Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (203)

Buddhist Practice Should Give Rise to a Courageous and Diligent Mind

The World-Honored One exhorted King Śuddhodana to place his mind upon the dharma gate of liberation, to renounce the myriad dharmas, to renounce the enjoyment of the five desires, to renounce the illusory dharmas of the five aggregates and the eighteen realms, to be courageous and diligent, and to use right mindfulness and right deliberation (manasikāra) to observe and deliberate upon the myriad dharmas—all these dharmas are truly like a dream, like an illusion; they are false, impermanent, and suffering. After contemplating and observing them as they truly are, one will spontaneously and proactively become courageous and diligent, resolutely engaging in practice. Once the mind genuinely accepts this, one can attain liberation.

Therefore, learning Buddhism means first hearing the true Dharma, then engaging in right deliberation and deliberation in accordance with the true principles, and courageously and diligently cultivating practice according to those true principles. Practice absolutely requires courageous diligence in order to succeed, because the principle of learning Buddhism is the same as boiling water: if we want to bring a pot of water to a boil, we must keep adding fire and let the fire burn continuously; only then can the water boil. If the fire goes out halfway through, the water cools down again; then we heat it again and stop again—when will this pot of water ever boil? Courageous diligence works on exactly this principle: with one sustained burst of effort, the pot of water can quickly be brought to a boil. If practice is lax and slack, one will advance and retreat repeatedly, wasting a great deal of time and energy in the process. Courageous diligence and resolute practice belong to the power of meditative concentration (samādhi); when the mind is resolutely fixed within the dharma of liberation and continuously cultivates the dharma of liberation, the result will inevitably be liberation.