Episode 88 – The Paramita of Exertion

In the Buddhist tradition there’s a lot of talk about practice, which is connected with the paramita of exertion  •  practice is something that you do over and over again, and as you do so, hopefully you get better and better, and develop more and more understanding and sophistication about what you’re doing  •  in the paramita of exertion, the development is from a kind of self-conscious or imposed approach to a more natural approach, even reaching a point where exertion is actually joyful  •  instead of making a division between when we’re having fun on the one hand and doing hard work on the other, the paramita of exertion is pointing to something almost upside down from that  •  it’s suggesting that continuing our exertion in the midst of pain or obstacles or setbacks or disappointments actually increases our happiness and well-being  •  exertion is just keeping going, and delighting in that keeping going.