The paramita of diligence, or virya, nurtures zeal in one’s practice. It is a keenness without fear of demanding work, and is the antidote for laxity. The Buddhist scriptures say that Shakyamuni and Maitreya both gave rise to bodhi-mind at the same time, but Shakyamuni, the buddha of this era, attained buddhahood first. The scriptures also say that 5.6 billion years after Shakyamuni, Maitreya will become the buddha of the future era. Perhaps Shakyamuni became a buddha first because he practiced more diligently, but the more likely reason is that Shakyamuni’s causal grounds for attaining buddhahood were different from those of Maitreya.
Vows and Aspirations
Without vows and aspirations, one can quite easily become lax. You may think all day long, “I should be more diligent.” But as the time draws near, physical discomfort, headache, or fatigue may cause you to fall prey to laziness. “I feel tired and I really need to rest. As soon as I feel better, I’ll practice very hard.” Attitudes like these come from laziness. We can give ourselves all kinds of excuses for not practicing.
Once there was a lazy student who never studied. He made excuses throughout the year. In the spring it was a nuisance to study when the weather was beautiful outside. During the summer it was too hot to stay indoors and study. In the autumn he wanted to go out and enjoy the cool breezes. When winter arrived and the end of the year approached, he figured he might as well wait till the next school year to study.
There is a Chinese poem that summarizes this attitude succinctly:
Springtime is not meant for studying.
The heat of summer is good for sleeping.
Fall slips away, and winter arrives,
Time for spring-cleaning to prepare for the new year.
Diligence is pivotal for a practitioner who has generated the bodhi-mind of benefiting others. The Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment[i] include the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, for which diligence in practice is essential.
The Thirty-seven Aids also include the Four Proper Exertions: to avoid unwholesome acts not yet committed, to cease unwholesome acts already committed, to engage in wholesome acts not yet done, and to continue wholesome acts already started.
Making vows is essential to the Buddhist practitioner. They can be small, great, or ultimate. A small vow can be just for a day; a great vow can be over a span of time. The highest form of vow is an ultimate vow that is made continuously, and that is to attain buddhahood for the sake of others. With diligence, one will persevere in helping sentient beings regardless of whatever calamity or obstacle may occur. Having made vows like these, you dare not become lax; you will constantly remind yourself to go forward.
When we reflect upon our own physical condition, we can see that our energy and life force are impermanent and limited. But with diligence and vows, it is possible even with limited resources to accomplish unlimited results. We reap according to what we sow. Great effort will gain great results; partial effort will only get partial results. If we put forth no effort at all, we will get no results. The point is that we have the choice to exert all of our effort, and to accomplish our vows. If we absorb ourselves diligently in the task we wish to accomplish, we will be very surprised by what we can achieve. We will be amazed that we can actually do so much for so many, despite having a limited physical body. This is all due to diligence.
Among my disciples are those who are diligent and those who are lazy. Some make excuses every time they are assigned a task. One disciple excuses himself by saying that someone more qualified should do the job. When I tell him that he should adopt the bodhisattva spirit and practice diligence, he says that he is satisfied to become the last bodhisattva to attain buddhahood.
He once said, “Haven’t you heard that Ksitigarbha, the Earth Store Bodhisattva, vowed not to accomplish buddhahood until the last sentient being had attained buddhahood? Well, let me tell you, I’m that last person.
Everyone else can become a buddha before me”. His self-disparagement will lead to self-pity and an overall negative perception about himself and his abilities. But in reality, he is simply lazy and causes trouble for himself and others. People like this will rely on others to care for them, and drag everyone else’s efforts down. As a result, they cannot gain genuine benefit from their practices.
A healthy body with a lazy mind will eventually drag the body down. This will cause afflictions of the mind to flourish. Individuals who cultivate diligence have strong and healthy minds, and are more likely to have healthy bodies and feel elation in the Dharma.
According to one ancient treatise, there are three types of diligence. The first is diligence that is like armor; the second is the diligence that is able to gather all virtues; the third is the diligence that benefits all sentient beings.
Diligence that is like Armor
The diligence that is like armor manifests as fearless courage, enabling one to overcome all obstacles. One sees no enemy because nothing appears as an obstruction, and therefore nothing causes problems. One’s diligence impels one forward fearlessly. When assigned a task, some people complain before even getting started. “Shifu, I see so many problems with this.” These complainers see trouble rather than an opportunity. But there are others who take all impediments and difficulties as part of the process of spiritual growth and learning. They perceive problems as opportunities to enhance their own skills. As a result, they profit from even the most difficult challenges. Such people are practicing the paramita of diligence.
Virtuous Diligence
The second diligence is one that gathers all virtues. Virtues here refer to the Dharma practices of the Four Noble Truths, the Thirty-Seven Aids to Enlightenment, and the Six Paramitas. Practitioners who engage this type of diligence use the experiences of body, speech, and mind, and all the phenomena in the environment as opportunities to practice. Whatever they experience, whatever they see, their whole being is filled with the aspiration to practice, from instant to instant. This is genuine diligence.
There are also people who practice the Four Noble Truths, the Thirty-Seven Aids to Enlightenment, and the Six Paramitas, but sporadically and not so diligently. They tend to separate their practice from their daily lives, and therefore miss many opportunities to practice. It is as if they are poised to get onto the Mahayana vehicle, and then they excuse themselves by saying,
“Maybe I’ll take the next bus. In this life, it is too hard for me. Maybe in my next life, I’ll really begin to practice.” The problem is that it is uncertain when the next bus will come, or if it will ever show up again.
A diligent practitioner’s eyes are wide open for opportunities to practice anywhere and at any time. If they miss an opportunity to practice they will chase it down and to grab it. To use the metaphor of the bus, if the bus is pulling away from the stop, they will chase after it, unwilling to give up an opportunity to practice.
Compassionate Diligence
The third type of diligence is that which benefits sentient beings. This is the diligence of great bodhisattvas who will pursue sentient beings to hell, heaven, or any other realm of existence, to ensure that they will gain liberation. This kind of dedication to assure the liberation of ordinary people is very different from the romantic pursuits of men and women. Bodhisattvas don’t want anything from sentient beings and they are not there to impose any ideas on them, or to force anything upon others. Bodhisattvas are there to benefit sentient beings, to make them feel secure and at ease, and to provide them with opportunities to move towards liberation.
Practicing the Three Types of Diligence
To summarize, the vocation of monastics is to practice these three types of diligence—the diligence like armor, the diligence that gathers all virtues, and the diligence that benefits others. The first type of diligence gives rise to vows that will be like armor to protect practitioners from obstructions on the path to buddhahood. The second type of diligence is realized through personal experience of the Dharma while engaging in virtuous deeds. The third type of diligence is to share with other sentient beings the benefits of personal practice. This is precisely the undertaking of a monk or a nun—to make full use of their rare opportunity for practice and cultivation. If they miss the opportunity in this lifetime, they may not get it again in future lives.
During my last visit with Master Thich Nhat Hanh at his Dharma center, I noticed that his disciples hugged each other. I asked them whether monks hug nuns. They replied,” No, monks hug monks and nuns hug nuns.” I further asked, “Why do you hug?” They explained that hugging is an expression of extending care to one another. It is a kind of closeness, of sharing and comforting between people. “That is what we practice.” After hearing this, I thought to myself, “It must be a very good feeling to hug people. After all, little kids like to be hugged. Adults also like to be hugged.”
Therefore, I hugged the master when I bade him farewell.
In the Mahayana Code of Conduct for monastics, monks and nuns are strictly not allowed to hug anyone. The Buddha said that such a gesture is a sign of laxity, a loosening of one’s diligence in practice. For that reason, the rules for monastics are set out this way. However, upon reflection, I thought that Thich Nhat Hanh has sound reasons for allowing hugging between his monastics. When people hug each other, they have a sense of sharing and it feels very good and comfortable. Besides, it is a natural part of Western culture to hug. Maybe that is the reason why he has so many western monks and nuns but I have so few.
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