In this episode, we explore the territory of this perennial conundrum: since the teachings say again and again that you are inherently a buddha, awakened, and that you just as you are is it, then why is it necessary to engage in practice? A short, to-the-point response: it is effective, and it helps. And yet, a bit of a non-explanation and catch-22 of sorts: in order to understand why it is necessary to practice, and to discover for yourself how it is effective and helpful, you must practice. And it is indeed paradoxical: engaging in practice that may seem somewhat foreign compared to what you're used to, breaking up your usual routines and habits, developing a structure and discipline as a means of replacing naturally-developed ways of beings with different ways of being that don't come so naturally, all in the service of getting more directly and intimately in touch with your authentic, genuine being - the being that has been there all along, from the beginning, regardless. So yeah, strange and mysterious and wondrous for sure. And worth looking into, investigating, and discovering for yourself. So please, dive on in!