Day 10 - Diligence
Living Christ Sangha - Advent Ango Practice Period
Readings
(click the header to view the readings)
Isaiah 5:13-17, 24-25
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28
Luke 21:29-38
Reflection
What concerns are expressed here?
The Isaiah reading describes the anger of the Lord at the unfaithfulness of the kingdoms, resulting in the exile of the people.
The 1 Thessalonians reading contains exhortations to be diligent in goodness and in prayer, plus a closing benediction.
The Luke reading offers Jesus’ teachings about the proximity of the Kingdom, and the need to be awake and alert to be ready for its arrival.
These readings continue the themes we saw yesterday by focusing on the topic of remaining diligently awake. The Isaiah reading is another of the “angry God” retribution readings, but placing it in the context of what we read yesterday helps contextualize the anger. An unfaithful elite had arisen, amassed great wealth, and was living an intoxicated lifestyle. Their actions were depriving many others of their livelihood. These deprived people longed to see the fulfillment of God, which the elite treated as yet another thing to be acquired. In these verses, the prophet tells the people that the fruits of their ways of living are downfall and exile.
In Luke, Jesus teaches us to pay attention, so that our “hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life.” In 1 Thessalonians, Paul describes this attentiveness as being diligent in goodness, prayer, and thanksgiving. He reminds his readers, “Do not quench the Spirit.”
What is requested of us?
The request here is that we be diligent in how we live. Diligence is the practice of careful attention and effort, with perseverance toward one’s aim. Note that to have diligence, we have to be very clear about the aim that gives our lives direction. In all three readings, the request is not for just any diligence, but for a diligence that is faithful to the aims of fidelity, justice, and love.
I find Buddhist teachings to be helpful for walking the Christian way. While the Christian scriptures frequently tell us what the aim is regarding the state of our spirit or mind (e.g. the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23), they aren’t usually very specific about how to achieve these states. Many Buddhist teachings have a solid emphasis on offering instructions on how to cultivate certain states of mind, describing practices in detailed ways that we can learn, adapt, and follow.
Right Diligence is one of the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism, and realizing it involves four basic practices.1 The first two practices concern our unwholesome mental states, such as anger, fear, craving, etc.
When we recognize that an unwholesome mental formation has arisen, we act in a way that helps it to return to being dormant.
When we recognize that we aren’t experiencing an unwholesome mental formation, we act in a way that prevents one from arising.
For the first practice, there are two aspects. We must recognized that we are experiencing an unwholesome mental state, and then we must take an action to calm this mental state. The ability to perform these two aspects is directly related to our contemplative stability. When our minds are clear, we can quickly recognize the arising of unwholesome mental states. When we have recognized them, we can embrace them with mindfulness via contemplative prayer, mindful breathing, mindful sitting, or mindful walking. By letting these formations know that we are present and taking care of them, they will recede and become dormant again. It is important to understand that we do not go to war with unwholesome mental states (they cannot be eliminated), nor do we indulge or repress them. We simply perform practices to care for them and invite them to rest.
The second practice of preventing unwholesome formations from arising requires that we have an understanding of the nutriments that contribute to the arising of these troubled states in our mind. These nutriments are actually toxins for our mental state, and the second practice is to avoid them. For example, we may find certain news sources to be agitating and destabilizing. We then must ask the question of how we can stay appropriately informed without being swept away in anger, agitation, or despair. This practice requires stopping and deep looking, as well as a commitment to cultivating a peaceful state of mind. Avoiding these toxins is a great gift both to us and to all we encounter, because only when we are peaceful within can we share peace with the world.
The next two practices concern our wholesome mental states, such as love, peace, compassion, etc.
When we recognize that aren’t experiencing a wholesome mental formation, we act in a way that invites one to arise.
When we recognize that a wholesome mental formation has arisen, we act in a way that invites it to remain in our consciousness.
These two practices are the inverse of how we deal with unwholesome mental formations. If we are aware that we aren’t experiencing a positive state of mind such as love or compassion, we seek to ingest nutriments that encourage one to arise. There are many nutriments that can nourish positive mental states, such as loving-kindness meditations,2 prayer, gratefulness practice,3 positive connections with friends, and service to those in need.
If we are aware that we are experiencing a positive state of mind such as love or compassion, we practice in such a way that we invite it to abide as long as possible. When we are experiencing a wholesome mental formation, one of the most effective ways to nourish it is to express it with love and gratitude, either verbally or through skillful action.
Where is the hope?
Diligence and effort sound like so much work! Our typical experience of them is one of striving and self-discipline, perhaps even self denial. I believe we have this impression of diligence because we are often misguided in our application of it.
If you reflect on the outcome of the four practices describe above, you will see that the practices lead us away from unwholesome and unpleasant mental formations such as anger, fear, judgement, and envy, and they lead us toward wholesome and pleasant mental states such as love, joy, happiness, and peace. The practice of Right Diligence lead to joy and ease. How wonderful!
By remaining diligent, we cultivate a joyful and calm state of mind for ourselves, which allows us to offer peace and stability to a world that desperately needs it. It is both a gift to us and gift to others.
Prayer
Ground of All Awareness, give us grace and diligence to cultivate the fruits of practice that the world so desperately needs: equanimity, joy, loving-kindness, and compassion. Give us generosity and courage to harvest and share these fruits with all whom we encounter. Amen.
See chapter 14, “Right Diligence” in The Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings by Thich Nhat Hanh.
I really got a lot out of your discussion of diligence. I look to keep it in mind as I go about my day. It's very powerful. Your writing is wonderful. Thank you so much! 😊