It seems that Right Effort and Right Action speak directly to the moment we find ourselves in today, reminding us that personal awakening and collective healing are deeply interconnected. In fact, it’s what brought me to this path and has kept me committed to continue to live it as well as I can.
The way I understand it, Right Effort is not about striving relentlessly or pushing against the current. It is about directing our energy wisely, nurturing attitudes and actions that lead to peace, rather than to harm, which contribute to healing and collaboration and not to more division.
In our practice, this can mean preventing negativity from taking root in the heart and letting go of harmful mind states such as resentment and anger. Applied to the suffering of our world, I think Right Effort asks us not to look away, but also not to be pulled into thenegativitythatsurroundsus.Ithinkitinvitesustoengageinmeaningfulservice,and to keep our hearts open so we can offer a kind and meaningful presence.
With Right Action, we take our wise effort and bring it into the world. It is a natural expression of wisdom and compassion in motion. It is social engagement in the form of lovingkindness and deep care for ALL beings. It is finding common ground when it seems nearly impossible and as I read from one teacher recently, it invites us to “understand that when suffering is not met with care, it reproduces itself.”
Traditionally, this principle guides us to refrain from harming life, stealing, and engaging in false speech or exploitative behavior. In a modern context, we can speak up for justice without hatred, we can support systems that nurture rather than oppress and we can embody love through service. In the words of Bhikkhu Bodhi “we must strive to create a social order rooted in a moral vision, an order that embodies love and compassion and provides opportunities for everyone to flourish.”
I see the Eightfold Path as a living invitation to awaken. When we unite Right Effort and Right Action, we move into active compassion. We begin to see that our personal awakening and the peace of the world are not separate.
I continue to be inspired every time we get together as a Sangha, whether it’s in a book group, on a hike or at a Sunday program, we contribute to the world’s healing. I’m deeply inspired by all of you who are giving so much of yourselves to compassionate action in our community.
In the dharma, Susan