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the five spiritual faculties: vigor [1]
May. 18th, 2019 07:53 amThe five spiritual faculties are one of the oldest lists in the Buddhist tradition, and I've decided to write a series of posts about them. The last post was about faith, the first of the five. The others can be translated as vigor, mindfulness, composure, and discernment. This post will talk about vigor.
My vehicle for examining these is this delightful sutta from the Saṃyutta Nikāya, numbered SN 48.10. Continuing with my translation:
There's more, but I'll put that off until the next post, because it's the pericope for the Four Right Efforts and deserves its own treatment. For now, let's take a closer look at this word, viriya, that I'm choosing to translate as "vigor". It can also be translated "persistance" or "energy". It has the sense of putting in the work to do the practice, which requires a certain amount of energy or effort.
It must be understood, though, that this should be a balanced effort. Not too slack, because then you won't get anywhere, but also not so vigorous that you become agitated and tense. These two poles even form the third and fourth of the Five Hindrances. Not enough energy and you can be sluggish, lethargic, indolent, but too much energy and you can be restless, anxious, unsettled. What's needed is a certain amount of calm and steadiness, but also continuous and firm energy or vigor. Don't be lazy, but also don't overextend yourself.
Some of this energy comes from maintaining good physical health (or as good as you can manage given any chronic conditions you might have). For example, essential to good energy levels is getting proper rest. Without enough rest, you can become frazzled, scattered, and excessively tired. But, of course, too much rest is also a problem, because then life can become permeated with sleepiness. The Buddha instructs thus us to train ourselves for wakefulness. Another factor in energy is the amount we eat, which is why the Buddha also advises moderation in eating. Both overeating and undereating can sap our vigor. Adequate exercise is another factor in maintaining good energy. The Buddha never advised this, but I suspect that's because exercise was built into the lifestyle of the wandering monk, who might walk miles in a day.
Some of it is also mental. One of the underlying causes of lethargy and sleepiness, once the physical factors have been taken care of, is a resistance to what is going on. This can manifest as boredom, which then becomes drowsiness. Sometimes we think of boredom as a neutral and passive mental state, but it is not: It is active aversion. We don't want to be doing what we are doing, so we begin shutting down. So finding ways of being interested in what we are doing is important for maintaining good levels of energy. For example, when sitting and breathing, if you start getting bored, there are a few options for becoming engaged again. One, often advised by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, is to begin playing with the breath. To experiment with it, try changing it and see what happens, try seeing if you can find a way to breathe that calls up more energy. Another option, one that I like to use, is to begin examining the boredom. Mindfulness practice is, after all, about being attentive to whatever the most salient, obvious feature of experience is. If boredom has thoroughly displaced the breath, stop trying to force your attention onto the breath and start paying attention to the boredom: What does it feel like to be bored? Where does the boredom come from? What is causing it? When did it start? Begin investigating it, become engaged in it, and then it disappears.
On the other hand, there is the problem of too much energy, which becomes anxiety or restlessness. It's an inability to settle down, with racing thoughts, possibly even manifesting physically as agitation or tremors. Much like with lethargy and boredom, there are a few options. One is to try to find ways to calm down. Try breathing in different ways, perhaps slow, deep breaths. Scan the body for spots of tension or tightness, and relax them, or if you can't relax them directly, relax around them. See if you can open up around parts of the body or mind that are agitated, and give them space. Often, when you do that, they'll wear themselves out and relaxation will again prevail. I like to also imagine a sinking feeling, like I am sinking into the floor, becoming rooted into the earth, and that everything is moving downward. That supports me in letting go of the tension and agitation. Another option, just like with the lethargy and boredom, is to turn your attention to it. What does it feel like to be anxious or restlessness? Try not to get caught up in the thoughts that are being generated by the excited state, but instead bring your awareness to the parts of your body that are being activated. Where do you feel it?
So that's an introduction to vigor or Right Effort as a Buddhist concept. Next time we'll expand on the four specific tasks to which you should be applying your effort if you're going to be a good Buddhist.
My vehicle for examining these is this delightful sutta from the Saṃyutta Nikāya, numbered SN 48.10. Continuing with my translation:
And what is the faculty of vigor?
Here, O monks, a noble disciple dwells with vigor aroused for the abandonment of unskillful qualities, for the attainment of skillful qualities, strong, fortified, not casting off the yoke in good qualities.
There's more, but I'll put that off until the next post, because it's the pericope for the Four Right Efforts and deserves its own treatment. For now, let's take a closer look at this word, viriya, that I'm choosing to translate as "vigor". It can also be translated "persistance" or "energy". It has the sense of putting in the work to do the practice, which requires a certain amount of energy or effort.
It must be understood, though, that this should be a balanced effort. Not too slack, because then you won't get anywhere, but also not so vigorous that you become agitated and tense. These two poles even form the third and fourth of the Five Hindrances. Not enough energy and you can be sluggish, lethargic, indolent, but too much energy and you can be restless, anxious, unsettled. What's needed is a certain amount of calm and steadiness, but also continuous and firm energy or vigor. Don't be lazy, but also don't overextend yourself.
Some of this energy comes from maintaining good physical health (or as good as you can manage given any chronic conditions you might have). For example, essential to good energy levels is getting proper rest. Without enough rest, you can become frazzled, scattered, and excessively tired. But, of course, too much rest is also a problem, because then life can become permeated with sleepiness. The Buddha instructs thus us to train ourselves for wakefulness. Another factor in energy is the amount we eat, which is why the Buddha also advises moderation in eating. Both overeating and undereating can sap our vigor. Adequate exercise is another factor in maintaining good energy. The Buddha never advised this, but I suspect that's because exercise was built into the lifestyle of the wandering monk, who might walk miles in a day.
Some of it is also mental. One of the underlying causes of lethargy and sleepiness, once the physical factors have been taken care of, is a resistance to what is going on. This can manifest as boredom, which then becomes drowsiness. Sometimes we think of boredom as a neutral and passive mental state, but it is not: It is active aversion. We don't want to be doing what we are doing, so we begin shutting down. So finding ways of being interested in what we are doing is important for maintaining good levels of energy. For example, when sitting and breathing, if you start getting bored, there are a few options for becoming engaged again. One, often advised by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, is to begin playing with the breath. To experiment with it, try changing it and see what happens, try seeing if you can find a way to breathe that calls up more energy. Another option, one that I like to use, is to begin examining the boredom. Mindfulness practice is, after all, about being attentive to whatever the most salient, obvious feature of experience is. If boredom has thoroughly displaced the breath, stop trying to force your attention onto the breath and start paying attention to the boredom: What does it feel like to be bored? Where does the boredom come from? What is causing it? When did it start? Begin investigating it, become engaged in it, and then it disappears.
On the other hand, there is the problem of too much energy, which becomes anxiety or restlessness. It's an inability to settle down, with racing thoughts, possibly even manifesting physically as agitation or tremors. Much like with lethargy and boredom, there are a few options. One is to try to find ways to calm down. Try breathing in different ways, perhaps slow, deep breaths. Scan the body for spots of tension or tightness, and relax them, or if you can't relax them directly, relax around them. See if you can open up around parts of the body or mind that are agitated, and give them space. Often, when you do that, they'll wear themselves out and relaxation will again prevail. I like to also imagine a sinking feeling, like I am sinking into the floor, becoming rooted into the earth, and that everything is moving downward. That supports me in letting go of the tension and agitation. Another option, just like with the lethargy and boredom, is to turn your attention to it. What does it feel like to be anxious or restlessness? Try not to get caught up in the thoughts that are being generated by the excited state, but instead bring your awareness to the parts of your body that are being activated. Where do you feel it?
So that's an introduction to vigor or Right Effort as a Buddhist concept. Next time we'll expand on the four specific tasks to which you should be applying your effort if you're going to be a good Buddhist.