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Saturday 4 February 2023

What is the right effort in Buddhism?




The important of Right Effort In Buddhism  is to change mind habits. Right Effort In Buddhism means concentrate on the mind or one object.  

Right Effort In Buddhism - It is the first step in the practice of Bhavana. Right Effort In Buddhism prescribed various technique for concentrate the mind. 

The mind is easily overcome by ignorance, easily swayed by craving or aversion

Somehow we must strengthen it so that is become firm and stable, a useful tool for examining our nature at the subtlest level in order to reveal and then remove our conditioning.


RIGHT EFFORT INFORMATION :



A doctor, wishing to diagnose the disease of a patient, will take a blood sample and place it under a microscope . 

Before examining the sample, the doctor must first focus the microscope properly, and fix it in focus


Only then is it possible to inspect the sample, discover the cause of the disease and determine the proper treatment to cure the disease.


Similarly, we must learn to focus the mind, to fix and maintain it on a single object of attention. 


In this way we make it an instrument for examining the subtlest reality of ourselves .

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Right Effort Eightfold Path -



Right Effort Eightfold Path


The Buddha prescribed various techniques for concentrating the mind, each suited to the particular person who came to him for training.

The most suitable technique for exploring inner reality ,the technique the Buddha himself practiced, is that of "anapanasati ",awareness of respiration. "

Respiration is an object of attention that is readily available to everyone, because we all breathe from the time of birth until the time of death . 


It is a universally accessible, universally acceptable object of meditation.


To begin the practice of bhavana,  mediators sit down, assume a comfortable, upright posture and close their eyes. 


They should be in a quite room little to distract the attention. 


Turning from the outer world to the world within, they find that the most prominent activity is their own breathing , so they give attention to this object : the breath entering and leaving the nostrils.



This is not breathing exercise, it is an exercise in awareness


The effort is not to control the breath but instead to remain conscious of it as it naturally is : long or short, heavy or light, rough or subtle. 


For as long as possible one fixes the attaintion on the breath, without allowing any distraction to break the chain of awareness.

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Right Effort Is A Part Of -


IMPORTANCE OF RIGHT EFFORT IN BUDDHISUM :

As mediators we find out at once how difficult this is. As soon as we try to keep the mind fixed on respiration, we begin to worry about a pain in the legs. 


As soon as we try to suppress all distracting thought, a thousand things jump into the mind : memories, plans, hopes, fears. 


One of these catches our attention, and after some time we realize that we have forgotten completely about breathing. 


We begin again with renewed determination, and again after a short time we realize that the mind has slipped away without our noticing.

Who is in control here?  As soon as one begins this exercise, it becomes very clear very quickly that in fact the mind is out of control. 


Like a spoiled child who reaches for one toy, becomes bored, and reaches for another, and then another, the mind keeps jumping from one thought, one object of attention to another, running away from reality.


RIGHT EFFORT DEFINATION :


This is the ingrained habit of the mind, this is what it has been doing all our lives. 


But once we start to investigate our true nature, the running away must stop. 


We must change the mental habits pattern and learn to remain with reality. We begin by trying to fix the attaintion on the breath. 

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Right Effort Examples -


Right Effort Examples


When we notice that it has wandered away, patiently and clamly we bring it back again. 


We fail and try again, and again. Smilingly, without tension, without discouragement, we keep repeating the exercise. 


After all, the habit of a lifetime is not changed in a few minutes. The task requires repeated continuous practice as well as patience and calmness.


This is how we develop awareness of reality. This is right effort.



The Buddha described four types of right effort :

  1. to prevent evil, unwholesome states from arising 
  2.  to abandon them if they should arise 
  3.  to generate wholesome states not yet existing 
  4.  to maintain them without lapse, causing them to develop and to reach full growth and perfection.

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Right Effort Meaning


By practicing awareness of respiration, we practice all four right efforts . 


We sit down and fix attention on the breath without any intervening thought. 


By doing so, we initiate and maintain the wholesome states of self awareness. 


We prevent ourselves from falling into distraction, or absent mindedness, from losing sight of reality


If a thought arise, we do not pursue it, but return our attention once again to the breath. 


In this way, we develop the ability of the mind to remain focused on a single object and to resist distraction two essential qualities of concentration. 


The Buddha educated there are four angles to the Correct Exertion: 
  1. - The push to forestall unwholesome characteristics, particularly avarice, outrage, and obliviousness from emerging. 
  2. - The work to quench unwholesome characteristics that as of now have emerged. 
  3. - The work to develop skilful or healthy characteristics, particularly liberality, cherishing consideration, and intelligence. 
  4. - The work to reinforce the healthy characteristics that have just emerged. 

The thought of Right Exertion doesn't simply apply to our training, however how we lead our lives. 

It calls us to create and support great characteristics


There are numerous acceptable characteristics to be developed, however the ones that the Buddha especially focused on were care, energy, delight, serenity, and composure. 

Alongside this, the Buddha instructed that our training ought to resemble an all around tuned string instrument. 


Conclusion -


On the off chance that the strings are excessively free, they won't play the sound. 


In the event that they are excessively close, they will break. 


An otherworldly practice ought to be sustaining, not depleting. So developing Right Effort in Buddhism should start with finding the "Center Way".