Podcasts about right effort

An early summary of the path of Buddhist practices leading to liberation from samsara

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Best podcasts about right effort

Latest podcast episodes about right effort

Pariyatti
Ch. 5 - Right Effort from Journey of Insight Meditation

Pariyatti

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2025


Ch. 5 - Right Effort from Journey of Insight Meditation by Eric Lerner TOWARD THE END OF the first week of the course, Hover introduced a new schedule for vipassana meditation which he had been shown on his recent trip to Burma. It consisted of six hour-long sittings each day in which the resolve was made not to move at all: two in the morning, three in the afternoon, and one at night after his discourse, plus some hours in the early morning and after tea. It didn't take long for this regimen to produce some very deep pain. Shortly after we began it, a rock-hard knot about the size of a grapefruit surfaced in my neck. It grew in intensity during each hour-long sitting until I could no longer hold my attention on any other part of my body. When I focused right on the pain, my body would be gripped by enormous tension and the knot would suddenly disappear. This thrilled me the first time, but it soon became clear that it only meant that the knot would be back the next hour, stiffer, larger, and more difficult to deal with. by Eric Lerner 2025 24 minutes 40 seconds Listen to Streaming Audio Your browser does not support the audio element. Download Audio (11.4MB) Audio copyright, 2025 Pariyatti View the book, eBook and free PDF download. You can also find it at Amazon worldwide using this link: http://a-fwd.com/com=pariyatti-20&asin=B0CJL9SG5D. About Eric Lerner. View more books and audio resources available in the Pariyatti bookstore.

Podcast – Kannon Do
280. Right Effort

Podcast – Kannon Do

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2025 37:21


A talk by Brenda Golianu. This talk was given on Wednesday, March 26th, 2025.

Satsang with Swaha
The Right Effort - O Esforço Correto

Satsang with Swaha

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2025 19:00


Vasant Swaha is a modern mystic sharing his love, joy, and wisdom in retreats. This talk was from a Satsang Weekend at Mevlana Garden, Brazil, on the 11th of October of 2024.   This audio contains Portuguese consecutive interpretation.For more information visit  www.vasantswaha.net–Vasant Swaha é um místico moderno que compartilha seu amor, sua alegria e sua sabedoria em retiros. Esta fala foi de um "Satsang Weekend" no Mevlana Garden, Brasil, no dia 11 de outubro de 2024.   Este áudio contém interpretação consecutiva em português.Para obter mais informações, visite www.vasantswaha.net

The House of Inner Tranquillity Podcast
S8 Ep6: "Uses and Abuses of Mental Energy" by Paul Harris

The House of Inner Tranquillity Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2024 33:53


This talk discusses the correct level of mental energy for meditation, describing the Buddha's teaching on Right Effort. The effects of imbalances in energy on meditation are described along with ways to resolve them. Paul Harris is the Spiritual Head and principal meditation teacher at the House of Inner Tranquiliity. This talk was given in April 2008.

Gaia House: dharma talks and meditation instruction
Mat Schencks: Week Four, Part 1 : right effort, piti and sukka + meditation

Gaia House: dharma talks and meditation instruction

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2024 38:05


Transformation Talk Radio
Effortless Effort: The Paradox of Right Effort

Transformation Talk Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2024 27:55


  The Noble Eightfold Path, the core of Buddhism, is a practical guide to ethical conduct, mental discipline, and wisdom. It comprises:Right Understanding: Understanding the Four Noble TruthsRight Thought: Intentions free from greed, hatred, and delusionRight Speech: Abstaining from lying, divisive, and harsh speechRight Action: Abstaining from killing, stealing, and sexual misconductRight Livelihood: Making a living through ethical meansRight Effort: Cultivating wholesome states of mindRight Mindfulness: Maintaining present-moment awarenessRight Concentration: Developing focused meditation Together, these eight factors lead to liberation from suffering and the attainment of enlightenment. This episode focuses on the 6th step which is right effort. It emphasises the immediate benefits that you can use to have a lot more success with a lot less stress.Watch Dr Steve Livestream

Daily Wisdom - Walking The Path with The Buddha
Ep. 761 - (Group Learning Program) - The Eight Fold Path - Mental Discipline (Part 3 of 3)

Daily Wisdom - Walking The Path with The Buddha

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2024 138:26


(Group Learning Program) - The Eight Fold Path - Mental Discipline (Part 3 of 3) The Eight Fold Path is "The Path to Enlightenment" and can be organized into three (3) distinct sections. This class is Part 3 of a three (3) part series to describe The Path to Enlightenment in detail so that you can learn and practice The Teachings that will guide you to the Enlightened mind. In this Podcast, David will share Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration which comprise the section of The Eight Fold Path described as "Mental Discipline". ——-Daily Wisdom - Walking The Path with The BuddhaDedicated to the education of Gotama Buddha's Teachings to attain Enlightenment. https://www.BuddhaDailyWisdom.com (See our website for online learning, courses, and retreats.) Group Learning Program - LIVE Interactive Online Classes, Book, Audiobook, Videos, Podcast and Personal Guidancehttps://bit.ly/GroupLearningProgram |The Words of The Buddha - Pali Canon in English Study Grouphttps://bit.ly/PaliCanonStudyGroup FREE Book - Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenmenthttps://www.buddhadailywisdom.com/freebuddhabooks Facebook: https://bit.ly/DailyWisdom-FacebookYouTube: https://bit.ly/DailyWisdom-YoutubePodcast: https://bit.ly/DailyWisdom-Podcast Support our efforts to share The Teachings of Gotama Buddha with you and worldwide for all people using this link.https://www.buddhadailywisdom.com/supportbuddha #buddhism #learnbuddhism #buddhismclass # buddhismcourse #enlightenment #awakening #dhamma #dharma #buddha #meditation #meditationretreat #meditationcourse #meditationclass

Berkeley Zen Center Dharma Talks
Metta and Right Effort

Berkeley Zen Center Dharma Talks

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2024 58:52


A talk given at Berkeley Zen Center on Saturday, November 9th 2024 by Linda Galijan.

Dhammagiri Buddhist Podcasts
Consistent Practice & How to Prevent Unwholesome Mindstates | Ajahn Dhammasiha | Buddhism

Dhammagiri Buddhist Podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2024 24:56


Ajahn Dhammasiha responds to two closely related questions from the audience: 1. We may experience highs and lows in our meditation practice. Sometimes it even seems like we're suddenly back to zero, almost like riding a roller coaster. How can we make our Dhamma practice more consistant? 2. How can we prevent unwholesome mindstates from arising? This is actually the first of 4 factors of Right Effort (sammā-vāyāma), number six in the Noble Eightfold Path: Rather than trying to abandon unwholesome states once they have come up, it's better to 'nip them in the bud', as they say, by eliminating the conditions that potentially cause defilements to arise in the first place. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dhammagiri Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Spotify Playlists⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dhammagiri Youtube Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pics⁠⁠ #dhamma #buddhism #dhammatalk #dhammatalks #righteffort #sammavayama

Abhayagiri Dhamma Talks
The Power of Right Effort

Abhayagiri Dhamma Talks

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2024


Ajahn Cunda reflects on the reluctance to face unpleasant experiences and highlights the importance of right effort in overcoming unwholesome states. This Dhamma talk was offered on September 14, 2024 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

right effort this dhamma abhayagiri buddhist monastery
Dhammatalks.org Short Morning Talks
Right Effort on a Hot Day

Dhammatalks.org Short Morning Talks

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2024 4:13


A talk by Thanissaro Bhikkhu entitled "Right Effort on a Hot Day"

Orlando Insight Meditation Group » Podcast Feed
Reviewing Mindfulness, Investigation, and Right Effort

Orlando Insight Meditation Group » Podcast Feed

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2024 65:02


This talk presented by Peter is intended to provide information regarding three very important mental “skill sets” that are necessary for developing effective mindfulness meditation practice.  First, defining characteristics of each mind-conditioning function are reviewed, followed by suggestions for integrating their combined effects.  There is a guided “Contemplating Mindfulness, Investigation, and Right Effort” meditation preceding […]

Orlando Insight Meditation Group » Podcast Feed
Contemplating Mindfulness, Investigation, and Right Effort

Orlando Insight Meditation Group » Podcast Feed

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2024 44:58


This guided meditation provides opportunities to become more clearly aware of three important mind-conditioning functions and how to cultivate their functioning, which provides the basis for experiencing high degrees of mental clarity and stability, benefiting the practice of vipassana, insight meditation.  The coordinated and integrated effects of these three factors will be reviewed during a […]

Orlando Insight Meditation Group » Podcast Feed
Contemplating Sympathetic Joy With Equanimity

Orlando Insight Meditation Group » Podcast Feed

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2024 45:02


Sympathetic Joy is one of the Four Divine Abidings, and this guided meditation provides instructions on how to integrate Mindfulness, Investigation of Mental Phenomena, and Right Effort to cultivate Equanimity, another of the Divine Abidings, which functions to bring balance and clarity to the experience of appreciating another beings happiness and success in unselfish ways.  […]

Orlando Insight Meditation Group » Podcast Feed
Guided Compassion With Equanimity Contemplation

Orlando Insight Meditation Group » Podcast Feed

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2024 44:56


This guided meditation provides support for identifying the characteristics of compassion as well as the “near enemy” and “far enemy” of this wholesome state of mind.  The training also suggests how to use mindfulness, investigation of mental phenomena, and Right Effort to cultivate the balancing effect of equanimity, which functions to purify the benevolent intentions […]

Orlando Insight Meditation Group » Podcast Feed
Integrating Lovingkindness With Equanimity

Orlando Insight Meditation Group » Podcast Feed

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2024 45:03


This guided meditation provides the opportunity to monitor the cultivation of lovingkindness with equanimity, avoiding what are called the “near enemy” or “far enemy”, mental dysfunctions that interfere with the flow of benevolent intention.  This integrative process is facilitated with the application of mindfulness, investigation of mental phenomena, and Right Effort, which function to purify […]

Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield
Ep. 248 – Sacred Effort

Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2024 55:12


Exploring how to direct energy in a wise way, Jack shares how embracing Sacred Effort nourishes joy, ease, beauty, equanimity, mindfulness, and loving kindness in your life.Want fresh Jack teachings delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Jack's newsletter at JackKornfield.com/newsletter for weekly free content – guided meditations, Dharma Talks, articles, and more!"Right Effort, or Wise Energy, most fundamentally is the effort to pay attention, the effort to be present, awake, and see what is true in front of us. Out of all the kinds of efforts we can make, the most fundamental wise effort in spiritual life is to be where we are and see it clearly, to be conscious, or mindful." – Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Directing the energy of your life to be awake, aware, and presentSeeing the Eightfold Path as a lotus or mandalaCarlos Castaneda, impeccability, and becoming a spiritual warriorHow to wake yourself up from sleepwalking through your lifeHaving a full heart, deep attention, and clear seeingThe two levels of spiritual friends and spiritual practiceUsing suffering to develop a wise heartRemembering death and impermanenceWhat Jack taught his daughter about deathBowing to our difficult emotions and moving onDisentangling ourselves from greed, fear, and obsessionNourishing equanimity, ease, joy, beauty, and loving kindnessTending each moment as if you were planting a seedBalance and the Buddha stringing the luteRamana Maharshi and the wisdom of letting goMaking your life and activity an expression of the Tao"The teaching of Right Effort or Wise Effort is a reminder of our nobility. It is a reminder of the human inspiration of spirit not just to get through our lives, but to honor it, to respect it, to be present for it, to delight in it." – Jack Kornfield"Unclench the heart, steady yourself, and be present for things as they are, and then your activity becomes an expression of your awakening, it becomes a vehicle for the Tao." – Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk recorded on 3/1/1992 was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Clear Mountain Podcast
Becoming Sensitive to Goodness | Ajahn Jayasāro Q&A

Clear Mountain Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2024 47:05


In this Q&A session at Clear Mountain, Ajahn Jayasaro speaks about the nature of Right Effort, how to maintain a continuity of mindfulness throughout the day, and the increasing sensitivity to goodness that indicates progress on the path. The talk, part of Tan Ajahn's recent visit to Seattle, was a great blessing for the community.

Orlando Insight Meditation Group » Podcast Feed

This week's dharma talk explores the 6th step in the teaching of the Buddha called “The Noble Eightfold-Path.”  This 6th step takes us into the “discipline aggregate” of the eight steps.  Here we learn how to cultivate beneficial qualities of mind and how to disarm unbeneficial qualities of mind.  The talk this week was given by Lezlie Laws.

Becoming Buddha Cross River Meditation Center Podcast
The Noble Eightfold Path - Right Effort - The Sambohdi Sutta - DT Kevin 04162024

Becoming Buddha Cross River Meditation Center Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2024 64:14


This is a recording from Cross River Meditation Center in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Our Dhamma classes are streamed live via Zoom on Tuesday at 7:15 pm and Saturday at 8:30 am Eastern Us Time. Join Live Through your web browse: https://zoom.us/j/9083919079  Join Live Through your Android device here: Zoom Android App  Join Live Through your IOS device here: Zoom IOS Ap   There are guided Jhana meditations, more than 300 restored Suttas and 800 Dhamma class recordings at Becoming-Buddha.com Each Dhamma class will have a Jhana meditation session followed by a Dhamma talk and Sangha discussion. We conclude with mindfulness of Metta.   New audio and video recordings are posted typically within twenty-four hours post-class:   Podcast/Audio Archive   Video Archive   If you are subscribed to our Podcast on Podbean or iTunes, you will receive notifications when new episodes are posted.   To schedule private, individual, or group Dhamma instruction via video conference please Email Cross River Dhamma To continue to develop and share the Buddha's timeless wisdom and preserve the legacy of our friend and teacher John Haspel, we offer weekly classes, both online and in person, both residential and local retreats, and our website with its extensive video and audio archive.  None of this would be possible without your support and donations.  Please continue to support us by donating here: Support Becoming-Buddha Cross River Dhamma

Abhayagiri Dhamma Talks

Ajahn Pasanno offers reflections on developing the quality of Right Effort as a means of staying grounded in the face of change. This Dhamma talk was offered on April 8, 2024 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

change happens right effort this dhamma abhayagiri buddhist monastery
Daily Wisdom - Walking The Path with The Buddha
Ep. 656 - (Group Learning Program) - The Eight Fold Path - Mental Discipline (Part 3 of 3)

Daily Wisdom - Walking The Path with The Buddha

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2024 94:34


(Group Learning Program) - The Eight Fold Path - Mental Discipline (Part 3 of 3) The Eight Fold Path is "The Path to Enlightenment" and can be organized into three (3) distinct sections. This class is Part 3 of a three (3) part series to describe The Path to Enlightenment in detail so that you can learn and practice The Teachings that will guide you to the Enlightened mind. In this Podcast, David will share Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration which comprise the section of The Eight Fold Path described as "Mental Discipline". ——-Daily Wisdom - Walking The Path with The BuddhaDedicated to the education of Gotama Buddha's Teachings to attain Enlightenment. https://www.BuddhaDailyWisdom.com (See our website for online learning, courses, and retreats.) Group Learning Program - LIVE Interactive Online Classes, Book, Audiobook, Videos, Podcast and Personal Guidancehttps://bit.ly/GroupLearningProgram |The Words of The Buddha - Pali Canon in English Study Grouphttps://bit.ly/PaliCanonStudyGroup FREE Book - Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenmenthttps://www.buddhadailywisdom.com/freebuddhabooks Facebook: https://bit.ly/DailyWisdom-FacebookYouTube: https://bit.ly/DailyWisdom-YoutubePodcast: https://bit.ly/DailyWisdom-Podcast Support our efforts to share The Teachings of Gotama Buddha with you and worldwide for all people using this link.https://www.buddhadailywisdom.com/supportbuddha

Portland Friends of the Dhamma
Matthew Grad – The Art and Joys of Right Effort, 04/07/2024, eps 233

Portland Friends of the Dhamma

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2024 24:21


Aruna Ratanagiri Dhamma Talks
Luang Por Munindo - The Number One Global Stressor

Aruna Ratanagiri Dhamma Talks

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2024 33:00


(keywords) (slightly edited version) Dhammapada verse 163, Devadatta, winter retreat, excruciatingly difficult, intensely threatening, junk food, affluence, obesity, ease of access to information, contentment, ecological stressor, wars, technology, identified with the deluded sense of self, ‘my way', hatred, morphing, pride, self-adoration, selfies, vulgar, intoxicant, religion, self-obsessed, virtues, humility, truthfulness, Greek myth, scientific scrutiny, beliefs systems, faith in True Principles, path of practice, 8-fold path, Right View, 4 Noble Truths, Right Aspiration, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Collectedness, schools, Conscious Studies, disciplined attention, understanding pain, balance.

Expanding Horizons
The Eight-fold Path

Expanding Horizons

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2024 37:59


Kris's Address today is on the Buddhist approach to living - The "Eight-fold Path" to Enlightenment, based on the Four Noble Truths:- that suffering is an inevitable part of living- - whose causes can be determined. It's possible to escape suffering and- there is a path - the "eight-fold path" we can follow to  end suffering. The Buddha's practical guide to effective living is as relevant to our living today as it was 2,500 years ago. Kris explains the Eight-fold path: Right View; Right Intention (or Resolve); Right Speech; Right Action; Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness; Right Concentration. The Eight-fold Path is not an ordered sequence of steps to follow - but more like eight spokes of a wheel, each playing their part - in keeping the wheel turning, true! And then there's the role of Meditation. Kris also sets us some homework! - And some challenges!

Diggin' the Dharma
Coming Back to the Core: Strategies of Right Effort

Diggin' the Dharma

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2024 29:33


Right Effort --one of the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path is an important aspect of the practice of meditation, and the teachings related to this are worth looking into. Jon and Doug discuss strategies and practices that may be useful for us to consider along the path.Support the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

Down with the Dharma
Discourses on Right Effort, Five Powers, and Four Bases of Psychic Power from the Samyutta Nikaya

Down with the Dharma

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2024 51:41


SN 49.1 https://suttacentral.net/sn49.1-12/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=plain&reference=none¬es=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin SN 50.1 https://suttacentral.net/sn50.1-12/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=plain&reference=none¬es=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin SN 51.1 https://suttacentral.net/sn51.1/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=plain&reference=none¬es=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin SN 51.22 https://suttacentral.net/sn51.22/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=plain&reference=none¬es=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/downwiththedharma/message

Gaia House: dharma talks and meditation instruction
Nathan Glyde: Movement & Meditation - Making the Right Effort

Gaia House: dharma talks and meditation instruction

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2024 73:53


UnMind: Zen Moments With Great Cloud
135: Updated Noble Path part 2

UnMind: Zen Moments With Great Cloud

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2023 16:00


In the last segment we ended with the suggestion that you, dear listener, might construct your own Noble N-fold Path based on your vision of the Noble Truths, with the proviso that you may have to articulate what the existence of suffering means to you, and how you might pursue a path to its cessation in modern times. In doing so you may discover that there are more origins of suffering in your life than simple craving, although craving is not simple. You may also find, upon closer examination, that the cessation of suffering is going to require giving up more than your basic biological cravings, and that your personal path to salvation will have more than eight basic dimensions involved. However, most of the more detailed dimensions and distractions in daily life today will probably loosely correlate to those that the Buddha defined. Let me know if, in the interim, you have thought about this, and engaged in the creative exercise I suggested — that you make an attempt to redefine the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path in your own terms. I would be interested to see what you came up with. In this segment, as promised, I will attempt to expand the context further, integrating the original four as defined by Buddha with those surrounding spheres of influence that have impact on our daily lives, as well as on our contemporary practice of Zen, including the personal and social we have discussed so far, as well as the natural and universal spheres. Go to the UnMind webpage to see my diagram of the nesting spheres of influence combined with the Four Noble Truths. The link to the page is in the show notes for this episode. This illustration attempts to paint a picture of the comprehensive context of a modern Zen life and practice of the Eightfold Path, tying together our current, more expansive grasp of the surrounding universe, with Buddha's Four Noble Truths. These are the Four Spheres, those surrounding layers of reality in which we find ourselves enmeshed, and are directly or indirectly influenced by, in the ongoing management of our lives. The most central is the Personal sphere, the next level out being the Social, then the Natural, and finally, the Universal. They are not truly separate, of course, but relatively so.THE UNIVERSAL: EXISTENCE OF SUFFERINGOur meditative practice is centered in the personal experience we find on the cushion, the most intimate dimension, inseparable from the other three. Buddha's teaching of the Existence of suffering — and his charge that we are to fully understand its existence — we might assume to lie within the innermost circle, the Personal. But its true home is in the outermost, the Universal realm. After all, nothing, anywhere in the Universe, is exempt from dukkha, as the principle of change. Galaxies colliding in outer space are an instance of dukkha. That we are, each and all of us, caught up in incessant change, does not reduce dukkha to a merely personal concern, however, from either a positive or negative perspective. We are neither the chosen, most favored, beings in this spectacle; nor are we the sole victims. Dukkha is not a respecter of persons. The universal dimension of zazen includes the physical posture sinking into a profound stillness, which lies at the heart of all motion (captured by the Ch'an expression “mokurai”); and settling into precise alignment with the field of gravity. The term used to name this profound equilibrium is “Samadhi.” Zazen-samadhi transcends the Personal and Social spheres, linking into the Natural and Universal forces of the planet and the solar system, as we hear in the Ch'an poem Hokyo Zammai—Precious mirror Samadhi: Within causes and conditions time and season It is serene and illuminatingSo minute it enters where there is no gapSo vast it transcends dimensionA hairsbreadth's deviation and you are out of tuneAll change, from the most minute in the microcosmos to the outermost reaches of the universe, is a manifestation of dukkha, which is, however, “serene and illuminating.” All forms, including solid, liquid and gaseous states of matter in continual flux, provide examples of the Universal impinging upon the Personal. Our very life depends upon these three basic states of matter, as well as the functioning principles of organic chemistry, or biology, which overlap with the Natural. We cannot personally control, or negate, these influences to any significant degree. But we can come into harmony with them if we tune ourselves to their frequency.THE NATURAL: ORIGIN OF SUFFERINGThe Origin of suffering, usually translated as “craving” or “thirst,” Buddha taught that we are to abandon, again as fully as possible. Craving would most logically find its home in the Natural sphere, as it comes bundled with sentient life. As attributed to the plant kingdom, for example, to claim evidence of craving may seem a bridge too far, but we describe trees and grasses as thirsty, especially under increasingly common conditions of drought as one result of climate change.It is even more difficult to defend craving as manifested in the mineral kingdom, though certain chemical reactions, and even the simple dynamic of osmosis, or wicking, via capillary attraction, appears to mimic a form of thirst, admittedly inchoate, and unconscious. The main point is that while we tend to own our own feelings of craving, struggling with guilt and other obsessions as a consequence, they are clearly and largely a result of being a physical being — an animal — one endowed with painfully intense self-awareness. “Born of body, mouth and mind” is the operative phrase in Buddhism's Repentance verse. Most of our suffering comes with the territory. And therefore we are not responsible for it, only for what we do, or do not do, about it.The Natural sphere is not only the macro environment around us, but also the micro environ within our body, including the biological, chemical and electrical processes of breathing, digesting, and the rest of the inconceivable scope of life functions built into existence as a sentient being. It is all changing constantly, and subliminally to our typical awareness.THE SOCIAL: CESSATION OF SUFFERINGThe Cessation of suffering, which we are to fully realize, I position primarily in the Social sphere, though the most efficacious means for realizing it may reside in the most intimate inner circle of the Personal. A transformational event that Buddha identified as a “turning about in the inmost consciousness,” is tantamount to salvation in Zen. But this is not the salvation of an eternal soul in the afterlife.Personal suffering of aging, sickness and death — including birth as the leading cause of death — is quintessentially Natural. This process follows the “Dharma” as the natural law of sentient life. It is natural, in the psychological sense, that we look for personal salvation in the face of such suffering. And it is understandable that we look to the social level — of advanced medical treatment, for example — for solutions to mitigate personal suffering. However, in the most fully developed and comprehensive of the Mahayana teachings, the Bodhisattva Vow, we find that no one individual can be saved while the rest remain mired in suffering. In Zen, the most central form, and cause, of suffering is our willful ignorance, and resistance.THE PERSONAL: PATH TO CESSATIONThe Eightfold Path, which Buddha challenges us to fully follow, I place primarily in the Personal sphere. It forms a bridge into the Social, most obviously, but has resonance with the Natural and Universal spheres as well. While the usual linear sequence begins with Right View, and ends with Right Meditation, in actual Zen practice, the sequence is reversed. Some sects do not encourage students to meditate until they have some grounding in doctrine. Zen subscribes to the sink-or-swim approach, trusting the practice of upright, seated meditation to have an immediate, positive effect, encouraging followers to do follow-up research to clarify their experience. Engaging fully in Right Meditation, the practice of Right Mindfulness and Right Effort will follow naturally. These three comprise Right Discipline. This necessarily begins in the Personal sphere of practice-experience on the cushion, but mindfulness and effort obviously carry over into the Social realm. Right Speech, Action and Livelihood, taken together as Right Conduct, are most engaged in the Social sphere, though our actions and livelihood clearly affect the Natural realm, as in examples of mismanagement of resources.Finally, Right View, and Right Thought, when combined, comprise Right Wisdom in the threefold Path, complementing Right Discipline and Conduct. Wisdom consists in the evolution of our worldview to approximate that of the Buddha, or Buddhism, through trial-and-error, engaging the other dimensions of the Eightfold Path.THE INSEPARABILITY OF PERSONAL, SOCIAL, NATURAL & UNIVERSALDividing the Path into digestible bites does not imply that such separations are absolute. All diagrams are Venn diagrams, to a degree, whether of Buddhist teachings, or other areas of human endeavor. The personal cannot be separated from the social, the natural, or the universal, in reality, nor can wisdom, conduct, and discipline, whether right or wrong. The natural sphere entails stewardship of the environment, including the survival of the species. Extinction of species in the ecosystem, as a result of insensitivity to long-term consequences, and callous disregard for the sake of short-term profit, becomes very personal in terms of its impact on individuals, social in its effect on whole communities. Exhaustive mining of mineral resources provides another example of the connection between our personal needs and the dictates of Nature writ large. The most direct and obvious solution to the social and natural “tragedy of the commons” is for each individual to reduce craving on a personal level. Zazen, which seems to be Personal, disengaged navel-gazing, is actually the most direct gate to the Social, Natural and Universal dimensions of our existence. When we leave the cushion and re-enter the fray, the benefits of our practice come with us. Please examine this thoroughly in practice — thank you, Dogen.* * * Elliston Roshi is guiding teacher of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and abbot of the Silent Thunder Order. He is also a gallery-represented fine artist expressing his Zen through visual poetry, or “music to the eyes.”UnMind is a production of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center in Atlanta, Georgia and the Silent Thunder Order. You can support these teachings by PayPal to donate@STorder.org. Gassho.Producer: Shinjin Larry Little

UnMind: Zen Moments With Great Cloud
134: Updated Four Noble Truths part 1

UnMind: Zen Moments With Great Cloud

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2023 13:58


To elicit the bigger picture of the place of Zen and zazen in our world of practice, I would like to refer you to a couple of semantic models illustrating the interrelationships, or operative interfaces, of the various components of the Four Noble Truths, along with the dimensions of the Noble Eightfold Path that we all encounter on a daily basis, both on the cushion and off. Turning to Buddhism's Four Noble Truths, we see that they can be modeled as a system, the simplest geometry for which is the four-pointed tetrahedron (a “system” here defined as anything exhibiting an inside and an outside). The model shows their interconnectedness, from one to two to three to four, from two to three and four, et cetera. There are six relationships of the four points, to each other. How does the existence of suffering relate to its origin, craving? And so on and on. Go to the UnMind webpage to see my diagram of the Four Noble Truths as a four-pointed tetrahedron. The link to the page is in the show notes for this episode. The four are usually presented in a linear layout in text, beginning with the first Noble Truth of the Existence of suffering (dukkha), followed by its Origin; its Cessation; finally the Noble Eightfold Path, which leads to the cessation of suffering in daily life.First, we must challenge the appropriateness of the word “suffering” to translate the meaning of the Sanskrit word, “dukkha.” Unfortunately, suffering is fraught with narrow connotations of human pain, not only physical, but emotional, mental, and even existential in nature. But I do not believe that this is the intended meaning of the original term. Buddha was expounding a universal principle — that of unrelenting, inexorable change — which we naturally interpret from the perspective of our personal angst, as “suffering.” The Noble Eightfold Path extends this description of reality into a prescription for practice in daily life. Visit the webpage in the show notes to see the diagram illustrating the interconnectedness and interdependence of the elements in the Eightfold Path. A common example: “you talk the talk but you do not walk the walk”; a functional disconnect between right speech and right action.As you reflect upon the Noble Eightfold Path, consider how the interdependence of the eight dimensions reinforce each other: How does Right View influence Right Thought, or Right Speech? Where does Right Action connect with Right Livelihood and Right Effort? Is Right Mindfulness dependent upon Right Effort, and does it then lead to Right Meditation, or is it the other way around? Zen tradition claims to transmit the “right meditation” practiced by Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha and progenitor of Buddhism. But we recognize the absolute relevance and modernity of his message, privileging the simplified approach of Zen. Note that the eight dimensions are numbered in reverse order: “right view,” number one, being more a result than a starting point; right meditation, number eight, is where we must begin. As mentioned in UnMind number 131, “The Noble N-Fold Path”, the traditional division of Buddhism's Noble Eightfold Path may have to be updated to reflect the complexity of living in modern times. Nowadays we might want to add more dimensions to the original eight prescribed for practice in a simpler time. Perhaps today we would end up with a Noble Thirty-Two-fold Path as the last of the Sixteen Noble Truths. In Un Mind number 131, I mused upon the notion of adding “right balance” to the mix, what with the geometrically expanded choices we face in pursuing right speech, action and livelihood, and the challenges of living a Zen life in the midst of over-choice: the temptations and distractions pulling on us from all directions while we navigate the tightrope and keep all the balls in the air. We hope that we can “have it all,” especially compared to our ancestors in Zen, but “living large” exacts a steep price. To cite just a few of the dimensions of our modern milieu, distinctions with a tangible difference from ancient times, challenging our sense of balance today:TRAVEL: Buddha's “ecological sweepout,” to borrow a Bucky Fullerism, was limited to the radius he could reach on foot, by donkey or elephant, though there were likely significant incoming influences from the Silk Road and other trade routes. One of our senior priests made the point that for the first time in history, every individual on the planet is potentially only one plane ride away from every other person. This has all kinds of implications, some positive, some not so much, such as the boost it gives to viral vectors spreading disease globally with blinding speed.TECHNOLOGY: The interconnectivity of masses of people around the world, with advances in applications that provide automatic translation of languages, live video and audio recording and reporting of events on an unprecedented scale and scope of detail and timeliness, is a double-edged sword, a tool that can be used for good or ill, depending on the intent of senders and receivers of the message. The old-school formulas - that “The Medium is the Message”; communication is not the message sent, but the message received - no longer hold in a world of technology that allows anyone to put any words they wish in the mouths of anyone they want. It is impossible to catch up with even the jargon that attempts to keep up with scams popping up like weeds in the garden. From a Buddhist perspective, the upside is that world-around digital media have established a technical analogy to Avalokiteshvara, who “sees and hears the suffering of the world,” and comes to help, in her mission as the Bodhisattva of Compassion. One can hope. EDUCATION: In Buddha's time, and for the vast majority of the development of human civilization, choices in education were severely limited, primarily to learning the trade or craft of one's ancestral family. Compare to today's nearly unlimited potential for social mobility, promising transcendence of the caste or class system, implicit or explicit, into which we are born. One current downside is the emergence of massive student loan debt, a significant burden for those who have elected to finance higher degrees, which do not guarantee a successful career with the ability to pay off that debt.CORPORATIZATION: An awkward word to label an awkward development. Another significant difference in our world and that of the Buddha is the predominance of the corporate entity, which I suppose first reared its ugly head with the formation of the city-states of Greece, and reached its apogee in the Citizens United decision of SCOTUS. Not that corporations are necessarily bad; there are some that are dedicated to doing good, such as NFP 501c3s incorporated for various charitable missions. But the human beings populating the corporate entities, as members of the board and other controlling positions, are still human, and can do more harm with the collective power and reach of the corporation, than they might be able to do individually. I could go on. For example, with the current spate of international wars, widespread drug addiction, and the senseless gun violence that have become our new, dystopian “normal,” were certainly not the norm 2500 years ago. But suffice it to say that Buddha did not have to cope with this scale and scope of the onslaught of global insanity, though the self-striving nature of humanity underlying the chaos has not fundamentally changed since his times. We would likely find it unlikely to find an apt analogy to Dogen's time, let alone Buddha's. When we comprehend the Four Noble Truths as mutually interacting, but constrained within the limits of the context of early Indian subculture, we can update them to the 21st century by constructing our own menu of actionable items based on today's realities. You could, with some imagination, build your own personal set of Noble Truths, four or more, and suss out the vectors of a modern Path that transcend those outlined by the Buddha. He would appreciate your efforts, I am sure.Let me encourage you to engage in such a creative exercise between now and when we meet again. Contemplate what the “existence of suffering” means to you, how you are to “fully understand it”; what attitude adjustments and actionable items on your particular path may be undertaken to transform that suffering into the right view of wisdom. Remember to consider the relationships between the various path factors that you identify, rather than treat each in isolation. In the next segment, I will attempt to expand the context even further, into those surrounding spheres of influence on our daily lives, as well as on our contemporary practice of Zen, well beyond the personal and social, to include the natural and the universal. Buckle up. * * * Elliston Roshi is guiding teacher of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and abbot of the Silent Thunder Order. He is also a gallery-represented fine artist expressing his Zen through visual poetry, or “music to the eyes.”UnMind is a production of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center in Atlanta, Georgia and the Silent Thunder Order. You can support these teachings by PayPal to donate@STorder.org. Gassho.Producer: Shinjin Larry Little

Moved To Meditate Podcast
Wise Effort and Mindful Movement

Moved To Meditate Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2023 29:05


In today's episode of the podcast, we'll be exploring Wise Effort. Practicing Wise Effort means being mindful of how you're using your energies and your attention - and whether that is moving you towards fulfilling your intentions.  This is something we can look at in meditation practice, or in movement practice...and hopefully apply in the rest of our life's activities.  You'll hear about Wise Effort (or Right Effort) in the context of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path, and why it's important to pay attention to not only what we do, but how we do it. When we put energy into a task or towards a goal, is there a tone of steadiness and clarity, or grasping and striving? Are we working too hard and getting exhausted, or not doing enough to build any momentum?  Wise Effort can include: •    generating the effort to start your practice and keep practicing •    refining the kind of effort you're using in your practice (or any activity) •    the effort to bring your attention back to the present moment •    the inner work of making ethical choices, or avoiding harmful, reactive actions •    the resolve it takes to be present with mental and emotional states I'll also underline the role Wise Effort plays in Mindfulness practice, beyond just "being with what is." Sometimes Wise Effort supports us to sit with something that's challenging, other times we engage Wise Effort to redirect the mind because we're overwhelmed or moving into a habit track that we don't want to reinforce. And, of course, you'll hear how a mindful movement class can be an incredible laboratory for observing your relationship to effort!  Since I've recently been teaching a class series that combines resistance bands with mindful movement, this topic has been very much on my mind. I'll talk about how this added element of strength has inspired some interesting ways to investigate Wise Effort in a class that's normally gentler and quieter.  As we get to know the actual sensations of physical effort, we can get better at taking our cues from the body, rather than falling into deeply conditioned habits around effort.  Historically speaking, I tend to be a bit of an over-doer, so I share some personal examples of how I try to apply what I've learned "on the mat" about Wise Effort, so it can have a greater balancing influence on how I live and work. I hope this episode will also inspire you to reflect on your relationship with effort, and how you can engage with it in a curious, playful, non-judgmental way. -- For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast. And, you can sign up for your "Library Card" to access this month's FREE practices in the Moved To Meditate Class Library! Feel free to reach out through my website with your thoughts on this episode. You can also connect with me on Instagram and Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, and pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

Deeper Dhamma
2011 Rains Retreat (1/10) | Right Effort | Ajahn Brahm

Deeper Dhamma

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2023 55:51


Rains Retreat teachings from 20th of July to 5th of October 2011. Teachings given by the abbot Ajahn Brahm at Bodhinyana Monastery in Serpentine (southeast of Perth, Western Australia). The main audience was the Sangha.   Track 1/10: Right Effort  – 20th July 2011. See the full set here. Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon. To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page: https://bswa.org/teachings/, choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean.

UnMind: Zen Moments With Great Cloud
131: The Noble 'N' Fold Path

UnMind: Zen Moments With Great Cloud

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2023 17:24


The Noble Eightfold Path, the fourth of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, amounts to a prescription for practice, an octet of dimensions of daily life to pay strict attention to, in order to bring about Right View and Right Understanding, the dyad which, in combination, comprise Buddha's idea of Right Wisdom. Right, or correct, wisdom in daily life will come about naturally through the daily observation and practice of Right Conduct: right speech, action, and livelihood; along with Right Discipline: right effort, mindfulness and meditation. Needless to say, but I will say it anyway, in Zen, it all starts and ends with right meditation, opposed, we may suppose, to “wrong” meditation. And in truth, there are styles of meditation, and attitudes about it, that would be considered wrong, in the sense that they do not work well, or at least not as well as zazen, with its modus operandi of objectlessness. Such approaches as bompu Zen: meditating for health and happiness, wellbeing, i.e. ordinary goals and objectives of living; or gedo Zen: a practice that disregards the Buddhist underpinnings of Zen meditation, with its emphasis on transcending the self in order to penetrate to the depths of reality, in favor of some other framework such as Taoism or Confucianism from the original context in China, or a religious attitude of spiritual transcendence of ordinary life. So even within the personal practice of meditation itself, there can be competing ideas that lead to confusion. More so when we consider the cultural context in which we are practicing Zen. Nowadays we might want to add more dimensions to the original eight attributed to Buddha's prescription for practice in a simpler time. Perhaps today we would end up with a Noble Thirty-two-fold Path as the last of the Sixteen Noble Truths. One of the more explicit dimensions might be called “right balance,” indicating what I have termed “social samadhi.” Along with physical samadhi in the posture, which fosters emotional samadhi: less anxiety, more calm; mental samadhi: more clarity, less confusion; we begin to find more harmony, less friction, in our relationships. For Americans interested in pursuing a Zen practice, finding the right balance between the demands of household, work and family; and the necessary intensity of zazen practice may seem to be the most pressing and stressing dilemma in actualizing a Zen life in modern times.We imagine that in simpler times, people had more time to spare, and could devote a greater share of their time to meditation and study. With all the touted time-saving devices of current technology, we still seem to have little or no time to ourselves. The current droll expression, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get” captures this syndrome. An ancient version of the same idea, from the Chinese Zen poem Hsinshinming—Faith Mind, says it a bit differently, with specific relevance to Zen practice with a Taoist slant: To live in the Great Way is neither easy nor difficultBut those with limited views are fearful and irresoluteThe faster they hurry the slower they go This is a critique of those who approach Zen practice with limited views, as well as those who do not practice at all, and an admonition to practitioners to be fearless and resolute in pursuit of buddha-dharma. This general mindset underlies Right Effort, and gives a clue to how we may achieve balance in our practice.Usually when someone brings this issue up, it indicates that they suspect that they may not be practicing with sufficient intensity. They worry that it is not possible to find the time for zazen, both at home and away, without compromising obligations to family and career. For every project or task in which we invest the present moment, there are a dozen others that go wanting.The source of this dilemma is the tendency of the discriminating mind to compartmentalize, dividing life into separate categories. The next step in the process is to set the various pieces in opposition to each other. Then we conceive of them as taking time to plan, engage, and complete. Thus, we are forever caught in the bind of measured time, another compartmentalized conception. Taking this concept of time for the reality of time, we see no way out.Time-and-motion gurus, along with efficiency experts as well as life coaches, apply various techniques to this problem, such as making it visible. One such approach recommends drawing up a pie chart, in which we give a portion of the whole to each of our regular activities, whether based on a 24-hour daily, or weekly, monthly, or annual, cycle. Then we examine the activities to see if they are out of balance in some obvious way, looking to reduce one to make room for another, to arrive at a more desirable allocation of time to our goals and objectives. In other words, we use measured time to re-plan a measured dedication time to tasks.If we closely examine this process, and pay attention to the singular subjects that appear to conflict, it becomes apparent that the boundaries are not so clear. What we sort into categories are aspects of life that are more related than opposed. This is not a simplistic assertion that all is one, just an admission of the not-two nature of life promulgated in Zen teachings, particularly those from China. If, for example, we imagine that time spent in zazen is time neglecting our family, we might remember that when we do not sit in zazen for some period, our relationship to our family begins to deteriorate. We may secretly, subliminally even, resent the fact that we have to give up something for the sake of our spouse, children, or parents — or worst case, in-laws — with any lack of appreciation for our sacrifice on their part, adding insult to injury.We cannot balance our relationships to others, when they are built on such underlying self-centered impulses to begin with. Our complaint that we do not have time to do zazen is a symptom that we do not understand either time, or zazen. When we do zazen, we are using our time to its utmost efficiency and efficacy. When we leave the cushion, this mindset goes with us. We eventually begin to find that we waste less time in futile pursuits, or in resentment and acrimony between ourselves and those making demands on our time.This is especially true at work. A majority of people may report that they are happy with their work. But whether this happiness is genuine — or feigning contentment in fear of losing their job, or resistance to confronting genuine underlying unhappiness — is anyone's guess. This was probably not included in the questionnaire. But most of our discomfort at work stems from relationships.Compensation in terms of salary and benefits is always related to at least one other person, usually the identified “boss,” or management in general, especially where unions are involved. It is difficult to apply principles of compassionate engagement when the deck is stacked against us, with the other person holding all the trump cards. Often, we have no idea how much they themselves make for being our boss, but they know that — and more than we would like — about us. Our subordinates present another set of interpersonal issues, where we find ourselves on the hot seat in terms of supervising their performance, dealing with personalities that can be difficult. We are uncomfortably aware of the interconnectedness of our role in the enterprise, particularly with those in close proximity. We also have to be mindful of the viewpoint of others higher in the chain of command, to whom our boss reports. And then, over time, these roles and relationships are as impermanent as any other elements in the Buddhist universe. As the old adage has it, “Be nice to the people you meet on the way up the ladder; they are the same people you will meet on the way down.” Then there are client and supplier relationships outside the company; or students in the classroom; patients at the hospital. Patterns of relationships repeat, though the nature of the product or service varies. Sometimes disputes come out of left field, and we are blindsided with a conflict that begins to take up all of our time, including agonizing over it after work, over a drink. At the end of the day — so ubiquitous and overused a phrase that it is distasteful to repeat it — we begin to see home as a refuge from work. In some cases, work becomes a refuge from home. And the annual vacation becomes a refuge from both. Thus, our entire annual calendar is sucked into the relentless maw of time-consumption.What if this is all just fantasy, simply the workings of our imagination? The monkey-mind is endlessly capable of playing such games. What about a real vacation, a time-out from this daily merry-go-round?Zazen has been referred to as a mini-vacation, a brief respite from the rat race. One of the great secrets of Zen is that it really takes no time at all. In fact, Zen holds that we do not live in real time, unless we enter into it through zazen. When we think of the entire scope of a project — such as writing the great American novel — we shrink back, in intimidation. The mountain seems insurmountable. But the mountain is climbed one step at a time, though we might prefer a helicopter. If we see a mountain as a series of molehills, it is not so daunting. The only question is, Which molehill is in front of us, at the moment?If we think about all the other things that we do in a day, that take a half-hour or so, are there none that we could easily forego, for the sake of sitting for a half-hour? If not, how about fifteen minutes? Ten? Five? As Matsuoka Roshi would often say, “Sit five minutes: five-minute Buddha! Sit half-an-hour, Buddha for 30! But wouldn't you rather be Buddha all day?”By this, he did not mean sit zazen all day, needless to say. The effects of zazen are both immediate, and cumulative. They go with us, off the cushion. Our resistance to zazen is the molehill become mountain. I once consulted with a Canadian company named DYLEX. It is an acronym, meaning “Damn your lousy excuses!”This is a compassionate message for us. We don't need no stinking excuses. Zen and zazen is very powerful on a personal level. But its halo-effect on our multifarious activities off the cushion operates on a subtle plane. It is better to assume that it is working to bring about personal samadhi on a subliminal level, rather than look for it to manifest in some obvious way. Often, one's fellow workers and colleagues notice it before we do. This is what Matsuoka Roshi referred to as “confidence in everyday life,” one of the side-effects of Zen practice. Everything is already in balance, if not obviously so. It may not be apparent to our associates, either. After all, they are only human beings, like us. And they may not have the benefit of a practice like Zen meditation. We can afford to be a bit more balanced in practicing patience with them, in the midst of our shared suffering. We have the balancing effect of Zen. Thank Buddha!* * * Elliston Roshi is guiding teacher of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and abbot of the Silent Thunder Order. He is also a gallery-represented fine artist expressing his Zen through visual poetry, or “music to the eyes.”UnMind is a production of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center in Atlanta, Georgia and the Silent Thunder Order. You can support these teachings by PayPal to donate@STorder.org. Gassho.Producer: Shinjin Larry Little

Diggin' the Dharma
Balancing our Effort in Meditation

Diggin' the Dharma

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2023 26:10


Among the factors of the Eightfold Noble Path is Right Effort.  This is part of the meditation path, and for many, finding the right energy in our meditation practice is a big challenge.Doug and Jon discuss how they approach this and hopefully give some useful tips.Right EffortSupport the showGo to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

Radio Headspace
The Noble Eightfold Path: Right Effort

Radio Headspace

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2023 5:51


It's day 4 of Sam's Eightfold Path segment. Today, she talks about the value of wholesomeness and why it's important to notice what we consume. Sam has taught mindfulness and social emotional learning to teens, families and adults all over the world for more than 12 years. She obtained her master's degrees in clinical and educational psychology from Columbia University, and an M.S. in emotion science from Mid-Sweden University. You can reach out to Sam on Instagram here! Try the Headspace app free for 30 days here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Orlando Insight Meditation Group » Podcast Feed
Reviewing The Energy Awakening Factor

Orlando Insight Meditation Group » Podcast Feed

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2023 69:09


During this talk, April Koester reviews the Viriya Bojjhanga, the Energy Awakening Factor, which manifests as the persistent application of Right Effort, enhancing the benevolent effects of the other six Awakening Factors.

Buddhist Society of Western Australia
Geetha Mendis | Right Effort - Factor 6 of the Noble Eightfold Path | The Armadale Meditation Group

Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2023 90:19


Tuesday 12th September 2023 Geetha Mendis joins the Armadale Meditation Group on-line live for the seventh week of Rains 2023.  Geetha will be discussing Right Effort - Factor 6 of the Noble Eightfold Path. Armadale Meditation Group (AMG) is designed to teach you about meditation.  The classes generally begin with chanting the Metta Sutta, then receiving meditation instructions and meditating together, followed by asking questions and finally if time remains listening to a Dhamma talk.  However, the layout can vary.  Due to an international audience, these weekly Tuesday night teachings are happening via Zoom from Bodhinyana Monastery. Please support the BSWA in making teachings available for free online via Patreon. To find and download more precious Dhamma teachings, visit the BSWA teachings page choose the teaching you want and click on the audio to open it up on Podbean. Teachings are available for downloading from the BSWA website the BSWA Youtube Channel, the BSWA Podcast, and Deeper Dhamma Podcast.

Daily Wisdom - Walking The Path with The Buddha
Ep. 537 - (Group Learning Program) - The Eight Fold Path - Mental Discipline(Part 3 of 3)

Daily Wisdom - Walking The Path with The Buddha

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2023 93:52


(Group Learning Program) - The Eight Fold Path - Mental Discipline(Part 3 of 3) The Eight Fold Path is "The Path to Enlightenment" and can be organized into three (3) distinct sections. This class is Part 3 of a three (3) part series to describe The Path to Enlightenment in detail so that you can learn and practice The Teachings that will guide you to the Enlightened mind. In this Podcast, David will share Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration which comprise the section of The Eight Fold Path described as "Mental Discipline". ——-Daily Wisdom - Walking The Path with The BuddhaDedicated to the education of Gotama Buddha's Teachings to attain Enlightenment. https://www.BuddhaDailyWisdom.com (See our website for online learning, courses, and retreats.) Group Learning Program - LIVE Interactive Online Classes, Book, Audiobook, Videos, Podcast and Personal Guidancehttps://bit.ly/GroupLearningProgram |The Words of The Buddha - Pali Canon in English Study Grouphttps://bit.ly/PaliCanonStudyGroup FREE Book - Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenmenthttps://www.buddhadailywisdom.com/freebuddhabooks Facebook: https://bit.ly/DailyWisdom-FacebookYouTube: https://bit.ly/DailyWisdom-YoutubePodcast: https://bit.ly/DailyWisdom-Podcast Support our efforts to share The Teachings of Gotama Buddha with you and worldwide for all people using this link.https://www.buddhadailywisdom.com/supportbuddha

Ajahn Sona
The 37 Requisites of Enlightenment (1): The Buddha's Phone Number

Ajahn Sona

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2023 37:34


Talk 1 (of 12) from an in-person retreat at Birken Forest Monastery in May of 2023. An introduction to the 37 Requisites and an overview of Right Effort.

Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield
Ep. 197 – Cycles of Change

Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2023 61:12


Navigating the body's river of sensations, Jack helps us into the still-point of freedom amidst life's cycles of change."If our goal in spiritual practice is some state, some open state, it would be in spiritual life like buying already open flowers instead of buds, or like adopting an adult instead of a child. To awaken the heart of a Buddha requires us to find the deepest respect and compassion for things as they are, for they way things are. There isn't anything you can hold onto in that because it's always changing. There is no enlightened retirement. The way things are includes the cycles of stillness and action, the times of raising a family or being a renunciate, making money or retiring—and finding somehow a way to be with what is, with the truth of change." – Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully elucidates:The Dalai Lama's view on the Big Bang Theory How when we open deeply to our feelings, we recognize the body as a flowing river of sensation The Buddha's 'Eight Worldly Winds' and using mindfulness and Right Effort to navigate life's cycles of expansion and contraction Ram Dass, Be Here Now, and the "rollercoaster of highs and lows" of spiritual practice Finding freedom in the still-point amidst the cycles of change Trusting ourselves and the universe enough to let go into the mystery"Life is a process of expansion and contraction. We breathe, and as we sit in meditation you notice there are long and short breaths, cool, fast, deeper ones and shallow ones. If you let it breath itself it has all these rhythms of the body opening and closing all the time. Then you pay attention to sensations in the body. At first it feels like tension, pain, hot, or cold, but the more deeply you listen with your inner-awareness, that which we call pain, tension, hot, or cold, becomes pulsing, throbbing, needles, pinpricks, swirling movement. The more deeply we feel, the more our body shows itself to be a river of sensation." – Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk from Spirit Rock on 4/23/1989 was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wild Heart Meditation Center
Through Discipline Comes Joy

Wild Heart Meditation Center

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2023 36:18


In this episode Jennifer Wang and Rev. Mikey Noechel team up to discuss the role of discipline in meditation practice. They explore how effect, integrity, and discipline brings upon spiritual joy. Peace & Love. Hope you enjoy! UPCOMING RETREAT: Interdependence Day Weekend Retreat: A Compassion Meditation Retreatwith Andrew Chapman & Rev. Mikey NoechelJuly 6th - 9th, 2023WILLIAM J. KELLEY RETREAT CENTER Bay St Louis, MississippiLearn more & sign up at:https://www.floweringlotusmeditation.org/interdependencedayweekend  

Dharmapunx NYC
How Right Effort in Buddhism Overlaps with Metacognition and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; How Changing the Way We Frame Experience Changes How We Feel and Addresses Our Moods

Dharmapunx NYC

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2023 69:03


Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg
Ep. 201 – Koshin Paley Ellison

Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2023 66:56 Very Popular


Koshin Paley Ellison joins Sharon for Episode 201 of the Metta Hour speaking about his new book, Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/mettaKoshin is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and ACPE Certified Chaplaincy Educator. After more than a decade as a chaplain and psychotherapist, Koshin co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. Koshin is a renowned thought leader in contemplative care and he is the author of several books. In this conversation, Sharon and Koshin speak about:• What drew Koshin to write on the 8-Fold Path• The importance of the four noble truths outside Buddhism• The definition of suffering in Buddhism• Being with suffering in a loving way• Writing as a form of gratitude• The 8-Fold Path as approach to practice• Shame versus embarrassment• Right Effort and Right Speech• Healing Toxic Masculinity• What does it mean to be a diverse person• The Pandemic of LonelinessThe episode closes with Koshin leading a guided meditation practice “Opening the Cage” from his book. To learn more about Koshin's work, you can visit zencare.orgAbout Koshin Paley Ellison:Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison, MFA, LMSW, DMIN, is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and ACPE Certified Chaplaincy Educator. After more than a decade as a chaplain and psychotherapist, Koshin co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. Koshin's work has been featured in the New York Times, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning and other media outlets. He is the author of Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion (Balance/Hachette, 2022); Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up (Wisdom Publications, 2019); and the co-editor of Awake at the Bedside: Contemplative Teachings on Palliative and End of Life Care (Wisdom Publications, 2016). Keep up with Koshin Paley Ellison on Instagram“Everything is a moment of practice, everything has that potential.” – Koshin Paley EllisonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Audio Dharma
Right Effort, Balanced Effort

Audio Dharma

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2023 45:41 Very Popular


This talk was given by Diana Clark on 2023.01.02 at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. ******* Video of this talk is available at: https://youtu.be/7ncjSUrLbrg. ******* For more talks like this, visit AudioDharma.org ******* If you have enjoyed this talk, please consider supporting AudioDharma with a donation at https://www.audiodharma.org/donate/. ******* This talk is licensed by a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License

Audio Dharma
Dharmette: Right Effort (5 of 5) Desire for Right Effort

Audio Dharma

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2022 14:25


This talk was given by Gil Fronsdal on 2022.12.23 at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. ******* Video of this talk is available at: https://youtu.be/cnL9fGO-e7o?t=1739. ******* For more talks like this, visit AudioDharma.org ******* If you have enjoyed this talk, please consider supporting AudioDharma with a donation at https://www.audiodharma.org/donate/. ******* This talk is licensed by a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License

Audio Dharma
Dharmette: Right Effort (4 of 5) Growing the Wholesome

Audio Dharma

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2022 14:48


This talk was given by Gil Fronsdal on 2022.12.22 at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. ******* For more talks like this, visit AudioDharma.org ******* If you have enjoyed this talk, please consider supporting AudioDharma with a donation at https://www.audiodharma.org/donate/. ******* This talk is licensed by a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License

Audio Dharma
Dharmette: Right Effort (3 of 5) Emergence of the Wholesome

Audio Dharma

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2022 15:44 Very Popular


This talk was given by Gil Fronsdal on 2022.12.21 at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. ******* For more talks like this, visit AudioDharma.org ******* If you have enjoyed this talk, please consider supporting AudioDharma with a donation at https://www.audiodharma.org/donate/. ******* This talk is licensed by a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License

Audio Dharma
Dharmette: Right Effort (2 of 5) Abandoning the Unwholesome

Audio Dharma

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2022 16:16 Very Popular


This talk was given by Gil Fronsdal on 2022.12.20 at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. ******* For more talks like this, visit AudioDharma.org ******* If you have enjoyed this talk, please consider supporting AudioDharma with a donation at https://www.audiodharma.org/donate/. ******* This talk is licensed by a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License

Audio Dharma
Dharmette: Right Effort (1 of 5) Avoiding the Unwholesome

Audio Dharma

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2022 16:17 Very Popular


This talk was given by Gil Fronsdal on 2022.12.19 at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. ******* For more talks like this, visit AudioDharma.org ******* If you have enjoyed this talk, please consider supporting AudioDharma with a donation at https://www.audiodharma.org/donate/. ******* This talk is licensed by a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License