Buddhist Hour
Script No. 449
Broadcast live on 3MDR 97.1FM
9 PM to 10 PM
On Friday 13 October 2006 CE 2550 Buddhist Era

This script is entitled:

"Lifetimes of Learning "
Class 16 - Exploring the Perfection of Energy Part 1

The function of the Ten Perfections has been described by the simile that our mental defilements are like a sickness which prevents us from walking. There is a path already there for us to follow which enables us to become perfectly happy, however, whilst we are using defiled minds, we are not moving along this path.

It doesn't matter if we believe in Buddhism, or think we are wise, or whatever. We only move at all along the path towards our happiness and wellbeing when we are practicing the Perfections.

In Buddhist terms practicing the Perfections means we are, at that instant, walking the path to enlightenment. This can be a useful tool to cut unwholesome minds when they arise.

Just think to yourself, "Right now, I am not moving on the path to enlightenment because of the defilement which has arisen. To move along the Path, to improve my position, I must abandon the defilement by practicing one of the Ten Perfections which is the right antidote".

So tonight we will talk about the Fifth Perfection which is the Perfection of Energy. The Perfection of Energy means we have energy associated with wisdom. We use energy wisely.

The Perfection of Energy occurs after the Perfection of Wisdom on the Buddhist Path. We will apply our energy to something worthwhile for ourselves and others because there is wisdom to guide our application of energy.

Without using wisdom to guide our application of energy we are using some habit we have learned in the past to guide our application of energy and, if that happens to have an unwholesome motive, then ultimately that would lead to suffering in one form or another.

Even if it was not so much unwholesome as unwise, then again the outcome can be increased suffering. For example, using like and dislike as the basis of our decision making. We talked about this some weeks ago.

If you examine closely why people make wrong choices in life often it is because they are using like and dislike as the basis of their decision making.

For example, when we attended school or university we may have been doing five or six subjects each year. If we followed "like" and "dislike" as our system, we would focus our work and attention on those subjects we "liked" doing and "liked" learning, and we would avoid or put little effort into those subjects we "disliked".

These choices are self-defeating because it’s the difficult subjects which need our attention the most. We only find the enjoyable subjects easy because of our past kamma. In the past we have worked in these areas and colonised these subjects or skills. Our Teacher Master John D. Hughes told his students that when he went to secondary school he generally found maths very easy. However, occasionally some parts of maths he found quite difficult. Subsequently, he saw the reason for this was that the maths he found very easy to learn this life were areas he had already studied and mastered in past lives. The parts he found difficult to learn were areas of maths which were not known and not taught when he was living in those past times, and therefore he had to learn them this life for the first time.

So how can we progress if we only study those things we like and find easy? How is it wise use of energy to not do enough of the needed work and homework and then as a result, waste the years' schooling? If we use that system at school we are setting ourselves up for a difficult time when we leave school. Life is a series of choices and we will frequently cause ourselves to be in the same dilemma as the example of the subjects at school, as long as we follow "like" and "dislike".

The more wisdom we have the more effective our use of our energy will be.

John D. Hughes once wrote:

"There are at least two views;

1. What do you do?
2. What do you not do?

For the first heading, there are at least three views to be sequenced:

1. What do you do now as a first priority?
2. What do you do next as a second priority?
3. What do you do next after next as a third priority?

It is important in Buddha Dhamma to get things in the right order.

This is not self-evident, otherwise no project in the world would ever fail.

It is a thousand times more likely that events would be placed in the wrong temporal order than in the "Perfection of Energy" order. (Hughes, 2000)

This is one reason why our Teacher John Hughes taught and advised us to develop strong planning skills as a stable and sane platform from which to operate in the world, and become successful Dhamma practitioners.

Using a daily time planner gives you the opportunity to consider the options, to weigh up what is most important, what is urgent, what must be done as against what we would like to do.

The mind which does the planning is a different mind to the mind we have during the day when we are busy, distracted, attending to many things which comes along and interrupts us.

The mind which does the planning can look at things calmly, dispassionately, and clearly. It will naturally recognise what needs to be done and the sequence in which things need to be done much better than the mind we have when we are on the run.

Achariya Dhammapala writes in the Commentary to the Cariyapitaka:

"The activity of those who have carefully considered brings excellent results." (Dhammapala)

Good time planning helps us avoid having to rush because we are late for some event during our day. Rushing minds burn up energy at a ferocious rate because they are turbulent and stressed. We are driving ourselves with our foot hard on the accelerator pedal.

Time planning has another really important advantage. It can stop us being at the mercy of how we feel. You may find you get a lot more done when you feel motivated and enthusiastic about the task. However, relying on enthusiasm or being motivated is a very weak and unreliable platform to base our level of activity on.

What happens when we feel tired and listless, or when we are feeling lazy or bored, or insecure, or depressed or any of a whole list of alternatives to being motivated and inspired?

What happens is we give up, or we work half-heartedly, or we find ways to distract ourselves, or procrastinate, or become bored and restless or it seems like we don't have enough energy to do much.

Skilful time planning short-circuits all these alibis. Planning is a powerful method to over-ride the influence of our negative minds. We abandon following the influence of an unwholesome mind because we have a more powerful alternative. Follow the plan.

By following a plan it no longer matters whether we are feeling good or not, whether we are feeling energetic or not. Whether we feel enthusiastic or lethargic is irrelevant to what we can achieve because we achieve what is written in our plan.

We need very powerful methods to help us improve. We are not just seeking some small benefit by practicing Buddhism. Sometimes in life we can experience incredible difficulties. It is no different on the Buddhist Path as we are grappling to overcome powerful defilements and wrong views which have kept us in samsara forever.

Nina Van Gorkom writes:

"We read in the commentary to the Cariyapitaka (1) about the means by which the Perfections are accomplished, and it is said that they should be performed perseveringly without interruption, and that there should be enduring effort over a long period without coming to a halt half-way. The Bodhisattva did not come to a halt half-way". (Van Gorkom)

Until we have reached some form of perfection of determination or resolve, we must build powerful skills such as time planning as our weapons to conquer weaknesses we have never been able to conquer before.

If we wish to become well and happy it is not enough just to do good things, even a lot of good things. We have to do good things with a wholesome mind.

Achariya Dhammapala writes:

"Energy devoid of wisdom does not accomplish the purpose desired since it is wrongly aroused, and it is better not to arouse energy at all than to arouse it the wrong way." (Dhammapala )

If we arouse energy on an unwholesome mind we have just made the unwholesome mind stronger.

John D. Hughes says:

"If activity is motivated by any one of the 14 unwholesome states, unhappiness will surely result." (Hughes, 2000)

There is a story about a man in Buddha's time who had the opportunity to make an offering to the Buddha however, because of his stinginess, he offered the Buddha a few grains of rice begrudgingly. It has been taught that that man was subsequently born very rich for a number of lives as a result of the offering of rice however, he could not gain any enjoyment or happiness from his wealth.

There are many aspects to Right Effort regarding the application of energy. It is not wise to waste energy by using more than is required for the task being done. Our energy comes from our good kamma created by us in the past - it is our life force. Whilst we can do specific practices to increase our 'reservoir' of life force or increase our long life, it makes sense to find out how to operate without wasting this limited energy. When we find out how to waste less energy we will have more energy available from day to day, we will feel fresher and be able to rejuvenate our strength quicker, we will be able to live longer, and maintain our health and strength better as we get old.

Our kammic habit is usually what determines how much energy we use for a task. Through Buddhist practice we can develop lighter minds and less serious minds and these can have a joyous aspect to them. Doing things becomes more and more of a pleasure, an almost playful enjoyment arises about things which previously may have seemed like doing a chore or doing some boring work.

As our mindfulness becomes stronger even repetitive work comes alive as it gives us an opportunity to focus our minds on our body actions, like we do in breathing meditation. The task becomes a meditation in action and stops being a mere chore. Washing the dishes is an excellent example of when you can practice this.

When we use a repetitive task as meditation we can begin to see how we can relax and become focused in our activity in the present. We can begin to see we are frequently using much more energy than is needed for the task.

To check this out as an experiment try doing a task like an old man or woman for a while. Pretend you are an old man with less energy than you have now. Pretend you have to do things slower, softly, in a relaxed manner. Lifting things gently, putting things down slowly - keeping all your attention on what you are doing second by second.

This is a key to the concentration aspects of the Buddhist Path. It is to learn to stay in the present, keeping our mind always in touch with "now". If your mind starts wandering off to think about the past or future, bring it back to the present. Put your attention into your body, notice your bodily feelings, your body's posture. As you walk be aware of the experience of walking. If your mind starts worrying or thinking about something else - bring it back to the present. This practice is similar to meditation on the breath.

As you sit here now, put your attention on your body's posture. The feeling of your body touching the seat you sit in, your feet touching the floor, your breathing, your arms position. You can do this many times a day - as you do it your mental energy stays inside your body. Your mental energy stays contained in your body for as long as you keep this body mindfulness. When your mind is not in contact with your body, your mental energy dissipates outside your body and is wasted. It's called keeping your mind inside.

Apart from the fact that keeping your mind inside your body conserves our energy very effectively it is also one of the four foundations of mindfulness which we can practice to increase our awareness.

Part of using energy wisely is to know when to rest. This can be difficult if you have a very busy and hectic lifestyle which many of us do have. We know its time to rest when we turn the light out to go to bed. This is nothing like knowing when its time to rest from a wisdom point of view.

There is a stage in Buddhist practice where most of the time you experience joy or joyous effort. From this position it is easy to manage your energy with wisdom because you can quickly recognise you need a rest when your joy begins to weaken. You don't wait for the joy to stop, you just notice you are starting to lose your joy. At that time you put down your work 100% and go for a slow walk in the garden, or have a cup of tea.

Minds which are wholesome and light can experience great enjoyment doing something simple like this, enjoying beauty and nature or quiet rest; and this pleasure or rest refreshes and rejuvenates the person very quickly. After about 5 or 10 minutes you can go back to work with your joy and your energy filled up again.

At the moment we may not be quite like that in our practice of rest. Notice we call it the "practice" of rest because to develop wisdom in some new area we usually need to see it as an important part of our practice. So what we can do is transform some activities we are doing in our usually busy life so they become rest.

A good example is when we are driving our car. If we stop at the lights see it as an opportunity to rest for a while. Actually prompt yourself or tell yourself to just stop and rest for a few moments. When we are waiting on the telephone for someone to answer put your self on rest for a while. You may be waiting for 3 or 4 minutes so you can practice rest as a way of refreshing yourself. There will be many opportunities similar to this in your normal busy life if you recognise it is worthwhile to conserve your energy this way.

The other benefit of practicing this type of resting is once we have overcome laziness and procrastination we then need to work towards loosening our attachment to compulsive activity, always being busy, always being active. Some people are hyperactive and whilst we may not be this extreme, at the right stage we need to learn how to be passive as one avenue to developing peace.

We recognise we need to give up attachment to having minds which are always busy with thoughts. So what about our attachment to compulsive activity? We need to be able to "limp fall" as our Teacher John Hughes used to call it, which means put our body on rest even though we are awake.

So far tonight we have talked about the more worldly aspects of the Perfection of Energy. Next week we will talk about energy in the context of Buddhist practice. We will also explain some Buddhist practices which make energy or life force such as by doing offerings for example.

To conclude, John D. Hughes states:

"The concept of right energy has many components in Buddhist practice. The meaning of energy can be described as one who is pleased to perform virtuous actions." (Hughes 2000)

1. Hughes. J. & Eames, L. 2000. Working Towards Achievement of Perfection of Energy. (Series) Buddhist Hour Radio Program. (Volume) Script 73. Published by the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., 33 Brooking Street, Upwey, Victoria 3158.

2. Acariya Dhammapala. 6th c. A Treatise on the Paramis from the Commentary to the Cariyapitaka. Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. (Series) Wheel {Magazine}. (Volume) 409/411.Published by the Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

3. Nina Van Gorkom. 1980. The Perfections Leading to Enlightenment. Published online at www.abdhidhamma.org.

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