If there ain't no Dukkha then you're enlightened and there ain't no practice. That makes sense, but as to wanting Dukkha in order to practice, this is an interesting little place here. We have people come into interviews and say, "Well nothing's happening, I've got nothing to work with, I'm not having any anger, I'm not having any multiple hindrance attacks, I've got nothing to work with." And we go, "Yeah that's ok, don't wish for Dukkha."
Many come to a retreat wanting something, wanting big Dukkha so that then they can practice. No that's not it, we don't have to have Dukkha in order to practice. If you sit on the pillow and do Compassion/Lovingkindness meditation, does that mean you have to have Dukkha before doing it? Of course not. If you sit down to do some Sympathetic Joy meditation, does that mean that you had to have Dukkha before doing it? Of course not. You reflect on the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, you don't need Dukkha in order to do that. The practice does not stop when there's no Dukkha, unless of course you are enlightened. But if no Dukkha is coming up, then that's the time I use the term "build the muscle."
Rosemary and I had a property up in Queensland, and our house was built higher than where the vegetable garden was. The house was up a slope, maybe 10 meters above the flat land. In between the house and the flat land were rocks, big rocks, small rocks, the whole area was covered. Up near the house was a nice big grassy area and down at the garden was a nice big grassy area. We figured, "Hey, let's make the slope a nice big grassy area, too! Let's make it all pretty." So we did.
Other than two rocks which were too big to move, we moved them all. We moved them a little bit at a time, the smallest ones first because the smallest ones are easy. When we moved the small rocks, our muscles got bigger. "Ah, now I'm ready for the medium ones." We moved the medium ones, our muscles get bigger and now, "I'm ready for the bigger ones!" It was certainly a gradual process in exactly that order. The little ones went first and so on, then we got stronger and tougher and cleared the land. When the Dukkha stops coming, don't stop practicing, use that time to build your muscles so you're ready later.
Whenever I give the Day 7 evening, I talk about the Five Reflections. At the end of it I say to use them regularly, don't think they are just something to use when you have Dukkha. I use the example of getting in the taxi in Thailand, and they want 30 Baht/40 Baht. I stress the fact that you have to practice all the time in order to be ready for Dukkha later. "If there ain't no Dukkha there ain't no practice." No, no, no, we don't need Dukkha in order to practice, but we can practice to get ready for the Dukkha that will be coming later.