It is only through the suffering that arises within our family life that we can truly transcend and understand.
If we cannot awaken from the pain of our own family, then all else is illusion.
You may go away to meditate, sit for long hours, chant countless sutras —
but if you return home and the same pain and frustration remain,
then you are still in avoidance. That is not true practice.
True practice cannot be separated from family.
It requires facing—and learning from—all the issues within it.
Without these lessons, no matter how many Buddhas you chant to,
no matter how serene you feel after your prayers,
you must still return to face your family —
and that same suffering will still be there.
Even after the body disappears,
if consciousness remains stuck in those same obstacles,
what meaning is there in that?
Awakening begins in everyday life—
in our relationships with our children, our partners,
and the conflicts that arise between us.
Only by seeing our true obstacles through these relationships
can harmony arise.
And that harmony brings us peace and strength —
this is the essence of true practice.
By Suzhen Liu
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