Last time, in our discussion of the Ten Pure Virtues or "Perfections" (Paramitas) of the Bodhisattva path ...
we talked about "Patience" ...
... and today we will talk about the Perfection of Effort and Diligence (Virya Paramita).
All the perfections go hand-in-hand, each supporting and nurturing the others. Each is part of the Bodhisattva's vow to "Save All Sentient Beings". But "Patience" and "Diligent Effort" have a special bond ...
Our way might be called "patience in effort", "stillness in motion" "quiet in action" ...
... for, with the latter alone, we are always running headlong through life, trying to find the end of a rainbow which we never reach, rarely at ease, unsatisfied, never arriving at the ultimate goal ...
... while the former alone leads to passivity, inaction, complacency and resignation.
Thus, remember that our teachings emphasize, not just stillness ... but stillness in, as and amid the motion. Yes, we are like a stone Buddha in the garden, sitting with come what may, not budging if it rains or if the sun comes out. It is all the same
.... yet the stone Buddha rises, dances and lives life!
This is the reason I repeatedly emphasize that our Way is stillness in action ... effort without effort ...
(remember: recording ends soon after the beginning bells;
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