Right Effort

October 2014

Dear Readers,

Thank you for continuing to learn about the Noble Eightfold Path. If you want to see the old newsletters about the Noble Eightfold Path, click on "Back to Newsletters" below, then scroll down to the "Old Newsletters" section and click on the links. This month, we will be learning about the sixth step on the Noble Eightfold Path, Right Effort. But first, lets review.

Life has dukkha (suffering). The way to be free of suffering is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path by practicing eight points: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Concentration, and Right Mindfulness. Try to follow the Noble Eightfold Path in your life, and you will have complete happiness, free from suffering.

What is Right Effort? Right Effort is trying your best to give up all your harmful ways and trying your best to be wholesome. Remember when you tried really, really hard to achieve some goal of yours? Maybe you studied really hard for a test and finally got an A. With Right Effort, the goal is to become a wholesome person. You have to put in a lot of effort to do this. This is called being persistent to do the right thing. You are putting in your best effort be kind, generous, and understanding.

These are the four steps to practicing Right Effort:

1. Prevent unwholesomeness (harmful actions) in you.

2. Remove the unwholesomeness in you.

3. Try to bring wholesomeness to you.

4. Always keep that wholesomeness in you.

This may seem difficult to do, especially when there are other unwholesome things that are tempting. But, if you have Right Effort, you will do your best to be wholesome and not let any unwholesome things tempt you. Do not let any unwholesomeness return, and don't let any wholesomeness escape. Remember the saying, "practice makes perfect?" That saying goes for wholesomeness too. If you put in the Right Effort, you will remain wholesome. When you are wholesome, you can prevent dukkha, and your life will be better. Practicing Right Effort takes you further along the Noble Eightfold Path to happiness. It may seem difficult, but just remember to do your best!

Now we have completed learning about six steps on the Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, and Right Effort. Remember to use what we learned in your life! Check back in November to learn about the next step, Right Concentration.

Thank you for learning!

Ruvini

BACK TO NEWSLETTERS