For me the most effective way of being in the world is to move in the direction of the stream of the Dharma. But one is not automatically “in the stream of the Dharma.” That’s where practice comes in. Meditation, devotion, Dharma studies, cause-and-effect studies, chopping wood and carrying water, and more meditation yet are the ancient and modern and future paths of entrance into the timeless truths of Buddha, Dharma, Sangha.