Via The Tricycle \\ Three Teachings on Diligence

 

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April 10, 2025 Commitment on and to the Buddhist Path   When you think of diligence in a Buddhist context, you might think of the diligence required to meditate: to return to your practice day after day, and to return to the object of your attention when the mind wanders. As one of the paramis, or perfections to cultivate on the Buddhist path, diligence extends off the cushion into the way we live our lives; we must continually engage in wholesome activities and foster positive mental states.  Dedication is required but it need not be all hard work. As social practice artist Jessica Angima writes, “While diligence implies hard work, the wonderful thing is that we can place emphasis on ‘right’ and that means intuiting what feels skillful and useful to you.”  What might be most difficult is trusting yourself to know what is skillful for you at the moment, and trusting in yourself that you can do what is skillful. As ever, looking closely at what might keep you from practicing or living virtuously will create space from whatever is standing in your way, and the effort or energy will flow more easily. This week’s Three Teachings explores obstacles to diligence and the rewards of overcoming them. Forward today's teachings to a friend » Bring Diligence Into Daily Life   Practicing on and off the cushion is the theme of Tricycle's newest online course, Your Life Is Your Practice. Featuring the expert guidance of insight meditation teacher Martin Aylward, this course recognizes the potency of formal practice but also encourages practice as part of our daily lives—in the kitchen, garden, or at the grocery store. In this way, everyday life becomes an opportunity for inquiry, care, and growth. Class starts on May 12, 2025. Learn more and enroll today » Exploring the Parami of Energy By Vanessa Zuisei Goddard Read more about this quality, or perfection, and how it links to right effort on the eightfold path. “Although this perfection sounds like a lot of hard work, regularly pulling out mental weeds can be a very simple task.” Read more » Working with Laziness By Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche Laziness isn’t as simple as it sounds. “It uses endless, self-justifying distractions and even self-denigration to disguise itself.” Learn about getting to the root of laziness to defeat it.  Read more » The Joy of Returning to Practice By Jessica Angima After the initial “high” that comes from starting a regular practice, continued commitment might be a challenge. Read about that process of return and what comes next. Read more »