The Perfection of Diligent Effort: Transcending Yourself to Bring Virtue to the World

Have you ever wondered why some people are always eager to help whenever something happens, while we hesitate again and again? Were they simply born kindhearted? Master Thích Chân Quang opens his dharma talk on "The Perfection of Diligent Effort" with a quiet truth: no one becomes selfless by nature. The disposition to help others must be cultivated over many lifetimes. As for most of us, we are still at the very beginning of a long journey — we need diligent effort, we need perseverance.

Diligent Effort and Patience: Two Wings of the Spiritual Life

If patience is the strength to endure adversity, to face the negative karma from our past, then diligent effort is the strength to strive and build what is good for the future. Master Chân Quang explains clearly:

"Diligent effort begins from having nothing, toward the future. We begin striving in the present to create something for the future."

On the bodhisattva path, diligent effort is an indispensable practice. But for ordinary beings like us, diligent effort also has a more accessible meaning: to persist in doing good deeds, without losing heart, without wavering, pursuing one single aim — to bring benefit to all beings and to gather the mind in cultivation. Both require tremendous effort.

Doing Good Means Going Against Our Instincts

The first difficulty in doing good is that it goes against our instinct of self-grasping — the deep-seated "self" within each of us. From self-grasping arises selfishness and self-interest. Master Chân Quang offers a very everyday example: someone asks us to look after their house while they are away. At first we agree, but when they also ask us to feed their dog, we feel irritation rising inside. Such a small thing, and already our selfish instinct has been touched!

"When we do good deeds, we go against our own instinct of selfishness. That is difficult, and so it demands effort — it is not easy."

Therefore, do not blame yourself when you find it hard to do good. That is normal. But a Buddhist does not give up. One must strive to overcome, gradually polishing away the ego. And when we triumph over the instinct of selfishness, we will live a selfless life, with true happiness.

Transcending the Mind That Seeks Blessings from Merit

Beyond instinct, another obstacle that makes it hard for us to do good is the mind that seeks blessings from merit. In the beginning, most Buddhists do good deeds hoping for good results. Master Chân Quang shares:

"This is another kind of bondage... The thought of hoping for rewards — in the beginning, nearly all of us are like that."

But as long as we still hope for rewards, our mind is not yet truly pure. One who does good purely out of love for all beings will receive a happiness beyond description. They become "addicted" to doing good — they eat well, sleep well, and feel more joyful than any form of entertainment could bring. That is the sign of a heart gradually becoming pure, drawing closer to liberation.

When Blessings from Merit Are Not Yet Enough and Karmic Obstacles Block the Way

Some people want to do good but are too poor, with no money. Some dream of building classrooms for children in remote areas, but must concede defeat because they lack the means. Master Chân Quang emphasizes: among one hundred people you meet in this life, only about five truly possess lasting goodness. This shows that the blessings from merit for doing good are not readily available to everyone. They are also favorable conditions — blessings from a previous life.

But there is a more painful truth: even when we have a good heart and enough money, unexpected misfortune may strike — being hit by a motorbike and breaking a leg, for instance — and everyone advises us to keep the money to take care of ourselves. These things happen because negative karma from the past stands in the way. Perhaps we once harmed someone, or once obstructed others from doing good. Even so, we must never let go of our aspiration toward goodness. The Master teaches:

"The celestial beings in the heavens read our hearts, and they will gradually draw toward us, gradually draw toward us, those people who have kind hearts."

As long as we hold firm to our aspiration and nurture a will toward goodness, circumstances will slowly change, kindred spirits will appear, and good deeds will come to fruition.

Effort Multiplies Blessings from Merit

If you think that simply donating one hundred thousand dong earns the same blessings from merit for everyone, you are mistaken. Master Chân Quang offers a formula: blessings from merit equal the benefit given multiplied by the effort expended. For a wealthy person, giving one hundred thousand dong is effortless, worth nothing at all. But for a poor person who must labor hard for three days to earn that same amount, their blessings from merit are many times greater. Effort, therefore, is the decisive factor.

In the perfection of diligent effort, striving is not merely physical labor, but also the determination to abandon the ego, to abandon the mind that seeks blessings from merit, and to overcome every obstacle. It is a silent, unceasing battle.

Holding Firm to the Aspiration for Goodness

Master Chân Quang tells of a child in a family who spent every day wishing to do many good deeds, but was too poor and never had money. That person still did not give up. From time to time, they would set aside a small amount to do good — meager, yet precious.

All of us have beautiful aspirations: to become a doctor to save lives, to teach the Dharma to help the world. But if we have not yet realized them, hold that aspiration in your heart, nurture it, and begin with the smallest of deeds. And most important of all, begin with a virtuous life. As the Master once said:

"The root lies in the virtue of each individual person."

When each of us lives a selfless life and brings virtue to others, society will gradually dissolve its suffering. Diligent effort is not a momentary impulse, but a long journey. Let us begin today, starting from your own heart.