Insight meditation teacher JoAnna Hardy returns to the BHNN Guest Podcast to talk about the ways in which effort can help create balance in our spiritual practice.
The Middle Path
Insight Meditation teacher JoAnna Hardy frames her talk on effort with the story of how she found Buddhism. She gives a brief overview of the Buddha’s awakening around the Middle Path, and then lays out the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
“Many of us come to this path because we’re trying to figure something out. We’ve had some kind of suffering, we’ve had some kind of difficulty, maybe we’re struggling in some way.” – JoAnna Hardy
Joseph Goldstein explores the Middle Path on Insight Hour Ep. 74
Effort and Prevention (28:25)
When it comes to effort, we should be looking for that sweet spot between too much and too little. JoAnna talks about the different kinds of effort we can make to bring some balance to our practice, such as the effort of preventing ourselves from falling into traps around craving and attachment.
“How do we pay attention enough, be mindful enough, to know when we’re falling into a trap?” – JoAnna Hardy
Cultivating Wholesomeness (38:53)
JoAnna examines the effort needed in cultivating the wholesome factors in our lives, and what it takes to maintain that wholesome space. She reminds us that what we pay attention to, what we put our effort into, is what grows.
“A practice that takes us out of the trenches of what’s difficult, a practice that cultivates what’s wholesome – it can be as simple as walking outside and seeing what’s beautiful.” – JoAnna Hardy