Diligence

in spring you will find a ray of hope

glimmering in the dawn of things

the seeds, the shapes, the pearly petals

that will bloom for a while and disappear

the sunlight, rainbows and flowers

dancing in mind

remind me:

 vows are forever true in a world unkind

she said what a shame that her best friend

passed on just in the dawn of her career

but i thought -in the bigger canvas

nothing is wasted

an ear of corn becomes food for a mother

her son rises in the morning to feed the cattle

the endeavor keeps the world fed and hopeful

how could anything be wasted?

endings endlessly beginning endlessly ending

since beginning-less time

vow to liberate all

from the ravages of illusory time.

**

Exercise 1: Diligence Object

1. When reading the poem and viewing the images, what metaphors most resonate with you? Stop to reflect on any words or associations that arise as you are reading the poem?

2. Create an 'object' which embodies diligence for you (it could be a poem, short story, art 

work, etc.), and save it under the name "Diligence Exercise 1".

Feel free to post to this exercise to your blog when you are finished.

Exercise 2: Personal Reflection on Motivation in Pursuing Diligence

When reflecting on the diligence poem, you may have also reflected on what motivates you (or anyone else, for that matter) to work their hardest in a certain subject or area. Please watch the short movie, "What I Work For":

Then answer the following questions using a short paragraph or 1 page reflection:

 

a) Think of something that you do for work, or a particular project or activity that you are engaged in right now, on a fairly regular basis. Write down a list of all the reasons that motivate you to work hard on this task or pursue it fairly diligently or consistently over time. Try to list as many items as possible, without prioritizing one reason over the other.

Afterward, try to classify each of the of the motivations in terms of "High", "Medium" and "Low". Which motivations have the highest influence on your ability to work hard? Which ones are only medium in intensity, and which ones are relatively low in motivation? Consider to organize your information into a chart form such as the following:

Motivation	Intensity (High/Medium/Low)—i.e. how much am I motivated to perform this action?
1.      Since I benefit so much from meditation practice and teachings, I want to share those benefits with others	High
2.      I get to meet new people and make new friends, which helps me feel connected and not so lonely (social networking)	High
3.      I see a lot of people (such as colleagues and co-workers) who suffer a lot from anxiety, stress and conflicts, and I want to offer them relief from their anxiety through meditation	Medium
4.      It gives me something to do after the busy work day—a sense of adventure	Medium
5.      Volunteering one’s skills is always beneficial and reinforcing for the mind (cognitive)	Low
etc.

Now watch the video, "Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation" (source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUNE4RtZnbk):

Beside each reason, indicate whether it is an intrinsic motivation or an extrinsic one. Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from the actual process of doing work, such as the enjoyment of watching a project plan develop, performing a piece of dance, or writing an essay.

Extrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes form a source that is external to the activity itself, and is usually based on a promise (i.e. I promise to give you ice cream if you complete this homework assignment on time).

You might want to expand your table from the first chart to include the type of motivation, plus add any new explanations to the kinds of motivations that you entered in the original table:

Motivation	Intensity (High/Medium/Low)—i.e. how much am I motivated to perform this action?	Type of Motivation (Intrinsic/Extrinsic)
1.      Since I benefit so much from meditation practice and teachings, I want to share those benefits with others	High	Intrinsic
2.      I get to meet new people and make new friends, which helps me feel connected and not so lonely (social networking)	High	Extrinsic (comes from an external benefit, not part of the activity itself)
3.      I see a lot of people (such as colleagues and co-workers) who suffer a lot from anxiety, stress and conflicts, and I want to offer them relief from their anxiety through meditation	Medium	Intrinsic (desire to help others as part of the activity)
4.      It gives me something to do after the busy work day—a sense of adventure	Medium	Intrinsic
5.      Volunteering one’s skills is always beneficial and reinforcing for the mind (cognitive), which can help me perform other activities better	Low	Intrinsic
6.      I get a lot of praise for my “humanitarian” work, plus free coffee is being offered at the centre!	Medium	Extrinsic

1. Did you notice any particular prevalence of "high" motivation items? Were they more related to intrinsic or extrinsic reasons for doing things?

2. If you were to choose between an activity which pays a high extrinsic reward (money, accolades, praise, companionship) and one which is intrinsically rewarding in itself, which do you think you would most value or prefer? Explain your reasons in a short paragraph.

Save your exercise as "Diligence Exercise 2: Motivation Personal Reflection", and feel free to post to your blog when finished.

Exercise 3: A Buddhist View of Diligence

For this section on diligence, we will be reading pages 27 to 34 of Master Sheng Yen's Six Paramitas (http://chancenter.org/cmc/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/TheSixParamitas.pdf)

Master Sheng Yen defines diligence in a spiritual, Buddhist context as "keenness without fear of demanding work" (p.27). But what is it that truly distinguishes "Buddhist" notions of diligence and motivation to hard work, from the "intrinsic" vs. "extrinsic" model introduced previously? The answer lies in the Buddhist concepts of vows and aspirations. While extrinsic and intrinsic motivations are dependent on the nature of the work itself and its rewards, vows and aspirations relate to the spiritual dedications and meanings we assign to our work.

Consider what happens when you go to your computer at work and say:

"I dedicate the next twenty minutes of my work to helping all beings. May my work benefit other beings in some wholesome way."

Is this intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, or neither? I suggest that perhaps it is neither intrinsic or extrinsic, because the motivation lies in the wish to alleviate suffering and uplift beings, not in an actual 'observable' outcome or feeling.

Master Sheng-Yen puts it succinctly when he remarks:

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 (p.29).

Consider: why would vows be such a powerful motivation to act? Part of the reason is that their fruits are not considered to be limited to one lifetime or one span of time. Because I have let go of my expectation that an action be rewarding to myself, I can use my moral imagination to give a more sacred, spiritual meaning to what I am doing, which is not limited to the action itself. Master Sheng Yen remarks:

When we reflect 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…[T]he 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 (ibid).

Master Sheng Yen goes on to distinguish between 3 kinds of diligence. I have summarized them below:

1. Diligence That is Like Armor:  Because I have a strong motivation to help others, I don't see anything in particular as an obstacle. According to this view, most obstacles that we think are 'preventing' something from happening are simply coming from the mind. When a person aspires to help a loved one, for example, the weather or circumstances are no longer seen as obstacles. My vow to help the person overcomes the motivation to stay indoors or avoid adverse conditions. Even when there are obstacles, they are contextualized as part of a process of learning and growth, rather than being viewed as inhibitors or action (p.29). In this regard, the diligence serves as a kind of 'armor' that protects people from lack of motivation and allows them to persevere in difficulties.

2. Virtuous Diligence: This practice refers to using the action itself as a way of learning and embodying Buddhist concepts, such as Four Noble Truths and all the Six Paramitas (p.32). From this perspective, each form of diligence becomes a way of reinforcing what a person has learned from the Buddha's teachings, and is an opportunity to apply these teachings to one's daily struggles and life. As Master Sheng Yen remarks:

Practitioners who engage this type of diligence use the experiences of body, speech, and mind, and all the phenomena in the environment as opportunities to practice. Whatever they experience, whatever they see, their whole being is filled with the aspiration to practice, from instant to instant (p.31).

3. Compassionate Diligence: This refers to the aspiration to use practice to benefit all sentient beings. Rather than simply upholding the precepts for the sake of one's own practice, this diligence refers to the aspiration to help all beings to achieve liberation. As Master Sheng Yen reflects, the  idea is not to impose an idea on other beings, but to help them according to their needs and conditions (p.32). This kind of diligence also includes sharing the benefits of practice with other beings.

Writing Reflection:

Now that you have learned about diligence from the Buddhist perspective, consider your own religious or spiritual context.

Reflect on the following:

a) How valuable is the practice of making vows as a motivation in your own spiritual life? Do you find that it would be useful to try to do something as an expression of  a spiritual vow, rather than as an intrinsic or extrinsic motivation? Why or why not?

b) Of the three types of diligence explained above, which ones resonate the most with you, and which do you feel you would like to try to incorporate into your spiritual practice?

c)  Go back to your original chart in Exercise 2. Now that you have had time to look at motivation from a Buddhist perspective, consider: is there a way that you can frame your activity as a kind of vow?

Try to write a sentence or two which sums up your particular vow, as related to your chosen activity. An example of my own vow might be:

"I vow to facilitate the meditation practice in a conscientious and diligent way, for the benefit of helping others to relieve suffering through meditation. Meeting people according to their diverse interests and needs, I will use this activity to better understand people and help them in their spiritual paths."

Consider something like shoveling the snow:

“In the interests of  protecting people's safety and making my home an inspiring and welcome space, I vow to wholeheartedly shovel this snow. Each time I shovel snow, I bring about an aspiration to help others. Just as the snow piles up and gets higher, so my aspirations also pile up and accumulate with each effort I make."

Try to imagine your vow as a kind of metaphor which reframes the vow in wider more spiritual framework. Examples might be as follows:

Cutting the Grass = > I vow to cut off the worries and vexations of the mind, cutting of attachments in the process.

Building a House => I vow to use the materials at hand to build a safe refuge for others' spiritual cultivation. Brick by brick, I become the host of others' spiritual practice.

Gardening => I vow to cultivate a diversity of accommodations for different life forms, all co-existing in harmony according to their needs and space requirements.

etc.,.

When you are finished your reflection and framing your action as a vow, save as "Diligence Exercise 3: A Buddhist View". Feel free to post to your blog.

Exercise 4: Making Great Collective Vows Using Wiki Technology

In our meditation center, we like to make vows collectively as a group, as well as share our vows with each other. We do this because the collective force of many minds focusing and operating together can create very powerful vows and aspirations.

I created one wiki, http://keithwikivows.wikidot.com/main:about, which allows users to collectively pool their vows together in one file or modify it as needed. With this tool, users can sign on and add their vows to the collective pool of vows, or as a means for inspiration and reflection during chanting or meditation practice.

Now, try to create your own wiki using one of the tools available. See if you can play around with the format and style to make it an appealing place to make vows. You can consider using the following images:

-a wish tree

-candles to represent vows

-chimes or appealing sounds to mark off particular, individual vows.

-any other image which embodies the notion of vows from your own tradition or context

Feel free to provide a link to your wiki via your blog space.

Exercise 5:  Applying Diligence in the Digital Workplace

When we are working in professional spaces to reach a goal, what mind set are we using? Is the mindset one of dedication, or is it for personal gain or reward?

Watch the following video, "Healthy Competition" by Master Sheng Yen and reflect: is competition the only reason to work diligently in our occupations? What would healthy competition look like to you?

The Pitfalls of Digital Workplace and "Diligence Drains"

In his book The Distraction Addiction, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang highlights the potentialities of multitasking that digital spaces now offer, in addition to potential drains to one's work. He poses the question, what biological evidence is there to suggest that people are "hardwired" to multitask? While Pang acknowledges that humans have been multitasking since the earliest times, he adds a caveat that humans multitask best when the activities are harmonizing with each other to create a unified experience of mind, body and purpose. 

Using the example of cooking, Pang remarks:

Imagine you are making dinner for friends. You need to think about what your friends will eat, then plan your ingredients and decide when each should be acquired...[E]ach dish has to be prepared so everything is ready in the right order and so that cooking one doesn't interfere with another...[Y]ou may have to adjust your schedule after hearing that two guests are stuck in traffic--the roast will be fine, but the pie will go in the oven later, and the kids should put out more crackers now and whip the cream later. Is it a challenge to keep all this on track? Sure. Is it rewarding when it all works, when guests think everything is going smoothly? You bet. (p.60-61)

Pang contrasts this with 'switch-tasking', which commonly happens when a person switches between different applications on a computer, cellphone or other digital device. Whereas cooking involves performing many different tasks with a single over-arching purpose, challenge or goal. In cases where I am switching between writing a school project and viewing my favorite cat videos on YouTube, Pang would argue that "[T]hese separate activities don't add up to a single grand intellectual challenge" (p.62). As Pang suggests, switching between two or more tasks with different purposes can cause attention to be continually diverted between competing tasks and aims (p.64-65).

Take a moment to reflect on the following:

1) What are the activities where you feel you are most in flow and least tempted to 'switch task'? Think of an example of some enjoyable activity where you feel most engaged. Imagine yourself doing the task fully, with wholehearted attention. Imagine the feelings in your body, what your mind is doing to be centered, and how you behave. Visualize yourself fully engaged in the task.

2) Now think about a task where there is a  great temptation to switch task. (An example might be doing one's taxes via online software while a cat video beckons in the favorites bar of your Internet home page). Now, try to imagine and extend the wholesome feelings you experienced in Step 1 of this exercise, to this less engaging situation. Imagine the wholesome feelings arising as you perform this less pleasant, more disengaging task, using the same 'flow' mindset as the more stimulating task you chose in Step 1. What did you experience this time? Were you more able to keep to the disengaging task, or was there more temptation to switch task? Write down your observations.

3) Now, try the same exercise as #2, only this time, try to think of a vow that connects your heart to the task. For instance, if your disengaging task were to do taxes, try to think of a sentence that would connect that task to your deepest spiritual aspirations, from your own religious tradition.

Example: "I vow to use my body and mind to offer this time to taking care of the finances of myself and my family. I vow to focus single-mindedly on this task for the benefit of the whole society. Knowing that the state of my mind and thoughts can impact those around me in infinite ways, I vow to generate an attitude of peace that spreads outward for all the universe."

See if you can find a way to most deeply connect this particular activity to your deepest aspiration, using any medium which resonates most deeply with you (e.g. music, sound, a poem, prose, visual art, etc.).

When you are done this exercise, stop and reflect:

Which of the two exercises (step 2 and step 3) most effectively helped you engage with the 

difficult or 'disengaging' task? Did visualizing a more engaging task help you stay focused, or did connecting the disengaging task to a vow help you focus more? Would you continue to try either of these strategies?

Note: In Buddhism, there is a third approach to engaging difficult or challenging tasks with a wholehearted attitude, and it is known as 'direct contemplation'. With this approach, a person performs the task without judging, labelling or comparing the present task with the future or past. We will explore this approach in more detail in Module 5 "Meditation". For now, it's important to note that Buddhist practice does not discriminate between 'engaging' or 'disengaging', but sees all activities as opportunities to practice wholehearted presence, through calming the mind and body.

More importantly, Buddhists see all situations as entry points to having an insight into the nature of reality as being impermanent, empty and having no-self. When you do the taxes, do you do them forever, or does the experience change to something else? Does doing the taxes feel the same way over time, or does one's thoughts and feelings shift and change? Is doing the taxes a 'standalone' practice, or does it connect with the universe in other ways? Is there a single unified 'self' that does the taxes, or does the action consist in moment-to-moment shifting experiences with no central 'actor'? These are the kinds of investigations that we can do when we adopt a mindfulness-based, meditative approach to our actions.

Exercise 6: Re-imaging the Workplace as Sacred Space

One of the most powerful metaphors we can use to describe our working lives is that of 'sacred space'. In his book, Work as a Spiritual Practice (1999), Lewis Richmond has devised a visualization exercise related to visualizing the workplace as sacred, which you can find by clicking here.

Ann M. Callahan (2008) has also written on the subject of how to use visual, tactile and other objects to create an impression of a sacred space at work, which you can find by clicking here.

What are the characteristics of a 'sacred' work space? The important aspect is to allow your imagination to reframe your workplace as "reflecting your spiritual ideals" (Richmond 1999, 256). This 're-imagining' the sacred could include any or all of the following:

• visualizing the architecture of your workplace as a temple or church (Richmond, 1999, 256)
• seeing co-workers as sacred beings, not just in terms of a self-referential point of view (likes, dislikes, etc.) (ibid, 256-257)
• altering the room to reduce clutter- focus only on what is needed to perform one's tasks (Callahan, 2008)
• arrange furniture, colors, accessories and lighting to suit create an emotional connection with clients (Callahan, 2008)
• create personal, symbolic reminders of your spiritual connections to work

As you are reading Richmond and Callaghan, think about what you might wish to do to transform your workplace or office into a sacred space.

Now, looking at your blog, are there ways to make your blog a spiritual, sacred space? 

Consider placing an image, slogan, logo or title page on the blog which evokes sacredness for you personally.

Post your image, slogan, logo etc. to your blog, in whatever form you wish.

END OF MODULE 4

References

Callahan, Ann (2008).

Lewis, Richmond (1999). Work as a Spiritual Practice. New York: Broadway Books.

Shengyen (2002). The Six Paramitas: Perfections of the Bodhisattva Path. Elmhurst: Dharma Drum Publications