And so, according to Hui-neng, meditation does not need to remove oneself from everyday life.
Instead, one can find enlightenment in the ordinary activities of daily living, because the pure mind is already in every aspect of normal life. When we see this, we are enlightened.
As Hui-neng said, “There is a teacher within one’s own mind that understands spontaneously.”
Thus, we already have the capacity for enlightenment within ourselves. We cannot acquire enlightenment from outside ourselves.