In a previous post we defined effort or energy as ‘a mind that is delighting in virtue/goodness.’
Effort is also an undertaking to actively reduce non-virtuous or unwholesome mental factors.
A beautiful illustration of this practice is given in the story of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, where the little prince gets up each morning and pulls up all the little baobabs that have sprouted overnight.
He says, “You pull up a baobab when it is small. If you don’t, they get big. A lot of baobabs can break the planet.”
The equivalent in our practice is uprooting the sprouts of greed, ill-will and confusion. If we don’t, these unwholesome factors take hold and grow into addictions, resentments and misunderstanding, all of which lead to suffering for ourselves and others.
This analogy of the mind as an environment to be cultivated is often used in Buddhist practice. Anger, for example, may begin as a small irritation, but if left unexamined it can grow into a rage that results in us saying and doing harmful things we later regret.
It is much easier to uproot something small and so our perfection of energy starts with attending to the smallest movements of mind.
As a practice, we use our understanding of this analogy to INVESTIGATE and OBSERVE the qualities of thoughts that are arising and their resulting EFFECTS.
Am I aware of cravings and irritations as they arise? Can I see how they push me to act or re-act? What does it feel like to follow the impulse? What does it feel like to let it pass through?
TIP: Practicing this in meditation, with quiet, calm conditions will create the effect of being able to practice this in the busy-ness of daily life.
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Image credit: https://issuu.com/editoraftd/docs/reader_little_prince
