January 16 – Crossing the flood

Dear Friends,

Continuing with Kamala’s talk, “The Five Spiritual Faculties’ relationship to Equanimity,” and in particular her comments on the faculty of effort and energy.

This effort and energy is balanced. Kamala shares an analogy from Sayadaw U Tejaniya: This is not like a 100-yard dash, it’s more like a marathon. Kamala describes the qualities as patient and persevering – a continuity of effort.

Kamala shares a discourse that helped her with this continuity. It’s called Crossing the Flood. Kamala clarifies that “the flood” references this seemingly never-ending cycle of wanting this, not wanting that, not even seeing what we want or what we’re averse to.

In this story, a luminous being from a spirit realm visits the Buddha and asks, “How, dear sir, did you cross the flood?”

The Buddha replies, “By not halting, friend, and by not straining I crossed the flood.”

Bhikkhu Bodhi’s commentary suggests that the Buddha’s reply is intended to be paradoxical, to humble this spirit being because they had too much pride to understand the teaching. Given this perplexing answer, the spirit being asked for clarification: “But how is it, dear sir, that by not halting and by not straining you crossed the flood?”

The Buddha replies, “When I came to a standstill, friend, then I sank; but when I struggled, then I got swept away. It is in this way, friend, that by not halting and by not straining I crossed the flood.”

Kamala explains it this way:

We just have to keep doing our practice. Not striving too much because we’ll struggle, and if we halt, we’ll sink. Just finding a way that keeps you just right on the path – buoyant and clear.

This discourse reminds of a poem from Upasama, an enlightened nun from the Buddha’s time. There’s an upcoming adaptation of the Therigatha, these poems from the nuns, by Matty Weingast.

Upasama ~ Calm

< you can hear Susie read this poem here:
https://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/396/talk/51817/ >

from The First Free Women: Poems of the Early Buddhist Nuns by Matty Weingast, page 13

I love the gentleness, the persistence, the willingness to do what it takes to cross over the difficulties. That’s the kind balanced effort and energy we can bring into our practice, and into our lives.

Reflection: Notice today when your effort and energy is balanced, and when it isn’t. What steps can you take to calmly move forward, one step at time, with gentle persistence?

Feel free to share your reflections or comments below, or by email.

With warm wishes,
Andrea