”Finding Enthusiastic Passion In Your Practice”

Welcome to the Backyard Buddhist Podcast where we continually seek everyday enlightenment for the benefit of ourselves and all other beings. I am Ronn Pawo McLane and I am here with my good buddy Danny Hobart. Today we are talking about the fourth paramita, Joyful and enthusiastic Effort. In its most positive sense, effort (which we may think of as perseverance or commitment) is the delight you feel with doing what you know is the right thing – which, in the Buddhist context, generally means practicing the teachings. Instead of resisting, you dig in with gusto, knowing that you are on the right track. Some texts even claim that perseverance or enthusiastic effort is the most important perfection because it gives energy to the other five. One of the main obstacles to progressing on the Buddhist path, as in any area of life, is laziness – also known as resistance. The fourth perfection is divided into three parts because each of them counters a specific form of laziness: Overcoming Sloth: Procrastination and bad habits. Counters with recognizing this rare and precious life (opportunity). Overcoming attraction to trivial pursuits: Filling day with unimportant distractions are innately unfulfilling. Overcoming Defeatism: overcomes delusions of inadequacy or incompetence. Even the mundane of everyday life experience can become obstacles to staying in our practice. But when we find our mudra, mantra and mind of motivation we tap into a commitment that benefits us in unsurpassable ways. In the words of Henry David Thoreau: Enthusiasm is a supernatural serenity. Embrace you own compass and continue each day on your journey to spontaneous nowness awareness.