Practicing a couple of hours a day would be beneficial in daily life, but deep enlightenment would be highly improbable, if not impossible. Setting aside a few months of the year for practice is better than practicing a couple of hours a day. However, being a householder presents a problem. If a person has an enlightenment experience but must return to family and normal daily life, it would be almost impossible to retain that enlightened state.

Are practitioners in America willing to become monks and nuns? Most of the practitioners during the T'ang dynasty were home-leavers. In Japan today, most practitioners are householders. However, in Japan, entire families can live in monasteries, or the practitioner can live in a monastery while the rest of the family lives in a regular community. America, though, is not Japan, and I am not sure that it can adopt a similar environment.

In America, I feel that Ch'an will be practiced and taught mostly by householders, because few people seem willing to become monks or nuns. Householders will be the ones who will have enlightenment experiences, and be Ch'an masters, and lead others. If this occurs, what will be the level of practice and attainment? I am not sure. It would be wrong to say that householders cannot have high levels of enlightenment, but if householders continue to live with their families while practicing, problems will arise. There will be too many responsibilities, and not enough time or focus for practice.