“If you have mindfulness and alertness at all times, you’ll come to your senses. If you waste your time playing with other things, suffering will arise and you’ll suffer—because you don’t have any mindfulness. Your alertness isn’t here. It’s like your home. If you leave and don’t close the door, dogs will come in and eat your stored-up rice. Thieves will come in and steal all your things. It’s the same when you don’t have mindfulness.

Actually, you have mindfulness, but it’s mindful of other things. It’s like leaving your house. You’re still there, but you’re not there in the house. You’re there somewhere else. It’s the same with mindfulness. You have mindfulness, but your mindfulness isn’t here. Thieves come and steal the things you have here, but you’re not here. Your “here” is somewhere else. Your mindfulness is working somewhere over there. It’s not working here. If your mindfulness is working here, then you’ll sense when a preoccupation strikes the mind. If the mind likes it, you’ll know—and you’ll see that it’s inconstant. Don’t latch onto it or else you’ll fall into suffering and stress. You’ll see: “This is inconstant, stressful, and not-self,” right there. That means that you’re practicing the Dhamma.

This is why people who practice have mindfulness—the ability to recollect—at all times while they’re standing, walking, sitting, and lying down. Alertness always knows what we’re doing right now. This is how you have the opportunity to awaken to the Dhamma. You’ll have the opportunity to chase these dogs out of your home, to chase away the thieves that have come to steal your things—because you’re right here. You’ll have the opportunity not to lose your belongings.”