These days, though, just to find the time to be entirely alone to practise can be extremely problematic, especially for those with families, and so to organise the ideal place would be an unimaginable luxury. So keep it simple and do your best to be completely alone for an hour or two every day.
As Jigme Lingpa said, the greatest merit of all is to be able to remain alone and do nothing but practise the dharma; even an offering of the entire world and everything in it would not be enough to merit the chance of practising in isolation. He also said it is only possible to see the flaws of samsara and the benefits of nirvana in solitude. So pray from the bottom of your heart that one day you will encounter such an opportunity.
Another very good reason for remaining alone is that it is so rare to meet unbiased people who compliment the dharma and harbour no envy.
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
from the book Not for Happiness: A Guide to the So-Called Preliminary Practices
Read a random quote or see all quotes by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche.
Further quotes from the book Not for Happiness:
- Sadness
- Mara’s five arrows
- Nothing genuinely works in samsara
- Mind-made illusions
- It cannot be fixed
- Very little time left for practice
- We must also practice it
- What Is Bodhichitta
- Without the personal advice of Buddha
- Everything we experience is a product of mind
- For the sake of all other beings
- Dawn of wisdom
- Spiritual practice is like riding a bicycle
- Practise whichever method works for you
- Our most important companion
- The merit of maintaining mindfulness
- Right intention
- Wealth is contentment
- Obstacles Create Fertile Ground for Practice
- To reject your aggression is a weakness