Longevity

Contemplate in the morning.

Pull weeds in the afternoon.

The joys and labor of a single day

Are part of a whole journey.

If all you want is spiritual realization, it isn’t that difficult. For the average person, a  dozen years under the guidance of a good teacher will probably give it to you.

That’s shorter than what it takes to be a good musician, athlete, or artist. It’s even  shorter than the time it will take you to collect your pension.

If you have the good  fortune to study with the right person, you can succeed in a relatively short amount  of time.

But after you get it, then what?

Many of us place such an emphasis on attaining  realization that we may forget to put it in context.

What actually matters is to walk  Tao, maintaining vitality until we meet our end in a timely way.

Spiritual realization  is essential, but it is not everything.