Thread: Practicing Mindfulness wrong. Active vs passive awareness.

Originally Posted by Memm

I prefer the term effortless action rather than skilful effort, I think we're talking about the same thing but "effort" has a fairly negative connotation in english in my opinion and by that definition includes stress and strain and all the other things that are unnecessary.

Interesting, not once have I ever associated any negative connotations with the word effort.

The phrase "effortless action" is a bit contradictory in literal terms, as action necessitates effort to some degree.

Let's check out the definition of effort for clarity:

: work done by the mind or body : energy used to do something

: a serious attempt to do something

: something produced by work

See, nothing inherently negative about it, and nothing necessitating a harmful degree stress or strain.

Please explain what you mean by "letting go requires effort", I don't understand, to me letting go only requires the openness to let go, I don't see how effort is relevant.

Letting go is the result of volitional mental action. It first requires the intention to let go, and then it requires the mental action of letting go, even if it is simply the thought "letting go." That is mental action, that is mental effort. Of course, we are speaking in terms of the actual definition of effort and not the connotations you have assigned it. Anytime we use the mind, we are exerting mental effort. When we use the mind in ways which lead to stress and suffering, that is unskillful effort. When we use the mind in ways which lead to wholesome and pure states of being, that is skillful effort.

It also requires ardency and will if the meditator wants to make the most of his/her meditation time, which is likewise in the definition of effort, "a serious attempt to do something." I for one am certainly serious about my practice and make it a point to focus on the task at hand as completely as possible.

<edit> I thought of an analogy: if you're carrying a heavy bag with you does this require effort or no effort? If you were to let go of the bag and let it fall to the ground would this require effort or no effort?

Releasing the bag requires a degree of effort to use the muscles needed to drop the bag, not to mention the mental effort of deciding to do so. It's not much effort, but it exists nonetheless. In the case of "letting go" in meditation, it requires far greater effort because the mind is naturally giving rise to thoughts and distractions, and so the meditator is constantly having to refocus on the intention and mental activity of letting go every time a hinderance pops up in the mind. It's not as if one can just think "let go" one time and then expect to be completely free of their unruly defiled mind for the rest of the meditation. Letting go is a skill that must be developed, and over time one becomes better at releasing the arisings of the mind and remaining in a state of mental stillness, so the effort required reduces. But again, even setting one tiny intention or thinking one tiny thought requires a degree of mental effort. And again, we are using the real definition of effort and not your projection of what it entails. It's true that effort does come with a degree of stress, but when the effort is skillfully directed and it leads to wholesome states of mind and progression on the path, that is right effort.

Originally Posted by VagalTone

Memm, you show a solid understanding of the nature of mind, as explained by tibetan buddhism. I liked the examples you gave.

The ideas I presented actually come directly from Theravada Buddhist teachings. I have never come across a Tibetan Buddhist teaching that effort is not used in practice, although I am a Theravada practitioner and my Tibetan practices are limited to dream yoga (I'm not much of a Mahayana man, a bit too esoteric for my taste). But to illustrate my point, here is a teaching by Tibetan Buddhist tulku Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo explaining the importance of effort in practice:

You practice Right Effort by preventing unarisen unwholesome states from arising, abandoning unwholesome states that have already arisen, arousing wholesome states that have not yet arisen, and maintaining and perfecting wholesome states that have already arisen.

This is a perfect description of the core of what "letting go" is.

http://www.tibetanbuddhistaltar.org/right-effort/