Are You Being Diligent or Stubborn? A Teaching on Effort by Venerable Thích Chân Quang

**SUMMARY:** This article explores the meaning of diligent effort according to Venerable Thích Chân Quang: understanding what true effort is, distinguishing diligence from stubbornness, and the role of wisdom in training the will.

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to always be trying hard, yet fail to achieve results? Or conversely, why do some people toil mightily only to be labeled "stubborn" by others? The twelfth dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang on diligent effort helps us better recognize the true nature of striving and effort in our spiritual practice and ethical life.

**Diligent Effort: Facing the Future**

Diligent effort is the exertion to create wholesome conditions, oriented toward the future. The practice of patience helps us endure the past, while diligent effort is for sowing good causes for what is yet to come. It is a task full of difficulty, requiring perseverance and willpower. As the teacher explains:

"Diligent effort means exerting oneself to create what is good... And from what is nothing in the future, we create good causes so that beautiful things may appear."

Wholesome actions are performed through two main types: creating merit for sentient beings and gathering the mind in meditative concentration. However, the primary meaning of diligent effort is gathering the mind in meditative concentration, for it represents the subtlety and refinement of the spirit.

**What is Effort? No One Can Truly Define It**

When asked what effort is, many people answer by pointing to goals, perseverance, overcoming difficulties... yet no one has truly defined it. Effort is not like pulling a heavy cart with brute muscle strength; it is the command of the mind that compels the body to endure and transcend. Venerable Thân Quang clarifies:

"Effort is of the mind, not the body. It is spiritual, not physical."

A person might burn a finger as an offering, or sit in meditation for hours enduring pain—this is the effort of will, without any physical tensing or straining. Therefore, to understand effort, one can only do so through practice and training from youth. Enduring hardship in youth is a blessing; growing old without ever having trained oneself is to live a life of weakness.

**Diligent Effort is Not Stubbornness**

We must clearly distinguish between diligent effort and obstinacy. If one does what is right and persists despite difficulties, that is diligent effort. But if one persists stubbornly in following their own will out of pride, even when opposed, that is stubbornness. Venerable Thân Quang emphasizes:

"If it is wrong, let it go immediately; do not cling to it any longer. But if it is right, then even if it means death, you must do it."

Wisdom therefore plays the role of a guide, determining what is right and wrong before channeling one's strength into it. Wisdom illuminates the will, helping us avoid falling into stubborn attachment.

**The Story of the Three Characters "Sheng Yi Di"**

At a temple in Japan, a Zen master wished to write the three characters "Sheng Yi Di" to be carved on the gate. A disciple prepared the ink for the teacher, but each attempt at writing was unsatisfactory. The disciple sadly went outside. Suddenly, the teacher swiftly wrote three exquisite characters. Hearing the joyful cries, the disciple entered and was left speechless. Venerable Thân Quang explains: that beauty did not come from chance, but was the result of countless trials, ink-grinding, and effort. Letting go naturally is like using a pole to knock down a mango—but there must have been a whole mango tree planted beforehand.

"The cause is very prolonged effort, while the final achievement is merely like a pole knocking a mango fruit to the ground."

**Why is Diligent Effort Needed for Wholesome Actions?**

Good deeds go against humanity's self-serving tendencies. Our instinct is to do what benefits ourselves, so helping others is an inner battle. Sometimes, giving is a struggle because of the self-cherishing ego. But this is true diligent effort. However, if one makes offerings solely to seek blessings, that act may not truly be diligent effort, as it still stems from self-interest.

In life, each of us needs diligent effort to overcome challenges, to train the will, and to benefit the world. Start with small things: bowing to the Buddha each morning, sitting in meditation for an hour, each act of helping others. Diligent effort does not require you to exert brute force; it requires you to maintain a steadfast spirit, oriented toward wholesome teachings. As the teacher teaches: "Only those who have ever truly made an effort will know what effort is." Let wisdom illuminate the path, and let your willpower carry you forward. Do not let your youth pass without training; apply diligent effort today for a better future.