Question

I'm feeling more and more detached from the West these days and cannot relate to the common citizen. I thought I would feel more at home here, but I don't. Nothing seems to be penetrating through to me, can't smell, can't taste, can't feel, feels like my senses have been eroded. Any advice?

Answer

Good. We're all a bunch of odd ones. Feeling odd in this way is okay. And as I mentioned just a little while ago, how fortunate we are that we are odd, but it's uncomfortable. It is an uncomfortable area. You don't always fit in. Now if the practice goes well, and if you're able to develop a practice similar to what I have, you can go back to the West, you can function there, a lot of people don't even know that you're a meditator. However, I don't stay long. Because I know that's not going to be conducive to me in the long run. So when you're odd, one of the most important things you have to do is hang around Odd Ones. So if you have difficulty assimilating in the West, yes, good. Maybe just hang around Odd Ones more often and then reflect too on how fortunate you are to have the Dhamma.

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