Wise Action,Wise Livelihood and Wise Effort
“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most."
-The Buddha
Hello, Everyone!
I hope that you’re all enjoying the newness, warmth and beauty of spring, as well as your travels on the Eightfold Path!
The photo above is of a fiddlehead, which caught my eye while I was out for a run the other day. I stopped to notice and take in its beauty, as the fiddlehead is one of the first plants to arise in spring. As the weather continues to get warmer, its coiled form unfurls into a mature frond, beautifully displaying the cyclical nature of life, from seed to full growth—the promise of what’s to come, in nature and in life.
As we move into spring (and this newsletter), there will be an invitation to utilize wise effort to awaken and employ your senses, unfolding yourself, unfurling into life itself, opening to what is already here…
Continuing Along the Noble Eightfold Path
In the biweekly, online dharma talk and meditation class that I facilitate (more info here if you're interested), we continued our journey along the Eightfold Path—a set of instructions from the Buddha that provides a pathway to living a life free from clinging, greed and hatred, with the perspective that our thoughts and actions serve to benefit others, ourselves and the world.
If you’re new to this newsletter and/or want to revisit where we’ve been, all newsletter content related to the Eightfold Path is live in the blog.
As a brief overview of where we’ve traveled, the Buddha showed us through the Four Noble Truths that suffering is part of being alive and that there is a way to alleviate this suffering through the wisdom he offers in the Noble Eightfold Path.
That the Buddha chose to give us this information in the form of a path is helpful, as life is indeed a journey, and often a challenging one. Yet, when we travel the Path with these eight elements as allies, we are on our way to living with more grace, ease and goodness. Our intention is to be kind, to cause no harm, to take only what we need, and to move through the world with compassion, rather than in a state of craving, clinging, greed and hatred—the qualities that create most of our (and the collective world’s) suffering.
We’ve already traveled through the first three aspects of the Path—wise view, wise intention and wise speech. This month, we delve into wise action and wise livelihood to complete the ethics portion of the Path, and then into wise effort, which is the first of the three strands of the Path related to mindfulness. As we move into May, we’ll complete our journey with wise concentration and wise mindfulness.
On Wise Action
Wise action (Sīla) gently guides us to live in harmony with ourselves, with others, and within the world around us. This tenet of the Path asks us to remember our intention to cultivate kindness, honesty, and apply restraint to our impulses and desires
Wise action invites us to put our view, intention and speech into ACTION. It encourages us to nurture kindness to all beings (including ourselves), to cultivate generosity, and to refrain from taking what is not freely given. When practicing wise action, we honor the trust and dignity of oneself and others and refrain from sexual misconduct, false and harmful speech, and from using intoxicants/substances that dull the mind.
As we travel with the intention to respect ourselves and others and to use speech that heals, connects and uplifts, the Buddha also reminds us that we are human and imperfect and that it is important that we are gentle with ourselves. We recognize that wise action is a living practice—fluid, dynamic and deeply human. There will be times that we falter, when old habits take over, and confusion clouds our vision.
In those moments, the path does not abandon us. Instead, it invites us to pause, to feel, and to begin again—with tenderness and without judgment.
Think of it this way: While in meditation, we are asked to quiet the mind and focus on the breath, but we all know (and have experienced—likely a lot!) that the mind loves to wander, pulling our attention away from the breath. Yet, when that happens, the practice is to notice, pause and begin again (and again and again), without judgment. It’s no different with how we apply wise action in our daily lives.
On Wise Livelihood
Wise livelihood (Sammā Ājīva) completes the ethical section of the Eightfold Path. Wise livelihood invites us to align the way we earn our living with the values of compassion, honesty, and non-harming. It asks a deep and tender question: Can the way I support myself also support the well-being of others?
The Buddha, in his deep understanding of the human heart, knew that the way we make our living touches every part of our life, and his teachings on livelihood weren’t meant to judge people harshly. Rather, they were intended to highlight livelihoods that cause suffering to others—and, by extension, to oneself. When our way of earning a living is built on deception, harm or exploitation, it pulls the mind away from peace. It makes it harder to live with clarity and to cultivate the qualities of compassion and mindfulness.
As with wise action, he explains wise livelihood as a practice and a daily inquiry. The invitation from the Buddha is for us to plant seeds of integrity wherever we are, in whatever we do—in the choices we make and the actions we take. Sometimes the most radical act is simply to do our work with love.
On Wise Effort
The Buddha used the lute as a metaphor to explain wise effort. In order to play the lute beautifully and harmoniously, it cannot be too taut, nor too loose. Much like in the story of Goldilocks, it needs to be just right. And, so it is with wise effort.
Wise effort (Prajña Yatna) is the practice of cultivating wholesome states of mind and nurturing qualities like kindness, clarity, and concentration. In practicing wise effort, we have a choice in the thoughts we entertain, the actions we take and the moods that we either encourage or discourage. Employing wise effort also requires energy. We can choose to encourage energy that uplifts and nourishes or energy that depletes.
Associated with the mind and mindfulness, when practicing wise effort, we can turn directly toward these words from the Buddha.
“Who is your friend? Mind is your friend. No one can help you more than your own mind well-trained. Who is your enemy? Mind is your enemy. No one can harm you more than your own mind untrained.”
Wise effort also involves finding the balance between striving and passivity. If we sit in meditation when we are sleepy, or meditate in bed late at night, our effort is only half-hearted, and we may very well find ourselves asleep. Alternatively, if we practice continually and end up in pain, we are also not doing something of benefit for ourselves. If we meditate and are annoyed that we “have to” then again, of what benefit is that kind of effort?
It can be tricky, but with practice and a gentleness with ourselves, over time, we may find that ‘just right’ Goldilocks effort, which feels both wise and right.
Cat Tales...
What Pearl Teaches Us About Wise Action, Livelihood and Effort
For some time now, Pearl has taken to meditating on the cushion with me. Sometimes sitting behind me on the cushion and sometimes underneath a blanket, she looks for me each morning to take my seat so we can begin. When the bell rings, her body seems to soften even further into the cushion. She knows a time of stillness is here. She is a very experienced practitioner, staying in her spot much longer than me, and she never seems to have to shift positions, no matter how long the sit is.
As a housecat, Pearl’s livelihood is to tend to herself, her siblings, her humans and her home, and she sits on this cushion even when I’m not meditating, as though she’s beckoning me to join her. In our home and in her relationships are where she employs her actions and effort. With Pearl, her efforts are almost always wise. Her commitment to the practice and our routine is heartwarming and nurturing, bringing both stillness and joy to us both, every morning, every day.
Be the Gardener of Your Mind
A second invitation is to play with the idea of cultivating a garden of the mind. Create a vision for the garden you want to grow—the kinds of flowers or vegetables (aka thoughts, actions and efforts). Till the soil, plant the seeds, water and weed your garden, and let the sun shine. Then you’ll have a garden of delight! Like the sun, you will be offering wise effort and energy to the world, to yourself, to others. YOU are the gardener, providing the right action, livelihood and effort, choosing to bring forth the beauty you want to see and feel in this world.
I want to express my deepest appreciation and love to each of you.
Thank you for your presence—I’m so happy that you are here!
May you be filled with warmth and kindness.
May you be happy, healthy and safe.
May your heart know peace.
In kindness,
Karen
The Practice
Journal prompts
This month, in working with wise action, wise livelihood and wise effort, I’m offering journal prompts for you to sit with and write about as you reflect on your relationship with each of these tenets of the Eightfold Path.
As you write, be both honest and gentle with yourself, recognizing that the Path is dynamic and humans are imperfect. Remember that no matter where you find yourself right now, the beauty is in knowing that the Path never abandons us and that in every moment and with each breath, we get to begin again and again and again…
On Wise Action
What actions have I taken recently that felt aligned with my values and integrity? How did they affect me and those around me?
Is there a behavior I’m engaging in that causes harm—to myself or others? What might it look like to shift toward greater care or non-harming?
On Wise Livelihood
Does the way I earn a living align with my values and contribute to the well-being of others?
Are there aspects of my work (0r how I’m living) that feel out of integrity? What small change could move me closer to wise livelihood?
On Wise Effort
Where in my life am I feeding unhelpful habits or thought patterns—and what would it look like to gently redirect that energy?
What supportive qualities (like patience, curiosity or compassion) can I nurture through steady, intentional effort this month?
Resources
Read...
Right Effort. This Insight Meditation Center transcription from a talk given by Buddhist teacher Ines Freedman explores what can be the tricky balance between cultivation and letting go when practicing wise effort. Ines explains that while we seem to be working with two opposite ideas, learning how to employ both is what allows us to be really whole in our lives. She also delves into how our mindfulness practice gives us the ability to see our minds clearly enough to realize that we have a choice about what we do with our mind. Through exploring various aspects of wise effort, Ines dives into how to work with this tenet through noticing and staying mindful in this ongoing process.
Watch...
Right Effort Dharma Talk—Jack Kornfield. In this dharma talk, author and international meditation teacher Jack Kornfield explains right (wise) effort and energy—a tenet of the Eightfold Path that he describes as being important to anyone undertaking a spiritual practice. For Jack, the effort required is simply the effort to be present and bring our attention loving awareness in this life that we've been given. Rather than get caught up in thoughts, judgments and trying to get somewhere, the intent is to be present, here and now, with things as they actually are and to ask ourselves, what would love have me do today? And, then to listen inside, and your heart will tell you, and you will know you.
Listen...
Audio: Walking Meditation. Given the warmer weather that comes with spring, the invitation this month is to take your meditation practice outdoors and perhaps put it in motion. As Jack Kornfield, world-renowned meditation teacher and the the facilitator of this guided meditation, says, "Walking meditation is another way to develop calm, connectedness, and embodied awareness. It can be practiced regularly, before or after sitting meditation, or any time on its own, such as after a busy day at work or on a lazy Sunday morning. Using the movement of walking can help cultivate mindfulness and a wakeful presence." Find a quiet place to walk outside, and enjoy!
In case you’re unaware and interested, I offer an online, donation-based meditation class/guided practice every other Monday night 8-9pm EST in a relaxed and warm setting on Zoom. The only requirement is an interest in increasing mindful awareness and skills through practice and growing your inner wisdom. If you’re interested in beginning, reconnecting with or deepening your meditation practice in community, we’d love for you to join us! Get more details and register here.
Also, if you know of anyone interested in deepening their mindfulness and meditation practices, please forward this email along and invite them to join as well! All are welcome and can sign up for the newsletter on my website.
Dr. Karen Walant has been a practicing psychotherapist for almost three decades and holds a MSW and PhD in Clinical Social Work from New York University. Karen supervises other clinicians in private practice and has given lectures around the country on issues related to attachment, mindfulness, meditation, addiction and recovery, deepening the therapeutic relationship, parenting with kindness, and fostering compassionate relationships. She is the author of Creating the Capacity for Attachment: Treating Addictions and the Alienated Self. A long-time meditator and teacher, Karen is a 2021 graduate of the 2-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Program (taught by meditation experts Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield), is certified as a Mindfulness Meditation Mentor, and is certified as a Level I Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Teacher through Brown University, and completed her Certificate in Mindfulness and Psychotherapy from the Institute for Mindfulness and Psychotherapy in 2022.