Joyous Effort is the 4th of the Six Perfections that are taught in the mahayana. It explains how to have joy in things which bring us real happiness, and how to avoid those things which get in the way. This talk was given at FPMT UK Buddhist groups in January 2014. See more: www.joyous-effort.com/joyous-effort

55. CREDITS
PHOTOS
Just one cloud
Adán Sánchez de Pedro
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aesedepece/7136195167/
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Xtra Xtra Vancouver 2010 3rd Olympic gold !!!! " The Gold Medal Stretch .... Kim St Pierrre Woman's
Goalie Canadian Olympic Hockey Team "
by Guy Meyer
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Plastic Boxes
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/-_Plastic_boxes_-.jpg/1024px-_Plastic_boxes_-.jpg
'THAT WAS EASY!'
by joepopp
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spackletoe/90811910/
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Jumping for Joy
Cat from Sevilla, Spain
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jumping_for_joy.jpg
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
lazy lion || Fauler Löwe
by Manuel Calavera
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/paraflyer/386529128/sizes/o/
Water Waste
by Stevie B
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve_brace/2087213412/
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Empty Pockets
by Richie Diesterheft
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Funny Chinese Child Playing Boy
by epSos .de
http://www.flickr.com/photos/epsos/4886087851/
Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

56. MUSIC
onclassical_riva_giuliani_variazioni_su_un_tema_di_handel_opus-107
Pablo Lentini Riva
http://www.jamendo.com/en/list/a52261/onclassical-monsieur-blancrocher-classical-music-guitar
CREATED BY
Kerry Prest for talks at FPMT groups; Saraswati Buddhist Group, Jamyang Bath & Jamyang Leeds,
January 2014.
Please email kerrynprest@gmail.com for more information.

57. Joyous Effort
Saraswati Buddhist Group, January 2014
 The Six Perfections from Shantideva chapter 5
2. QUALITIES DEPEND UPON THE MIND
2. THE ANALOGY [5.13]
A. GIVING RELIES UPON THE MIND
5.13 Where could I possibly find enough leather
1. COMPLETING THE PERFECTION OF GIVING DOES NOT DEPEND
Having leather on just the soles of my shoes
UPON ELIMINATING [ALL TYPES OF] POVERTY AMONGST ALL
Is equivalent to covering the earth with it.
MIGRATORS [5.9]
5.9 If the perfection of generosity
Were the alleviation of migrating beings’ poverty,
Then since there are still starving migrating beings,
In what manner did the previous Protectors perfect it?
2. IT IS BROUGHT TO COMPLETION BY FAMILIARIZING ONESELF
With which to cover the surface of the earth?
3. APPLYING THE ANALOGY TO THE MEANING [5.14]
5.14 Likewise it is not possible for me
To counteract things externally;
But should I counteract this mind of mine,
What is the need for counteracting others?
WITH THE ATTITUDE OF GENEROSITY [5.10]
D. JOYOUS PERSEVERANCE RELIES UPON THE MIND [5.15]
5.10 The perfection of generosity is taught to be
5.15 Although the result of generating a clear mind
The mind intending to give all things,
As well as its result, to all beings;
Is Brahma and so forth,
The results along with body and speech will be
Hence it is simply the mind. {151}
Weak in conduct, therefore it is not like that.
B. ETHICS RELIES UPON THE MIND
E. CONCENTRATION RELIES UPON THE MIND [5.16]
1. IT IS INVALID [TO SAY] THAT COMPLETING THE PERFECTION OF
5.16 The Knower of Reality taught
ETHICS DEPENDS UPON THE EXHAUSTION OF ALL SENTIENT BEINGS
WHO KILL [5.11AB]
5.11ab Where will the fish and so forth be driven
That even if recitation and hardships
Are practiced for long periods of time,
They will be meaningless if the mind is distracted elsewhere.
So that they will not be killed?
F. WISDOM RELIES UPON THE MIND [5.17]
2. IT IS BROUGHT TO COMPLETION BY FAMILIARIZING ONESELF
5.17 Even those who wish to obtain happiness and overcome
WITH THE INTENTION TO ABANDON [KILLING] [5.11CD]
suffering
5.11cd Hence, the attainment of the intention of abandonment
If they do not comprehend the secret of the mind –
Is explained to be the perfection of ethics.
The principal Dharma.
C. PATIENCE RELIES UPON THE MIND
C. MAKING EFFORT IN GUARDING THE MIND
1. THE MEANING [5.12]
1. BRIEF PRESENTATION [5.18]
5.12 Unruly sentient beings are like space;
5.18 This being so,
All of them cannot possibly be overcome.
I shall hold and guard my mind well.
But if I overcome the mind of anger alone,
Except for the mode of conduct of guarding the mind,
This will be equivalent to vanquishing all those foes.
What use are many other modes of conduct?
Will wander with no aim
Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds by Shantideva with the Outline from the Commentary to Shantideva’s ‘Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds’ by Gyaltsab Je
Shantideva’s root verses translated by Toh Sze Gee Outline translated into English by Venerable Losang Sopa (Bob Miller) Verse numbers included and
arranged in a new format by Glen Svensson Outline combined with the root verses by Venerable Lobsang Dorje for the BP at Nalanda Monastery, 2008
© Toh Sze Gee and FPMT, Inc., November 2008

58.  Meditation on the benefits of guarding ethics
LRCM I, p. 342, Nature of the Three Trainings
As the Great Final Nirvana Sutra states:
Ethical discipline is the ladder to all virtues. It is their foundation, just as the earth is the foundation for plants and the like. Just as a
master trader goes first among all traders, so ethical discipline goes first among all virtues. [270] Like the hoisted banner of Indra,
ethical discipline is the banner of all teachings. It cuts down all sins and eliminates the paths to the miserable realms. Since it cures
all the illnesses of the sins, it is like a medicinal plant. Ethical discipline is the stock of provisions for the terrible road of cyclic
existence. It is the weapon that destroys the afflictions, the enemies. It is the spell destroying the poisonous snakes of the afflictions.
It is the bridge to cross over the waters of sin.

59.  Secondary Bodhisattva Vows Related to Joyous Effort
Taken from two weekends‟ teachings given by Geshe Tashi in February and March 2001 at Jamyang Buddhist Centre, London
Downfalls Related to Joyous Effort
The next perfection, joyous effort, has three secondary downfalls connected with it.
(21) gathering circles of disciples out of desire for respect and material gain
The first downfall is about making effort but doing it with the wrong motivation. You are a teacher, but the work you do is not joyous
effort because your base motivation is to get a good reputation and to have many disciples or students. This kind of mind is very
active. The English translation is “gathering circles of disciples” because this commentary was written for monks. You wouldn‘t
expect Lama Tsong Khapa to say “work hard on a corporate merger!” The main point is the effort being put into the wrong things,
not searching for the right solution, not searching for the right circumstances to do the meditation. So much of what we do here in
the West involves a lot of energy going in the wrong direction. We are so active here, dozens of emails every day, always rushed
and apologising on the telephone, “Sorry, no time to talk” and booking friends in our Filofaxes. All that rush, rush, rush is very
energetic but not very productive spiritually. I‘m not saying don‘t work to pay your bills. I‘m not going to pay your bills for you! But
there must be some kind of limit on how much effort goes into the mechanics of staying alive. There must be a balance.
“Gathering circles of disciples out of desire for respect and material gain” is a traditional explanation. We may not do that but the
vow can equally be applied to the kind of life we lead in the West.
(22) wasting time and energy on trivial matters
In Buddhism, there are different kinds laziness. Just as working 60 hours a week to make lots of money and have a career is
considered lazy because it is avoiding doing what is meaningful, so this second mind, wasting time and effort on trivial matters, is
lazy. This is more what we would normally see as laziness though. This is the couch potato, where there is no energy, no action;
everything is completely flat.
(23) being addicted to frivolous talk
I think we all know this one! Do we put effort into gossip and idle chat? Does it waste our time? I don‘t think I need to discuss this.
 The Eight Antidotes & Five Obstacles to Concentration