The more stuff we have, the more troublesome it becomes. We have to wipe and to clean it, and worry about it getting taken away by others; worry about thieves. If we have nothing, then we have nothing to worry about. If we have little and cherish what we have, it will be just the same as if we own a lot. We feel even happier than having more stuff. But of course, you must take care of your body; don’t abuse it; don’t let it get sick. However, we don’t need so much to make ourselves healthy and happy. On the contrary, having fewer things and being alone will give us less trouble; no arguments and no distractions. We can be very focused on meditation, or think about something that can help the world.

People are so pitiful. They have Buddha Nature, but they cannot recognize it. They have their own inner Heaven, but they cannot realize it. They roll in the dust all day all night, until they are so filthy and lost, and unable to think of anything. Go back to their place of work and earn their living. They’ll cause less harm and create less karma. The higher their position is and the more ignorant they are, the more people they can hurt. We have to try to make the best of our life in this world, as short as your life can be, very short.

Not because I make a cave, so that I become a Buddha, or I become like an ascetic practitioner; it’s not. You just live according to your means, according to your situation, then you’ll have peace. Don’t try to force things, don’t try to be too much extraordinary, and then you will have no willpower anymore to deal with so many challenges in life. Just let it all be. I am very happy to have it, truly. I am not like punishing myself or doing it for ascetic reasons. Even if I do it to save merit, even then I’m very happy in it. When I go in there, and I work a lot already and come back, and if I can have time to crawl into my tent and be alone, zip it down, I feel, “Wow, such a blessing!” I really appreciate it very much.