This Sunday Margaret guided our reflections on Wise Effort, drawing on a talk by Christina Feldman.
In a path that is often interpreted to caution against striving, even in pursuit of awakening, it is remarkable how often the Pali words related to “Effort”, “Energy”, or “Diligence,” appear in many places in Buddhist texts. Right effort is the sixth of the eightfold path, energy is one of the ten perfections (paramis) and one of seven factors of enlightenment; there are also several verses in the Dhammapada which explore how to engage in the wise use of effort.
After considering several of these strands, we focused in on the quality of energy (Pali word Virya) that is listed as one of the ten perfections, basing our reflections on a talk by Christina Feldman:
https://dharmaseed.org/talks/19225/
Margaret also read a poem by Julie Cadwallader Staub, entitled Longing, which you can read here.
Burlington Buddhist Sangha 