Skillful Effort: Receptive Aspects of Dealing with Unskillful States

SeekerFive

April 25

In my previous two posts, I tried to outline the first and second Great Efforts, which form part of the Right Effort path-factor. The first and second great effort are both about dealing with unskillful or "unwholesome" states. They are also both rather active. In this post I'll talk about more receptive aspects of using skillful effort to deal with unwholesome states.

Sayadaw U Tejaniya, by the way, does a wonderful job talking about these receptive aspects in his books.

Preventing and Overcoming

The first great effort is: to direct one's efforts toward preventing unskillful states from arising.

The second great effort is: to direct one's efforts toward overcoming unskillful states which are currently present.

My previous two posts mentioned some tactics for such preventing and overcoming. Those tactics seem to have a certain emphasis on near-term prevention-removal of unskillful states. Of course, those tactics are at the same time undertaken in service of the long-term goal of weakening and removing the roots of unskillful states. There is always, I think, that double-goal: the immediate near-term and the long-term.

Learning About, During

To be sure, skillful direction of effort is important in preventing and removing unskillful states. At the same time, the skillful direction of effort during the experience of unskillful states is important in another way: It's needed for learning from and about such states, while experiencing them. This learning eventually to leads to insights, to increasing understanding, to greater freedom in relation to unskillful states, to long-term weakening and even removal of their deeper roots.

On the one hand, I don't want unskillful states to arise, and I want to overcome any that do arise. On the other hand, I want to learn the "causal mechanics" of whatever unskillful states may habitually arise. This will require observing the states in vivo.

Two Complementary Options

One the one hand, I don't want such states to direct my actions, thoughts, or feelings, nor do I want them to be "fed" or strengthened. I thus want to prevent them from arising in the first place, and overcome them if they do arise. One the other hand, if I interfere too much, I miss out on gaining information about how mind and these states work. In particular, I miss out on gaining insight from and into the habitual patterns and tendencies of my own mind.

It's very interesting, how on the one hand we want to interfere and control, even preemptively, while at the same time we want to refrain from interfering or controlling. Both are skillful effort, both are in the service of the same goals.

We seem to have then a choice. Not a choice between right and wrong, skillful or unskillful, but a choice within the choice of what is right and skillful. It is thus to some extent simply a choice, an option, with respect to how one practices at a given time: prioritize observational knowledge, or prioritize dissipating the immediate unskillfulness and affliction.

However, the more immediate "overcoming" tactics -- the tactics of the second great effort -- may also be necessary when one opts for observing over influencing.

The Balance

Firstly, some degree of mindful awareness is needed in order to observe the unskillful state. The same mindful awareness, as noted with respect to the second great effort, may also be sufficient eventually to dissipate the unskillful state. In such a case, it is thus not a matter of choosing one or the other.

It's also worth pointing out that mindful awareness is the fundamental method for preventing unskillful states from arising in the first place, as noted in the previous post about the first great effort.

Second, even while refraining from interfering with the mind, one doesn't want to fall into unskillful speech, action, or livelihood as a result. Thus the need to prevent ethically unskillful acts, acts as a limit or guardrail to observational non-interference.

Third, even only inwardly, I want to prevent unskillful mental patterns from feeding and strengthening themselves. For example, if I see anger and ill-will arisen, and notice this state feeding and building on itself, with each malicious and angry thought and intention giving rise to another, then I must take great care.

It may be skillful and potentially very beneficial to observe such a process unfold. But, I must ensure I can also maintain a stable and detached-enough observational perspective that I can see the unskillful processes for what they are. And, I must be able to prevent my skillful observing mind from getting sucked into the maelstrom. If this is not possible, I should, if possible, intervene in the unskillful processes.