Meditation may take only a few seconds, or ten or twenty seconds before you carry out daily activities. This incorporates mindfulness into your daily life. In this way, meditation will gradually be an integral part of your daily life.
Meditation is not limited to sitting there. Wherever you go, you can always be mindful and then carry out your task. Your mind will become tranquil, focused, open, and spacious. You no longer see or look for others’ faults, because your mind abides in its own state. Whoever you see, you are filled with loving-kindness and joy. Loving-kindness is a kind of happiness—you wish to bring happiness to all beings. First, you need to be happy. If you are not happy yourself, how can you wish others to be happy? The so-called loving-kindness is about cultivating inner peace and joy. By radiating this positive energy, you share your joy with others, and their moods also brighten. This is spreading loving-kindness. With boundless loving-kindness, all beings close to you are influenced by your loving-kindness, and they too become kind and compassionate. As their loving-kindness arises, you mutually influence one another, in a state of harmony and joy. There are no barriers in your hearts, as everyone is filled with loving-kindness. Among fellow practitioners, it’s common to maintain loving-kindness; when facing sentient beings, our compassion may arise. When we see beings in suffering, great compassion will spontaneously arise. Among fellow practitioners, with common pursuit and understanding on the spiritual path, our loving-kindness mutually influences one another. Loving-kindness is magnetic and positive. It’s different from compassion, which may bring about tears. We should practice what is useful in our daily life, that is, mindfulness. You can frequently integrate mindfulness into your daily life by taking regular breaks: put your tasks aside and take a break from your life, and then meditate to bring up mindfulness, before continuing with your tasks. This is living meditation—regularly cultivating mindfulness in our daily life. In daily life, there are many occasions for solitude, such as while commuting, walking, brushing your teeth, using the restroom, and washing your face. Even when putting on your makeups, as many women do, you can look into the mirror and meditate. While applying makeup, you can meditate on impurity, multiplicity, and impermanence. This is what living meditation is about. It’s impossible to attain enlightenment under such circumstances. Truly enlightened beings, like great masters, did practice living meditation at the highest level. However, that is beyond our reach for now. We should practice step by step.