Diligence: The Joyful Endeavor (Link #715)

Speaker: Jennifer Shippee. Jennifer speaks about excerpts from Rinpoche's upcoming book on diligence. She investigates both discipline (Tib. tsultrim) and diligence (Tib. tsöndrü), how their meanings differ and overlap, and explains how to harness diligence based on Chapter 4 of Shantideva's ‘Bodhisattvacharyavatara’. The first step in harnessing diligence involves understanding the inner obstacle of laziness, which comes in three forms. The first is an attachment to sleep and idleness, the second, an attachment to mundane distractions and the third is self-denigration. To counter these obstacles, one can rely on the four allies: aspiration, steadfastness, moderation and taking breaks. Explaining this and more in great detail, Jennifer views these exercises as a fundamental part of our Dharma education where we are taught how to work with our mind and ultimately experience deeper meaning in our lives. As Shantideva reveals, working with diligence uncovers tremendous joy.