Dear Friends, Energy, or viriya, can be directed toward many different goals. To align our energy with our intentions, we focus it on the four endeavors of wise effort. Over the next few weeks, we will explore each of these in depth. The first endeavor is to prevent unwholesome states from arising. Joseph Goldstein reflects: When we’re leading… Read More »
Dear Friends, With wise effort, we want to abandon unhelpful states and cultivate helpful ones. There are many ways to cultivate these beneficial states, including the Brahma Vihara practices of metta (kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (appreciative joy), and upekkha (equanimity). Today, we’ll focus on mudita! Mudita is the capacity to feel happiness or gladness, to delight in someone’s… Read More »
Dear Friends, In the Buddha’s instruction to Sona (AN 6.55), he compares effort to the tuning of a stringed instrument. A guitar string that’s too tight doesn’t sound right, and neither does one that’s too loose. We are to apply our effort to find a balance. As you practice, notice when you are “too tight” or “too loose”.… Read More »
Dear Friends, Today, I will share one of the reflection questions from the eightfold path class I took through BCIMS a couple of years ago: As a person who over-efforts on many occasions, I find this poem a reminder to balance the efforting with space, so that what’s most important has the opportunity to emerge. Clearing Do not… Read More »
Dear Friends, The sixth factor of the eightfold path is right or wise effort. Gil Fronsdal describes this factor succinctly as follows: Right Effort involves four different ways we can apply ourselves. When it comes to our inner thoughts, feelings, and states, we can (1) prevent, (2) overcome, (3) arouse, or (4) maintain these inner experiences. Far from… Read More »
