Vows and Aspirations | The Six Paramitas

Without vows and aspirations one can quite easily become lax. You may think all day long, “I should practice more diligently.”

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 in the home and study. In the autumn he wanted to go out and enjoy the cool breezes. When the winter arrived as 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 me 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 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 Buddhist practitioners. The vows can be small, great, or ultimate. A small vow can be just for a day; a great vow can be over a long 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 reflecting 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 liberation? Well, let me tell you, I’m that last person. Everyone else can become a buddha before me”. Eventually, 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 practice.

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 also have healthy bodies, and they will 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.

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