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In these days,
Lethargy-&-Laziness may commonly be induced by self-destructive
behaviour such as:
Alcohol, drugs, dope, pills, marihuana, sniffing, over-eating, excessive
masturbation and night-living.
Such often life-long chemical or behavioural causes of
Lethargy-&-Laziness should be
eradicated...
As long as this is not achieved one remains a phlegmatic & apathetic
zombie, drifting downwards!!!
Go straight & come clean! Addiction is pain! Freedom is bliss! Chemical
calm is neither cool nor clear!
First
priority: Noticing
Lethargy-&-Laziness
(thīna-middha)
emerge can make it evaporate:
Herein, Bhikkhus, when
Lethargy-&-Laziness is present in him,
the bhikkhu notes & understands:
There is Lethargy-&-Laziness in me, and
when Lethargy-&-Laziness is absent, he
notes & understands:
There is no Lethargy-&-Laziness in me.
He also understands how unarisen
Lethargy-&-Laziness arises.
He understands how to leave behind any arisen
Lethargy-&-Laziness, and he understands how left
Lethargy-&-Laziness will not arise again in the
future.
MN10
What is the feeding
cause that makes
Lethargy-&-Laziness
arise?
There are boredom, apathy,
tiredness, lazy stretching of the body, heavy drowsiness after meals,
mental sluggishness, frequently giving irrational & unwise attention to
these mental states, this is the
feeding cause of the arising of unarisen
Lethargy-&-Laziness, and the feeding cause of consolidation
and deepening of Lethargy-&-Laziness,
that already has emerged. SN46:51
What is the starving
cause that makes
Lethargy-&-Laziness
cease?
There are the events of
Initiative, of Launching into Effort, and of tenaciously
Enduring Persistence,
frequently giving rational & wise attention to these three mental
elements, is the starving cause for the
non-arising of unarisen Lethargy-&-Laziness
, and the starving cause for the arousing and stirring of
Lethargy-&-Laziness, that has already emerged.
SN 46:51
The
Supreme Ideal:
Before the Buddha sat down to
meditate in order to attain enlightenment, he made this determination:
May just all flesh and blood of this body dry up into a stiff frame of
only bones, tendons and skin...
Not before having achieved, what can be achieved by manly strength, manly
power, manly energy,
will I rise from this seat...
MN 70
Some
advantageous reflections to return to whenever Laziness threatens:
How to stimulate the mind:
How does one stimulate the mind at a time when it needs stimulation?
If due to slowness of understanding or due to not having yet reached the
happiness of tranquillity,
one's mind is dull, then one should rouse it through reflecting on the
eight objects stirring urgency.
These eight are: birth, decay, disease & death; the suffering in the hell,
demon, ghost & animal world;
the suffering in the past rooted in the round of existence; the suffering
of the future rooted in the
round of existence; the suffering of the present rooted in the pursuit &
search for food and living.
Vism. IV,63
Perceiving the suffering in
impermanence:
In a bhikkhu, who is used to see the suffering in impermanence and who
frequently reflects on this,
there will be established in him such an acute sense of the danger in
laziness, apathy, inactivity and
lethargy, as if he were threatened by a mad murderer with drawn sword.
AN
7:46
Lethargy-&-Laziness
is an inner mental Prison:
Just as when a man has been forced
into prison is Lethargy-&-Laziness, but
later when he gets
released from this (inner) prison, then he is safe, fearing no loss of
property. And at that good
he rejoices, and is glad at heart... Such is the breaking out of
Lethargy-&-Laziness...
Another person has been kept in jail during a festival day, and so
could see none of the shows.
When people say: Oh, how fun was this festival! He will remain shy, mute
and silent. Why?
Because he did not enjoy any festival himself... Similarly is prison of
Lethargy-&-Laziness...
Another person that once had been in jail on a festival day. But when
freed and celebrating the
festival on a later occasion, he looks back: Before due to my careless
laziness, I was in prison on
that day & could not enjoy this festival. Now I shall therefore be Alert &
Careful. Since he remains
thus Alert & Careful no detrimental state can overcome his mind. Having
enjoyed the festival,
he exclaims: Oh, what a fun festival it was! Such is the freedom from
Lethargy-&-Laziness...
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The remembrance of Death:
To-day the effort should be made,
Who knows if Death comes tomorrow?
MN 131 |
Easy is the shameless life now.
Easy is it to be bold, retaliating,
lazy, uninformed & wrong-viewed.
Dhammapada 244 |
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Rouse yourself! Sit up!
Resolutely train yourself to attain peace.
Do not let the king of death, seeing you
lazy, lead you astray and dominate you.
Sutta Nipata II, 10 |
Carefulness is the way to the Deathless.
Carelessness is the way to death.
The Careful die not.
The Careless are as if already dead.
Dhammapada 21
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How to get to the opposite good mental state:
Enthusiastic Energy
(Viriya)
see here:
Enthusiastic is Energy:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Enthusiastic_is_Energy.htm
Arousal Get Up and Going:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Arousal_Get_Up_and_Going.htm
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