Question: It seems that I never have the time to do my Buddhist practice. I work, look after my young children, try to help my parents, feel it is important to spend time with my husband, and on and on the list goes. I feel guilty about not having the time for practice but don't have free time like monks and nuns. What should I do?
Response: It seems that everyone I speak with has more to do than time to do it in. People often think that as monastics, we have lots of time to sit under a tree in meditation because we have little else to do. But in today's world, monastics have constant deadlines to meet and much work to do. So I do understand your feeling that everyday life can feel overwhelming and the time to practice is very difficult to find.
Somehow, we are unable to find time for what feels more like a responsibility but usually find the time to do what we want to. We always seem to be able to find the time to talk on the phone with friends, watch television, or read that new best-seller.
I find the best time for formal practice is in the morning—before I turn on the computer and begin work. At least mentally, and ideally physically, put your meditation cushion between your bedroom and the kitchen (or in my case, my workspace). Stop off and spend some time along the way.
Also, practice is not just sitting on that cushion. Practice is being patient when your child spills something. Practice is not getting angry with a co-worker who didn’t meet their deadline causing you to have to work even harder. Practice is not snapping back at someone who was rude, but trying to understand why they became upset in the first place.
Practice is taking the teachings and using them to become a more thoughtful, happier person by sitting on the cushion, if just for ten or fifteen minutes, and carrying the resultant sense of calm with you the rest of the day.