Q: I can understand what you say: that we are not the body and the mind, and that this truth has to be experienced more and more. But we have to take care of this body and this mind. Also, we must do something in the world. We cannot just sit and meditate all the time. If we do that we will be a burden on others.

We must the care of the body by giving it food, shelter and clothing. This is necessary because the journey to the Self is only easy when the body is healthy. If a ship is not in need of repair, it it is in good condition, we can easily use it to go on a journey. But we should not forget the purpose for which we have been given this body. We should not get side-tracked by thinking too much about good health or worrying about other people's problems. Our purpose in life is to realise the Self. It is an easy matter to get a little food and find somewhere congenial to live and meditate. Once we have achieved this we should have no further interest in the world and its problems.