Buddhist Belief Blog

The Fourth Paramita in Buddhist Belief is about the perfection of our effort. It is also known as the Virya Paramita. Virya (the root of which is related to our word “virtue”) can be explained in several ways: energy in pursuit of the good, effort, diligence, zeal, or by extension, courage.

Sure sounds like a heck of a lot of hard work, doesn’t it? Right up there with cold showers, in a way. How do we put more virtuousness into our efforts? Where are we going to find this amazing, heroic effort?

Well, the fact is we don’t have to create something at all. What we need is already there. We already possess as much energy as we need. We just need to find better ways of directing it. We need to be more aware of our decisions as we make them. It is, again, about awareness — mindfulness. The process of making decisions involves deciding against one type of effort in favor of another type of effort. We have to decide to cut something out of our lives. When we choose, we are deliberately narrowing our lives in one sense, but also deepening them considerably in another sense.

The practice of the Virya Paramita can be thought of as having three components. The first component is the development of virtue in ourselves. The second component is the study of Buddhist teachings, and the third component is helping others. As you can see, these three components apply beautifully with the dharma.

If we are familiar with the Four Noble Truths we know there is something not right with our experience with the world around us. We are generally dissatisfied. We discover how it is our actions, our efforts, which cause these dissatisfying aspects of our lives. We know we have to do something to change this. We also learn there is, in fact, something which can be done to bring about those changes. We also learn that this “something” which needs doing is our responsibility — ours and only ours. We need to make some decisions to cease living our lives in ways which will bring about dissatisfaction.

In order to make these decisions, we need to carefully examine our lives — a process which is essential to our Buddhist practice. “To study Buddhism is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be awakened by all things.” When we forget ourselves (that is the small self, which consists of greed, aversion and delusion) in the activity of our lives we find that the world cooperates in unexpected ways. This is one of the great mysteries — I can’t explain how or why this works, I can only assure you it does.

Much of this self-examination is done through our regular practice of meditation. Our life and practice is also enriched by others. To see others change—an easier thing than to see change in ourselves—or to appreciate the virtue and courage of our teachers, and good spiritual friends—is a source of great nourishment. It can give us the courage to press on when we feel disheartened by our own progress. Perhaps we’ve either experienced or known of folks who aren’t able to sit in meditation alone for more than a couple of minutes, but when meditating with a group can easily sit for twenty or thirty minutes.

This paramita also includes the study of Buddhist teachings. This study can, of course, include our examination of ourselves, but it will also include a study of how the world around us functions. We also need to include working for the benefit of others as an integral part of this paramita of virtue of effort.

To sum up, the practice of the virya paramita is not to embark on a useless effort of flogging ourselves to great feats of endurance. Rather, it is to develop a profound silence at our core, which will bring with it the full potential to provide us with the energy needed to make good decisions. We have this energy already within us, we just need to learn to direct it to making the right decisions for ourselves and for the benefit of others and the world.

Metta ….May all beings be well and happy. May all beings live in safety. May all beings be healthy and strong. May all beings live with ease.

Namaste — Be in Peace.

Ron Rink

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Just click the links that are sort of Grey in color to take you to where you can learn more about each book and how you can purchase a copy for your own library.

Anam Thubten — No Self – No Problem

No Self – No Problem
shows how to realize the ultimate meaning of life in each moment by dissolving all notions of ego-identity. It asks that spiritual seekers wake up to their true nature, which is already enlightened. Based on Buddhist wisdom traditions, this easy-to-read book discusses in simple, but profound and inspiring language, how we can live a life full of love, satisfaction, and happiness. No Self – No Problem

Sharon Salzberg — The Kindness Handbook

“It takes boldness, even audacity, to step out of our habitual patterns and experiment with a quality like kindness–to work with it and see just how it might shift and open up our lives. This book is an invitation to do just that. — From The Kindness Handbook