Our greatest achievements 

begin with modest first steps.

One day, when a group of practitioners was discussing the challenges of practicing every day, one person asked another how long she chants. “Twenty minutes,” she replied.

“That’s all?” the questioner, a little shocked, blurted out. What he hadn’t thought to follow up with was “How often?”

In hoping to alleviate his dismay, the respondent explained that she chants a number of times a day. She revealed that in such a manner, she keeps the buddha-name more firmly in mind. Additionally, if she finds that she has more time, she will chant even longer!

The now intrigued questioner queried, “Why twenty minutes?” To which, the person explained how she started with chanting five minutes a day. Accomplishing this initial goal, she felt confident that she could do more and so gradually increased the length of time, to now twenty minutes. From a modest goal, habits can be established. And then improved upon.