Someone asked: what system does effort belong to, and what does the phrase they'd heard — 'not striving, not resting, just going on' — mean?

Effort Belongs to Every Side, Depending on Which System You Give Time To

Effort depends on which system we strive to abide in, which system we give our time to — that system then sustains us and gives us its results. If we strive to abide in the unwholesome system, the unwholesome sustains us with suffering — stress, boredom, discouragement, hopelessness, gloom, restlessness. If we abide with the neutral force, the neutral sustains us; if with the wholesome, the wholesome sustains us. It all depends on which we learn and grow familiar with — just as practicing music makes us skilled at music, practicing sport at sport, practicing language clear in language.

'Not Striving, Not Resting, Just Going On' Is Contradictory, and Something Pra Ajarn Never Said

The phrase 'not striving, not resting, just going on' is self-contradictory. Pra Ajarn never said such a thing. No effort, yet not resting either — how could that be done? When we strive, it means we intend to press on, and the sphere of effort (viriya) must arise — whether pressing on toward the wholesome, the unwholesome, or the neutral. The unwholesome has its own effort, the neutral has its own effort, and the sphere of effort drives things onward.

The Sphere of Effort Must Arise and Release Its Current to Sustain Continuous Action

For action to keep going, the sphere of effort must drive it, releasing its current to keep sustaining it. If the sphere of effort doesn't arise, one rests at once — the neutral force slips in and coaxes one to rest first. But as long as the sphere of effort is arisen, it keeps driving one onward, able to continue on and on. If it doesn't arise, one has to stop, unable to continue. Everything that keeps moving forward relies on effort; effort is therefore very important.

Excessive Haste Becomes Greed

One person raised that using too much effort or haste turns into greed, and that what they understood as 'just going on without expectation, acting with an even mind' — Pra Ajarn explained that to keep going on, the sphere of effort must still arise and keep releasing its supporting current, giving the inclination to continue. It isn't that there's no effort at all.

Give Time to the Wholesome, and He Will Refine and Correct You

Training with one round of four hours, then two more rounds to complete eight hours a day, keeping the mind at ease, is excellent, because it gives time to the wholesome. The caretaker of the wholesome system is the Triple Gem, with countless Buddhas of nibbana behind it. When we give time to them, they correct things for us, and everything becomes easier. Even if we're drowsy and half-awake at times, that's fine; just give them the time. Otherwise we live off old merit, whose results depend on how much old merit we made. But if we set the goal to train for eight hours, then gradually develop it further until we can sit across days and nights, the wholesome side supplies tools — light, happiness, spheres of brightness — to help us sit longer. Without setting the goal, it can't be done in this life; but with the goal set, it can — and one comes to see the wonders that arise.