Hi everyone,
Welcome to Spiritual Sobriety.
I'm your host,
Chris McDuffie.
Our lesson today is on the Buddha's sixth suggestion for the Eightfold Path called wise effort.
But first,
I wish you and your family and friends the very best as the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic spreads.
It appears that the World Health Organization's evidence-based suggestion to practice social distancing is essential to help slowing the spread of this disease.
As important and critical as social distancing appears to be,
Feelings of anxiety,
Depression,
And triggers to use or relapse on drugs,
Alcohol,
Process addictions,
And unhealthy actions will increase the risk of our health.
Many of our 12-step recovery meetings,
Jobs,
And social institutions are now closed.
I have created a free weekly class to help create social cohesion and recovery fellowship.
If you would like to register for my free weekly live class on 12 steps and Buddhist spirituality,
Please email me directly at chris.
Spiritualsobriety at gmail.
Com.
That's chris.
Spiritualsobriety at gmail.
Com.
Once you have registered,
I will email you a weekly invite to attend each live class.
Please feel free to invite your family and friends.
For today's lesson,
We will revisit Buddhist scholars' work from Barbara O'Brien's expertise through her article entitled Right Effort in Buddhism found on the website learnreligions.
Com.
That's learnreligions.
Com.
Be sure to check it out.
For today's lesson,
You will need a pen and paper to create a few visual aids to help explain the Buddhist teachings of wise effort.
You may recall that when you study teachings on the Buddha's eightfold path,
You will see the terms right or wise or correct as synonymous terms that suggest the eight wholesome actions to practice.
Let me remind you that as we begin discussing the final three suggestions of the eightfold path here on Spiritual Sobriety podcast,
These three suggestions fall under the category of mental discipline.
These three wise actions include right effort,
Right mindfulness,
And right concentration.
Barbara O'Brien reminds us that the traditional definition of right or wise effort is quote,
To exert oneself to develop wholesome qualities and release unwholesome qualities.
It is these wholesome qualities that help cultivate love and compassion which in Pali is called metta.
From a 12-step perspective,
The principles of the 12 steps could certainly be described as wholesome qualities,
Whereas for example the seven deadly sins would certainly not.
Both 12 steps in Buddhism are spiritual pathways to help end suffering and cultivate love and compassion through their teachings.
The Buddha taught that the three chief unwholesome qualities,
Which he called the three poisons,
Are labeled as greed,
Anger,
And ignorance.
The Buddha taught that these three poisons are the root of all suffering.
That means that all suffering can be attributed to one or more of these three qualities.
I invite you to now write each of the three poisons on your paper with an arrow associating the dialectic or opposite quality for each.
For example,
The opposite of greed would be generosity.
The opposite of anger is loving kindness.
And the opposite of ignorance is wisdom.
You now have a clearer understanding of the Buddha's teachings of wholesome and unwholesome qualities.
You may have noticed that we are using the term qualities.
For a more in-depth reading of the three poisons,
Be sure to visit the Buddhist website sunyatacentre.
Org.
Sunyatacentre.
Org.
Sunyata is a Buddhist retreat center in Western Ireland.
Their article posted on their website on the three poisons defines the term qualities as,
Quote,
Dangerous afflictive thoughts and emotions,
End quote.
And here is the good news for us.
Using the three Buddhist mental disciplines of right effort,
Right mindfulness,
And right concentration,
We may practice through meditation the skills needed to manage our thoughts and emotions that arise throughout each day.
From a Buddhist perspective,
As O'Brien shares,
Right effort includes the following four aspects.
One,
The effort to prevent these unwholesome qualities from arising.
Two,
The effort to extinguish unwholesome qualities that already have arisen in us.
Three,
The effort to cultivate skillful or wholesome qualities,
Especially generosity,
Loving kindness,
And wisdom that have not yet arisen.
And four,
The effort to strengthen the wholesome qualities that have already arisen in us through our practices.
From a 12-step perspective,
Steps 11 states sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood him,
Praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out.
And remember that from a religious perspective,
Which 12 steps is not,
This type of action or practices would be called contemplative prayer.
I invite you to pause our discussion to consider for a few moments how each of the 12 steps and 12 and 12 principles are devoted to wholesome qualities.
And how steps 10,
11,
And 12 specifically are devoted to wholesome actions.
And how steps 4,
5,
6,
7,
And 8 are devoted to uncovering and discovering the costs of our unwholesome actions.
And more importantly,
To motivate us to move forward through the suggestive,
Rather wholesome actions of step 9.
Barbara O'Brien ends her article reminding us that the Buddha suggested that we follow the middle way between extremes.
So for right effort,
There is no need to overwork or overstrive.
The effort should be in balance.
O'Brien includes in her article Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh's teaching,
Quote,
If your practice does not bring you joy,
You are not practicing correctly,
End quote.
I tell my sponsees and clients in recovery this all the time,
If you aren't enjoying sobriety overall,
You aren't doing sobriety correctly.
I invite you again to register for my free weekly live class for fun and fellowship as we all look for new ways to help one another stay connected to the spiritual path during the coronavirus pandemic.
I wish you and your families the very best during these most challenging times.
Namaste.
