The previous three limbs the Noble Eightfold Path is the means of purification of conduct which prepares for the next limb on the path which is the effort of mental discipline: right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. This limb of Right Effort is three pronged approach to the development of wisdom through concentration using the mental faculties can only be achieved within the foundation set by adhering to the ethical standards which allows wisdom to flourish. This is an example of creating causes and conditions and illustrates how this principle works also known as interdependence or dependent origination and dependent arising and is one of the main tenets of Buddhism. It is a fascinating exercise in logic and we will be getting into it shortly.

Right Effort

This part describes in detail needed how to direct mental effort with the intention of enlightenment. At first the mind is scattered and deluded plagued with unwholesome thoughts which take a lot of effort to resist at times and we know this to be called temptation or just plain old negative thinking and it is translated in the Pali cannons or religious texts translated out of the Pali language as evil. Sometimes it seems we are in a daily battle with this. Buddhism points this out in detail and points the exact way out.

Thoughco.com explains it simply this way:

The most basic, traditional definition of Right Effort is to exert oneself to develop wholesome qualities and release unwholesome qualities.

As recorded in the Pali Canon, the Buddha taught there are four aspects to Right Effort. Very simply –

1 The effort to prevent unwholesome qualities -- especially greed, anger and ignorance -- from arising.
2 The effort to extinguish unwholesome qualities that already have arisen.
3 The effort to cultivate skillful, or wholesome, qualities -- especially generosity, loving kindness, and wisdom (the opposites of greed, anger and ignorance) -- that have not yet arisen.
4 The effort to strengthen the wholesome qualities that have already arisen

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The Effort to Prevent Unwholesome Qualities – Greed, Anger and Ignorance

This is the fun part I have to say because who doesn’t want to be rid of the negative thoughts that can plague an individual on any given day? I’m in that’s for sure. This is very true for this path because this type of effort should be carried out with a sense of joy. So we learn practices as part of our effort to do this. We should never feel like this has become an unwelcome chore – that would mean we are not engaging in right effort – we may have lapsed into hard effort and that is not a part of this path…good to know!

The Buddha taught that practice should be like a well-tuned string instrument. If the strings are too loose, they won't play a sound. If they are too tight, they will break. Practice should be nourishing, not draining.. ~ Thoughtco.com

So, when you begin to understand the light and joyful approach of this path you begin to clearly realize that negative thinking and states are a hindrance to your cultivating wisdom, living in joy and ultimately achieving enlightenment. As always, this is never to repress emotional pain or trauma.. We meet our pain with compassion, receive it and understand it then when that process is complete we can let it go. There are five specific negative qualities that the teachings highlight to be aware of and to avoid and replace called The Five Hindrances.. They are:

1. Sensual desire (kamacchanda)
2. Ill will (vyapada)
3. Sloth, torpor, or drowsiness (thina-middha)
4. Restlessness and worry (uddhacca-kukkucca)
5. Uncertainty or skepticism (vicikiccha)
   These are five qualities that interfere with Right Effort. The Buddha taught that mindfulness -- of body, sensations, feelings and thoughts -- will overcome the hindrances. ~ Thoughtco.com

As we move along and learn the core of the teachings we will learn specifically the remedies as practices to counter the effects of and remove these hindrances from our consciousness.

Photo by Alex wong on Unsplash)

Scientific Perspective on Negative Thinking

Again, this is never about suppressing pain but being aware of the negative thoughts patterns that can and do enter our consciousness. When negative thinking starts it is very easy to get sucked into a negative feedback loop without being aware of it.. This is one of the reasons the practices are so important to condition our minds and brains in a fashion that promotes mental health so when the inevitable negative trigger enters into our consciousness we are well equipped before hand if we have strengthened ourselves in this way.
Many negative thoughts give rise to a shot of dopamine to the brain that give a temporary sense of well-being. As I already outlined in previous posts in this series about negativity bias this preponderance of negative thought patterns actually helped the species propagate when we were tribal people that lived off the earth without all the technology we soon created. That is why it is so easy to get swept up in negative thinking it is a survival mechanism built into our brains.

This can get taken so an extreme very quickly though and can turn into an addiction or clinical depression or other pathology or psychosis. As previously pointed out you will begin to perceive in such a negatively biased way that you will have difficulty perceiving positive possibilities. Negative thinking in our modern lives can also cause high blood pressure and other stress disorders that if are not managed with a change in perspective most notably mindfulness like the MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) program at U-Mass Medical School.

Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash

I hope this piques your interest more and that you have discovered that Buddhism is not just an esoteric ancient religion – but a path to optimize living for us modern humans.

What do you think?

Recent posts

Making Mindfulness Meditation Work For You – Part 1
Making Mindfulness Meditation Work For You Part 2 - The Noble Eightfold Path - Right View
Making Mindfulness Meditation Work For You Part 3 - The Noble Eightfold Path - Right Thought
Making Mindfulness Meditation Work For You Part 4 - The Noble Eightfold Path - Right Speech
Making Mindfulness Meditation Work For You Part 5 - The Noble Eightfold Path – Right Action
Making Mindfulness Meditation Work For You Part 6 - The Noble Eightfold Path – Right Livelihood

@soulsistashakti is a musical artist and writer based in NYC as well as a practitioner of Buddhist teachings. You can check out my music on my FB artist page at https://www.facebook.com/soulsistashakti