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Making a Fresh Start in Life

We should always remember that progress in Buddhism is gradual: a matter of step by step practice, gradual progress, and gradual achievement. This is like the growth of an oak tree, not the blooming of a flower. A flower blossoms overnight, lasts for a few days, and then it withers and dies. An oak tree grows slowly and gradually, so slowly that day after day you don’t see it growing at all. But after several years, the oak tree has become tall and majestic, rooted immovably in the ground, able to endure for centuries. This is the kind of spiritual development we should aim at in our practice of Buddhism.

A talk given at the Chinese New Year assembly at Bodhi Monastery, February 9th, 2008