Yogi: The mind can see the benefit of the practice at retreats, yet it is reluctant to practice in daily life because of habit.

Sayadaw: When you practice, the mind quality improves, right? Yet, you don’t want to practice? Funny, isn’t it?

Yogi: Because the habit is very strong.

Sayadaw: It takes time for the mind to mature. You cannot judge that the mind is bad.

We just need to encourage the mind to practice.

My teacher would advise me to carry on practicing when I went home, but I never did. It was only when I was suffering intensely, in a life or death situation that I thought of a solution.

Even then, meditation was the last choice – I had tried going to the mountain and the beach first. I didn’t believe that meditation could make me happy, but there was no way out.

I only started to practice at home in that situation.