About This Answer
A young woman says she feels calm practising with the group, but at work and in her studies she has to rush to meet deadlines, sometimes feels she has lost herself and her values, and has no energy to explain this to others. She asks for advice.
Ajahn Dtun says that good friends are important, and that whatever one's work or family life, one needs mindfulness and wisdom to look after the mind. Both good and bad thoughts arise; unwholesome thoughts should be investigated and removed from the mind at every moment, because holding on to them brings unhappiness, and acting on them leads to suffering now and later. Doing good is the cause of happiness.
He asks how much she meditates. Hearing that she sits about ten minutes in the morning and ten in the evening, he says that if her mind is still not strong she should do more, increasing to twenty minutes each time or adding an afternoon session. When the causes are not yet sufficient, the mind remains weak and easily shaken. Practising every day is already good, he tells the group, but one should try to do more.