> > On Oct 24, 2011, at 1:05 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Greetings, >> >> It's interesting that there are multiple types of _seeing_. There is >> _seeing_ as the sense of sight, and there is _seeing_ as to understand >> intellectually or spiritually. >> >> ------------- >> >> >> “_Right effort_ means simply being present. It means being here, staying >> here, and to _see_ what’s happening in this moment. It’s not about trying >> to control, trying to bring something about --- like straining to achieve >> enlightenment. This is much like trying not to think of an elephant. >> _Right effort_ is naturalness --- naturalness of movement, naturalness of >> becoming this moment. >> >> --- >> >> “This is not how we usually understand effort. Usually we make an effort >> to control, or be different, or try something new, or improve the situation, >> or ourselves. Human history is filled with this kind of effort. >> >> “And here we are with our improved human world that we’ve spent a great >> deal of time and energy working on. We’ve improved the rivers and the lakes >> and the land and our society and our ways of living to the point where we >> now wonder if the human race will survive. >> >> --- >> >> “_Right effort_ is, first of all, cutting off the fragmented and fractured >> states of mind that have already arisen in us. In these common states of >> mind, the world appears “out there,” divided in various ways, with one thing >> set against another. When we’re in such a state of mind, we _see_ things as >> needing to be manipulated and controlled. The Buddha called such a state of >> mind “unwholesome” because it doesn’t take in the whole scene that’s being >> presented to us. >> >> “We have to _see_ where we can effectively apply our effort and where we >> can’t. When we’re not _seeing_ we’ll put most, if not all, or energy into >> the areas where we have no control. We’ll try to control situations, >> people, and things over which, in fact, we have little or no influence. >> Sometimes we’ll try to control our own inclinations and impulses. But it’s >> all a lot like trying not to think of an elephant. >> >> “We must first _see_ what we can control and what we can’t. Otherwise >> we’ll waste our effort in trying to do the impossible while ignoring what is >> easily within reach. >> >> (Hagen, Steve, ‘Buddhism: Plain and Simple’, pp. 95 - 96)
On Oct 24, 2011, at 4:43 PM, 118 wrote: > Marsha, > Right effort is not written as a dogma that tells the thinker how to think, > for that would be the antithesis of Buddhism. But I do appreciate Mr. > Hagen's personal opinion for what it is worth. Do you believe like Hagen? > > Mark Mark, What does Hagen believe? Marsha > ___ Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org/md/archives.html
