Why Is Practicing So Hard?

Have you ever listened to a dharma talk so moving that it brought you to tears, letting every word sink in, and promised yourself you would practice with diligence? Yet only a few months later, you find yourself just as irritable, selfish, or jealous as before. Is practice truly something so difficult? In the talk "Why Is Practicing So Hard?", the Venerable Thích Chân Quang examined this question with great insight and compassion, helping us understand why there is such a vast distance between understanding and living the teachings.

Listening to Many Talks, Yet Old Habits Remain

All of us have heard countless teachings; some people can recite hundreds of recorded dharma talks by heart. Yet in reality, many remain selfish, quick-tempered, and jealous just as before. This leads some to doubt the teacher's ability, or to wonder whether they themselves are practicing incorrectly. The Venerable Thích Chân Quang affirmed: "In truth, if we understand ten things, we can only practice one." So do not be discouraged, do not blame the teacher, and do not blame yourself. This is the common experience of all who walk the path of practice.

"If we understand ten things, how many can we practice?... In truth, if we understand ten, we can only practice one."

Look honestly at daily life: when sharing a meal, do we think of whether others have already taken their food? When receiving a meal box at the temple, do we turn back to see if someone behind us needs help? These small acts are the true measure of practice. Understanding the teachings does not automatically make us saints; only daily practice can narrow the gap between knowing and doing.

Five Types of Practitioners on the Path

The teacher classified practitioners into five types: those who do not yet know the teachings at all, those who know a little but do not practice, those who understand much but accomplish little, those who understand deeply and live well, and finally, those who are truly holy in both heart and action. There is also an exceptional type: those who speak of holiness yet live like demons. This classification helps us see where we stand and grow more humble.

Most of us belong to the third type: we understand the teachings quite well but practice only a little. This is natural, yet it is also a challenge. If we stop there, we will hardly progress. But if we recognize the gap and strive to close it, we will gradually move toward the fourth type — those who live well with the teachings in their heart. The teacher emphasized: "Understanding always runs far ahead of practice." So do not despair when you cannot yet do much; persevere, little by little.

"Understanding always runs far ahead of practice."

Complacency — A Dangerous Enemy

One great obstacle that causes practitioners to falter is a complacent mind. When we hear the teachings and feel moved or joyful, we imagine we have absorbed the truth and become saints. It is precisely this feeling that makes us negligent in practice. The teacher warned that if someone speaks ill of us and we immediately feel hurt and angry, we know we have not changed at all. Likewise, when a teacher points out our faults and we react with anger and resistance, it shows our ego is still very large. This is why many who have practiced for years remain easily wounded.

What is the solution? Look inward. Do not let the joy of understanding turn into pride. Put yourself in another's position, and seek to defend rather than condemn. When you see someone's fault, consider their circumstances. The teacher told the story of Trịnh Kiểm climbing over a fence to steal a chicken for his mother, illustrating that behind a wrongful act there may lie a heart of filial devotion. Learn to see others with compassion.

"Do not condemn one another. Often we see others as bad when they are not truly bad."

Practicing the teachings is not about criticizing others but about transforming ourselves. When our heart is filled with love, we can more easily understand and help everyone. That is the true path to closing the gap between understanding and action.

Practice Requires Ten Times the Wisdom

To hear the teachings takes one part; to practice them takes ten. Why? Because in reality, even when we clearly know what is right, when faced with temptation we often act on impulse. Only when we use the teachings as a measure for weighing every thought, every word, and every action can we gradually transform ourselves. The teacher said: "To understand the teachings, one needs intelligence of one. But to practice the teachings, one needs intelligence of ten."

"To understand the teachings, one needs intelligence of one. But to practice the teachings, one needs intelligence of ten."

When facing a choice, pause and ask yourself: "Does this thought align with the Buddha's teachings?" Attend a party or go to the temple? Keep the food for yourself or share it with others? Take the best portion of land or yield it to your siblings? These questions are exercises in wisdom. When we begin comparing each thought with the teachings, we are practicing in the true sense. That is how we struggle with our inner self, lower our ego, and live in the spirit of compassion.

Begin with the Small Things

Practice is not difficult; it seems difficult only because we lack patience and awareness. Begin with the smallest things: offer your seat to someone, arrange the shoes neatly for the person behind you, look around to see who needs help. Every such action is a victory over our own selfishness. Do not wait for attainment, do not wait to become a saint — practice right now, in each present moment. These small transformations will bring us ever closer to the truth.

May each of us rediscover the motivation to practice, overcome the gap between understanding and action, and live in peace and joy, spreading love to all beings.