Dear Friends,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Energy, or viriya, can be directed toward many different goals. To align our energy with our intentions, we focus it on the four endeavors of wise effort. Over the next few weeks, we will explore each of these in depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first endeavor is to prevent unwholesome states from arising. Joseph Goldstein reflects:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nWhen we’re leading basically good and wholesome lives, it is easy to become complacent about our present circumstances. \u2026 we still have many moments when greed, hatred, or delusion arises. We see something beautiful, and we want it; our minds are pulled toward it. Or perhaps we see somebody doing something we don’t like, and the mind is suddenly filled with judgment and aversion. Or we may be tired, and the mind simply dulls out in delusion. So the first of the four great endeavors is recognizing the enduring power of these latent defilements, understanding what gives rise to them, and preventing them from arising and taking hold.<\/p>\nMindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, page 392.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Through mindfulness, we can come to recognize potential triggers that can bring these up, create conditions that support living in alignment with our intentions, and incline towards mindful presence to prevent the habitual reactivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As we begin this exploration of wise effort, may we all find inspiration and support in our practice. Preventing unwholesome states is not only a personal endeavor but also one that benefits the world around us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have reflections, feel free to share them here. I would love to hear from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With good wishes,
Andrea<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dear Friends, Energy, or viriya, can be directed toward many different goals. To align our energy with our intentions, we focus it on the four endeavors of wise effort. Over the next few weeks, we will explore each of these in depth. The first endeavor is to prevent unwholesome states from arising. Joseph Goldstein reflects: When we’re leading\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[372],"tags":[117,366,335],"class_list":["post-2109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jan-2025","tag-joseph-goldstein","tag-right-effort","tag-viriya"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2109"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2110,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2109\/revisions\/2110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grzesina.net\/meditation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}