RIGHT EFFORT
Maintaining Arisen Healthy States
Whatever a person frequently
thinks about and ponders, that will become the inclination of their
mind. If one frequently thinks about and ponders healthy states, one has
abandoned unhealthy states to cultivate healthy states, and then one’s
mind inclines to healthy states. (MN 19)
Here a person rouses the will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts
the mind, and strives to maintain arisen healthy mental states. One
maintains the arisen equanimity awakening factor. (MN 141)
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When you
consistently cultivate healthy mental and emotional states your mind and
heart become increasingly healthy. You do this partly by abandoning the
states that are not healthy as they come up and partly by protecting
and maintaining the healthy states that arise. When you feel generous,
be more generous. When you are kind, become even kinder. When you care
for someone, protect that caring intention.
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Equanimity is
the culminating factor of the seven factors of awakening, the state to
which the development of all the others leads. Whenever you notice you
are highly attentive to something but are not caught in attaching to it
if it's pleasurable or resisting it if it's painful, you have discovered
a moment of equanimity. Feel what that is like and try to maintain that
state in the ensuing mind moments.
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Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Mental Objects and the Fourth Jhāna
One week from today: Restraining Unarisen Unhealthy States
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