This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfcc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. Good evening. Good evening, y'all. Blanche. Blanche was in the South looking at the dogwood. And you're back. Welcome back. And so I think maybe it's fitting that you're here for this lecture. For people who haven't met... senior Dharma teacher Zen K. Blanche Hartman, former abbess of San Francisco Zen Center, and my older Dharma sister. She is the embodiment of what I'm about to discuss.

[01:03]

So if you have any questions, without embarrassing her, you'd probably either ask her or just observe the example that she sets. Because tonight I would like to speak about virya, or the energy, practice, the energy for your true intention, your deepest intention in life. And Virya, we've been doing a practice period the last five and a half weeks, five weeks, on the six paramitas, the six perfections. The six perfections are qualities that And they're qualities of character that grow in practice, but the perfection of those qualities is wisdom in six varieties.

[02:05]

And those six varieties are actually one complete wisdom, but we call it six types because that helps us understand better what the beauty is. and the magnificence of wisdom is. And they are, generosity is the first, and patience is the second. No, morality is the second. Patience is the third. And energy, virya, is the fourth. And then, have we gotten to the fifth and sixth? Okay. I can tell them? Concentration and wisdom. Okay? And they're all holographic. They all encompass. Each of them encompasses the other. And if you haven't been part of the practice period, I suggest that you listen to some of the talks online or read Dale Wright's book on the perfections, which was the text for this practice period that Rosalie and

[03:20]

Wendy have been leading. And literally, virya is the word for energy. It's the Buddhist word for energy. In the yoga world, we recognize, I'm a yoga teacher too, and we recognize that the root of the word is the same root as virility or manhood. And so there's a very heroic quality to virya. The root is the same as the root of the word for hero, for instance. So we think about virya as a heroic effort. But also, in Buddhism, we emphasize the part of the meaning of the word that has to do with virtue. So we think of it as a... an underlying virtue that allows our practice to go from an intention, a dream, a fantasy, or a wish, all the way through life to penetrate our actions and have an effect on our life so that it can be felt, heard, seen by ourselves and by other people.

[04:49]

And so in Buddhist practice, we emphasize the quality of energy or exertion that includes perseverance, effort, diligence, the enthusiasm to engage in wholesome action, and even willpower. Willpower, not forceful willpower, not harmful or forceful willpower. but the kind of willpower that allows us to transcend unwholesome habits or qualities and cultivate wholesome ones. And that's the word itself. But then, seen as a perfection, it's the wisdom or the fruition of that kind of effort, that kind of enthusiasm, perseverance, and will. The fruit of that the realized activity and insight that comes from that activity, all wrapped up with a bow.

[05:54]

So all of that together, without any of those pieces left out. There isn't actually an English word that encompasses what we mean by virya. But we can call it energy, enthusiasm, or perseverance. and just know that those words are a shadow of what we really mean. And it's linked closely with patience in our practice. So, for instance, to have a continuous exertion or a continuous perseverance in the path, we need to be patient with things that arise and willing to see them as part of the path. And so Shantideva, who wrote the Bodhicaryavatara, the heart of the arousing of the awakened way,

[07:10]

says at the beginning of the chapter on virya, having patience, my next step is to develop enthusiasm, or virya. For awakening dwells only in those who exert themselves. Just as there is no movement without wind, so positive energy does not occur without enthusiasm. What is enthusiasm? It is finding joy in that which is wholesome. Its opposing factors are explained as laziness, attraction to what's bad, and despising oneself out of despondency. You got those opposites to energy? I think those are good opposites to know. Laziness. Laziness, again, there's no word that really describes laziness.

[08:13]

It includes the lack of disposition for exerting oneself. So it includes sloth, torpor, but also a physical or mental unreadiness to do the actual work that practice takes. So... There are overtly negative parts to laziness, but there's also just simply unprepared parts to what Shantideva is calling laziness. You understand it's not just a pejorative, insulting term. So an attraction to what's bad or unwholesome is the second opposite of enthusiasm. And the third one is self-hate or depressive self-hate. And so those are the opposing factors that we need to renounce or conquer to be able to have a feeling of enthusiasm or energy on the path.

[09:20]

And, you know, that's all very well and good to say. Conquer them or take care of them or, yeah, okay, done, right? Why do I have to keep snapping my fingers? It's not quite done. Maybe if I snap my fingers again, it'll be done. All laziness or attraction to what's bad. No, it's a little bit more complex than that. So how do we develop enthusiasm or energy? How? Because... It's all very well and good to say that the opposite of energy is this, and you should just renounce it, and then you'll be enthusiastic and energetic. But in our real lives, these are precisely some of the issues that bind us every day, some of the issues that are most difficult to look at and take care of, and never more difficult to take care of than when we feel bad in other ways.

[10:32]

So we need to look at how. We need to understand what exactly do we do if we want to go from an apathetic or immovable, immovable not in a wholesome way, but immovable, rigid or kind of flaccid state or a self-hating state, or an unwholesome state to a wholesome state. We need to know how to do that. And I would say that it's one of those things that's simple but not easy. One of those activities that's simple because... The main technique of going from an unenthusiastic place or non-energetic place to an energetic place is to know your intention, to know what motivates you.

[11:38]

And sometimes we can have an intention that's so beautiful and true that just saying the intention to ourselves creates the energy to pursue that intention for a lifetime. And an example of that intention is the bodhisattva vow, which is so great and so profound that it can inspire people to practice for an entire life. So if you look around, you'll see that there's people who are wearing robes. And everyone who's wearing one of these robes, or one of these robes with a strap around, actually formally stated an intention to wake up for the benefit of all beings in front of other people. And saying intentions in front of other people and wearing visible symbols of those intentions can be a help because there are times when everybody's intention lags.

[12:44]

But the main technique, and it's not even a technique, is to just know what you most deeply want. And knowing that can be a profound motivator, particularly if you commit to it wholeheartedly. If you're willing to commit to it, if you're willing to say something like, suppose you're a person who hates yourself, which is endemic in the U.S., and doesn't think that you're capable of waking up for the benefit of all beings. If you can say to yourself something like, This is a lifetime goal, that in this very lifetime, I want to wake up for the benefit of all beings. And even though I don't think that I'm worthy to have that intention, I'm willing to suspend disbelief to say that intention and have that intention. So you can say your intention...

[13:49]

in the context of an entire life or in the context of many lives. If your intention is something else, then know what that intention really is. Don't have a pre-built intention. Have your intention. Because that's the one that motivates you. And to commit to it wholeheartedly. And anything that comes up that seems to be an obstruction to that intention, to use it in the service of that intention. Now, this is a little abstract, so maybe I talk about myself for a moment and about a challenge that I have. And I've been recovering from two pretty bad accidents. And to recover from those accidents, I have to keep the intention to recover. And I have to be willing to not do things that, you know, to stop doing things that don't help me recover and then to do the things that help me recover.

[14:54]

And then because it's very easy for me to feel selfish if I devote a lot of attention to my recovery, to dedicate my recovery to a larger benefit, to do my recovery in such a way that It's of use or benefit to many people and not just to me. So I have to keep doing that again and again. I don't wake up in the morning thinking, oh boy, let's do my physical therapy exercises. I don't think that's happened even once. But I do wake up thinking, I need to do the physical therapy exercises. Okay. what I really would like to do is eat bonbons and lie on a couch and read novels and forget about this pain. But I'm willing to forego even the bonbons to do my physical therapy exercise because I know that that's what I need to do.

[15:55]

So it's very simple. You see? It's simple. And so viria is a form of healthy ego. Did I just say a heresy? Healthy self. I'll say it again. Healthy self. What is a healthy self? I'm not talking about a rigid self, you understand. I'm not talking about a self that exists apart from all beings. I'm talking about a healthy structure... that allows one to want what is good for oneself and put away what is not good for oneself. And practicing it builds it. Even if you do one thing that's good for you and renounce one thing that's bad for you, and you're willing to do that today, that builds the conditions for this kind of healthy, enthusiastic,

[17:02]

relationship with life. And, you know, if it's not founded in a bigger purpose, like doing it in a way which actually is good for more than just me, then it degenerates over time. Like, get away from me. I don't have time for you. I need to do my physical therapy. Go away. I don't want to talk to you. You know, I don't care if you need me. So it's easy for it to degenerate. or slip off or become unbalanced in some way. And so I would say that if it's not founded in a larger purpose, it degenerates. And that if it's small-minded, if your energy or enthusiasm is small-minded, then it's more like a desire, a limited desire that will lead to suffering. But if it's big-minded, then it's actually, you can hang your hat on it for a while.

[18:07]

It will give you something, a sense of momentum for what you need to do. And we can remember what we need to do by remembering how short our lives are and how precious they are, how precious our human life is, how rare our conditions are. Actually, on the Han, the wooden instrument that calls us to the meditation hall, is written calligraphy that says, birth and death is the great matter. Everything changes. Nothing lasts. Wake up. Wake up. This moment. This moment. Don't waste life. And that's the spirit of immediacy that allows us to... express our energy. The perfection of effort ties our intention to our action. It's very tied in with right effort on the Noble Eightfold Path.

[19:08]

And without it, our practice remains intellectual or fantasy realm. So it's a kind of a holistic health. It's like eating well or like sleeping enough it comes to fruition in one's life over time. But because of the big picture view, the big-minded feature of virya when it's practiced according to the path, it really is holistic. It's tied in with all beings as well as one being. It's tied in with a universal view as well as a specific action. And I do want to say that practicing energy and practicing enthusiasm is not always pleasurable, that sometimes actually it's painful.

[20:20]

Sometimes it's painful to get up in the morning or painful to do those exercises. Thank you. See you. Sometimes it's painful, but it's a lot less painful than suffering. It's a lot less painful than avoiding what I need to do in this life. And I would suggest that it's like that for humans and not just for me. Shantideva says, It is painful, yet the suffering involved in my awakening has a limit. It's like the suffering of having an incision made in order to remove and destroy greater pain. Anyway, basically, virya has to do with making our practice. Virya in practice has to do with making our practice. the highest priority in our life, because it fulfills the deepest desire or deepest intention in our life.

[21:29]

And that is the part of it that develops our character. That part where we renounce things that aren't so important to stick with our main purpose, that is the part that develops our character. but there are other two pieces of virya which are traditionally taught. And that when we renounce, when we've mastered prioritizing our practice in our life, we can enter the gate of spiritual training. So, for instance, if I renounce... sleeping in and instead sit, do my meditation practice in the morning, then I can develop a steadiness of practice that allows my experience to mature and develop into insight.

[22:32]

So the gate of spiritual practice is opened through the development of character. And those two parts of virya the character development part, and the spiritual training part allow our altruistic mind or our altruistic intention to manifest much more fully than it otherwise would be able to do. Because if we have the background of understanding what we need to renounce, then we have a realistic view of our own life. If we have a firm foundation in practice, then we have an understanding of all the things that can come up, all the mistakes that can be made. It means that we develop skill to actually be helpful to other people and to wake them up too. So I'd just like to say a little bit about this altruistic intention because to me it's the foundation of virya.

[23:45]

enthusiasm and to paraphrase it let's just say that you can read it in the Metta Sutta or in the Diamond Sutta that all living beings whether weak or strong in high or middle or low realms of existence small or great visible or invisible near or far may all beings be happy or Whatever beings are comprehended under the term beings, whether egg-born, born from a womb, moisture-born, or miraculously born, with perception, without perception, with neither perception nor non-perception, all these beings I must lead to nirvana, into that realm of nirvana, which leaves nothing behind. And yet when all beings have thus been led to nirvana, No being at all has been led to nirvana.

[24:48]

And why? Beings, beings, as no beings have they been taught. There isn't any being that is exactly what you think that being is. So those are two formulations of that vow. But a simple way to say that vow is, I vow to wake up in a way that benefits everyone and not just myself. And I vow to do that and to address that question until it's thoroughly accomplished. So first, we can practice this intention by doing things that benefit other people. And then as our practice matures, as it grows, as it becomes bigger, as our enthusiasm becomes more skillful, we can work with no separation between self and other. So here's where the practice of virya, which is done through specific activities, actually joins with both compassion and insight.

[25:59]

So I think maybe this is a good stopping place for now. And I'd like to open up the conversation for a little while. What time is it now? 8.18. So we've got... seven minutes for questions and answers if I want to fulfill my secret vow for this lecture, which is to allow you to increase your energy by having enough sleep tonight. So, yes. Thank you very much for your talk. This topic is very alive for me right now. I have learned that my problem is not Running out of energy, it's ignoring and dismissing when I have run out of energy, and just plowing your head. But anyway, what I've learned, much to my regret and detriment, is that the other far meters begin to fall away when I'm too tired. So my ability to be generous, patient, I hope I'm still out in open meals, you know, that it's really amazing for me, the extent to which that

[27:13]

that just kind of get it done and just keep going, really kind of just a stale, the other part of me is really a lie for me. When I moved in here a month ago, I actually made a vow when I was coming with a vision of regals, but not a book myself. And it's been interesting this last month in particular to notice when I'm running out of energy, I cannot do my actual pattern of just Just keep going. Yes, and what you're doing. For the benefit of the people who are listening on the tape, I just want to paraphrase this and say that Valerie has just made a very insightful set of remarks here about not borrowing energy from herself. Because, as I understand what you're saying, when you ignore that you've run out of energy... the other practices fall away because you don't have the grounding to notice and participate in them.

[28:18]

Do you remember what Norman said to Linda Ruth when she became abbess? Did you ever hear this? I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, maybe someone else has heard this, but I think what he said was, take care of yourself. No one likes a grumpy abbess. So, Christina. I'm glad you're taking care of yourself. Yeah. So this is an important teaching. And isn't it interesting how, you know, because we have a group practice, we tend to hold ourselves to a standard. And that's a good thing. It's a good thing that we hold ourselves to the standard. But when we're rigid and the standard becomes a non-responsive, inhuman standard, perfectionistic, then I would say that the actual activity, the tone of the activity is more like violence based on self-ignorance and self-hate.

[29:34]

And it's unconscious with us. And this is very interesting. This is a non-skilful type of enthusiasm, actually. But we should say that it's not bad. It's just a mistake. And that by paying attention to that activity of overbooking and its results again and again, we might begin to notice sooner and sooner when we're doing that and begin to... behave in a more skillful way towards ourselves. And we should know also that when we do that, we're making examples for everybody that overbooking is the norm and that you should also overbook yourself. So I think that what you're saying is really important, not just for yourself, but for everybody. And I thank you so much. Yes, I will say something about the relationship between virya and right effort.

[30:43]

I was saving it. Yeah, so you know that on the path, on the Noble Eightfold Path, we have right view, which is the context in which practice can occur, right? And then we have right intention. And then we have right effort. Right action and right effort go together. But right action, right livelihood, right morality, and right effort are all closely tied together. But right effort is the specific way in which we bring our intention to life in our practice. And there are four, they're fourfold, it's fourfold.

[31:45]

You have to remember that right effort is conditioned by understanding the whole context of practice, our own intention of having a livelihood and ways of acting that don't get in our way. and of deciding to actually sit down in the middle of our lives and practice. And then right effort begins. And right effort is a way that we bring our karmic conditions, our karmic body, and our light to our intention and hold them up to each other and make them function together. It's a creative process. And it's fourfold. The first one is renunciation. To renounce the establishment of unwholesome states that haven't yet arisen in us. So we notice an unwholesome state that's arising and don't go there.

[32:48]

The second one is any unwholesome state that's already arisen, even if it's come to fruition and so on, we renounce that. We put that away. I've been overbooking myself for years, but now I'm going to stop, even if it's hard to do. And then also to cultivate wholesome states that haven't yet arisen. I'm going to learn how to be skillful with myself, with this body, so that I recognize this physical body as a tool for practice, and I want this tool to stay useful for my whole life. So cultivate a wholesome attitude that hasn't yet arisen. even though I have no idea how to do it. Okay? And then to increase wholesome states that have already arisen. Oh, now my practice is fairly stable. What if I work within the meditation period now that I've gotten to the zenda?

[33:50]

What if I work with overexcitement and laxity in my meditation practice itself? So that's called right effort, that fourfold effort. fourfold approach. And enthusiasm, or viria, is what drives it. Okay? It's the motivation. Isn't there a physics equation about work being force plus distance? Yeah. Okay. So that's true in practice, too. Okay? And so viria is the force. and effort is the work. Okay? Beings are number... Okay, so we're about to describe the distance for ourselves, and then before we leave, I will have one show and tell for you, okay?

[34:54]

But I think it's time for all good monks to... finish the lecture and rest. Okay? Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our Dharma talks are offered at no cost and this is made possible by the donations we receive. Your financial support helps us to continue to offer the Dharma. For more information, visit sfcc.org and click giving. May we fully enjoy the Dorma.

[35:32]

@Transcribed_UNK
@Text_v005
@Score_96.98