential. For instance, we should not eat merely to satisfy our hunger. Rather, by remembering that this action is also a method of helping other beings, we should feel that we are eating in order to maintain strength, prolong our life, and thereby be able to fulfill our aspiration of benefiting others. In this way eating becomes a part of Mahayana practice. In fact, all our daily activities can be worthwhile if we use them with a similar motivation.

If we are now young and in good health, we should use our energy for inner development so that one day we may be in a position truly to benefit others. If we have the opportunity to meditate, we should not waste our time on frivolous activities. If a businessman from a country where there are few consumer items visits another country where such things are available, he should buy as many he can while he is in that favorable situation. If he returns home empty-handed he will have missed his opportunity and will continue to lack what he needs. Similarly, if we fail to take Dharma instructions to heart, the time we have spent hearing or reading them will have been wasted.

Copyright Brian Beresford, 1977, 1996. Excerpted from Advice from a Spiritual Friend, with permission of Wisdom Publications, 199 Elm St., Somerville MA 02144 U.S.A, www.wisdompubs.org