Buddhism 102: Ethics

Lesson 3: Other Paramitas

Energetic Effort, Exercise #8

Perhaps it would be easiest to see what virya paramita (energetic effort) is by looking at the attitudes in our lives that block it. Here are some things you might say to yourself that hinder your practice of energetic effort:

• That's not my problem.
• What good would I do, anyway?
• That sounds too difficult.
• I shouldn't have to do that.
• Maybe I'll help later.
• I'll take the easy way out.
• Whatever.
• I'm sure someone else can do it.
• What do I get out of it?

We can overcome these attitudes. Once we know what's right, we can make the most of each moment, and act when we need to act.

Boorstein quotes the Dalai Lama, who once was asked by an interviewer how a Buddhist teacher can get enough time off. The Dalai Lama asked back, "Do bodhisattvas get time off?" (145) We don't really get a break from living our lives, and we can bring energetic effort to every moment.

The main factors that inhibit our energetic effort are called the Three Poisons. They are anger, greed and delusion. Fortunately, while we know that these things inhibit our effort, we can also see that our effort is the key for overcoming them.

Anger Inhibits Energetic Effort. Anger creates energy, we know, but it's rarely positive energy that we can use to help people. It's usually destructive energy that we use to hurt people. When we are angry, we let it stop us from doing what we need to do. We don't help people because, when we're angry, we don't think they deserve to be helped.

Energetic Effort Overcomes Anger. If you're experiencing anger, find a way to practice energy. Do something to make your life better, or the lives of those around you. Use that energy to overcome your anger.

Greed Inhibits Energetic Effort. Laziness is a kind of greed. Sometimes we have an odd way of thinking about time, like the hours in a day can be invested and stored away for later use. We find it hard to give away our time, because we're greedy.

Energetic Effort Overcomes Greed. The more we give away our time, the less we cling to it. The more moments we spend asking, "How can I help?" the fewer moments we spend saying, "What's in it for me?" As we practice this, we eventually rush to help fellow humans as naturally as your right hand reaches for your left hand when the left is hurt.

Delusion Inhibits Energetic Effort. Delusions stop us from seeing the world as it is. When we don't see that, we don't think we can make a difference. We don't think our actions really matter. Or, we think that someone else will take care of the world when we don't.

Energetic Effort Overcomes Delusion. The more effort we put into our practice--practice of meditation, practice of kindness, practice of the Eightfold Path--the more we see the way things really are. We don't have to put forth effort for ourselves; we put forth effort for the world around us.

Exercise #8

Where do you resist energetic effort? Where in your life can you bring a little more energy into the picture?

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