“But how can I use Buddhism in everyday life?” 

The woman who asked me this added that she wasn’t a monastic—she lived in the real world, a world filled with deadlines, competition, and scrappy people.

Once I quit laughing, I explained that my life has many deadlines, human nature is rife with competition, and monastics also have people who don’t agree with them. And having worked all day that day, even eating my meals at the computer, I really did have a good idea of her world.

I then gave her an example of Buddhism applied in real life. A student told me of the time where she realized a supplier had misquoted a product’s price. Rather than take advantage of his error, this student questioned the pricing, which the grateful supplier quickly corrected. She could have saved a lot of money but knew it was not “right.” It would not have followed the Buddha’s teachings.

She is now trusted by the supplier and respected by his company. Why? She’s ethical.

This is Buddhism working in the “real world.”