Right Effort – Dharma Talk by David Sudar (10/6/2020)

Details:

Originally given on 10/6/2020 at the Path of Sincerity Tuesday night Sangha, by David Sudar.

Description:

In this talk, we’ll be looking at various aspects of “right effort,” ranging from the role of patience/perseverance, what balanced effort means, the four types of “right effort” the Buddha pointed at, the centrality of initiating effort, and much more!

This short reading from the morning sit earlier in day is a nice little teaser for the talk:

“There is no spiritual practice without effort. A regular meditation practice requires effort. It takes effort simply to get to the meditation cushion. Once we’re there, we have to make some effort to turn our attention to the breath or to let go of thinking.

The effort in meditation should be neither strained nor complacent. Even so, sometimes heroic effort is required; just to stay present for our experience may take great courage. At other times, effort is easy and delightful. You may feel like you’re on a raft carrying you down a gentle stream. Of course, you have to steer around the eddies and avoid the hanging branches, but even this can have an effortless quality.”   ~ Gil Fronsdal

 

Talk for streaming or download: