时间：04/19/2025 04/20/2025
地点：星湖禅修中心
主讲：龙示林
佛法知识
精进的力量
在佛教修行中，“精进”常被误解为拼命、用力或不断给自己施压。有人将精进理解为不休息、不退让、不允许停顿，结果反而导致身心疲惫、挫败甚至放弃。然而，真正的精进并不是对抗自我的消耗战，而是一种稳定、清醒且持续的力量。它不是短暂的爆发，而是能够陪伴一生的内在动力。
精进的本质，在于方向感。没有方向的用力，只会带来混乱；而有方向的持续投入，才会逐渐改变生命的走向。佛教所说的精进，并非盲目追求结果，而是不断将心带回正道。当偏离发生时，能够觉察并调整；当懈怠出现时，能够重新站稳。这种反复回归的能力，正是精进最真实的体现。
精进与焦躁之间，有着本质的区别。焦躁源于不安，急于改变现状，急于看到成果，一旦未达预期，便生起失望与自责。精进则源于理解，理解修行与成长需要时间，理解习气的形成并非一朝一夕。正因为看清了过程的长期性，精进反而能够稳住节奏，不被一时的得失牵着走。
在修行中，精进并不表现为始终处于高昂状态，而是体现在日复一日的落实之中。哪怕状态平淡，哪怕烦恼依旧，只要没有放弃觉察、没有完全随习气而去，精进就在发挥作用。很多转化并非来自某一次突破，而是来自无数次看似微不足道的坚持。
精进的力量，还体现在它对抗的是放逸，而不是休息。佛教并不否定休息与调整，真正需要被克服的，是无意识的拖延、逃避与自我纵容。精进不是强迫自己做更多，而是清楚地知道什么值得继续、什么需要放下。当休息是为了更清醒地前行，它并不与精进冲突；当懈怠成为逃避责任的借口，精进才显得必要。
在现实生活中，精进并不只属于修行时间，而是贯穿于工作的态度、关系的经营与内心的选择。当一个人愿意持续地对自己的言行负责，愿意在犯错后修正，而不是合理化或放弃，这本身就是精进的体现。精进使人不被一次失败定义，也不被短暂的成功迷惑。
随着修行的深入，精进会逐渐从“我要努力”转变为“我愿意持续”。这种转变非常关键。当精进不再建立在自我要求或比较之上，而是建立在对方向的信任上，内心便会变得柔软而坚定。此时，精进不再消耗能量，反而不断滋养心。
精进的长期力量，在于它能悄然改变一个人的重心。原本容易被情绪牵着走的心，开始多出一分稳定；原本遇到困难就想退缩的习惯，开始具备承受与调整的能力。这些变化并不总是立刻可见，却在时间中累积，最终形成质的转向。
因此，精进并不是英雄式的壮举，而是一种对方向不放弃的忠诚。它允许缓慢，却拒绝放弃；允许反复，却不允许彻底迷失。正是在这种看似平凡却持续的力量中，修行得以扎根，生命得以稳步转化。精进的力量，不在于一时走得多快，而在于无论快慢，都始终走在觉醒的路上。
Date: 04/19/2025 04/20/2025
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Dharma Knowledge
The Power of Diligent Effort
In Buddhist practice, diligence is often misunderstood as relentless exertion, self-imposed pressure, or pushing oneself without rest. Some equate diligence with never slowing down or allowing weakness, which often leads to exhaustion, discouragement, or eventual withdrawal. Genuine diligence, however, is not a battle against oneself, but a steady, lucid, and sustainable inner strength. It is not a brief surge of energy, but a force capable of accompanying a person throughout life.
The essence of diligence lies in a sense of direction. Effort without direction creates confusion, while sustained engagement guided by clarity gradually transforms the course of life. In Buddhism, diligence is not blind striving for results, but a continual return to the path. When deviation occurs, one notices and adjusts; when slackness arises, one regains footing. This capacity to return again and again is the truest expression of diligence.
There is a fundamental difference between diligence and restlessness. Restlessness arises from insecurity, a hurry to change circumstances and see immediate outcomes. When expectations are unmet, frustration and self-criticism follow. Diligence, by contrast, arises from understanding—understanding that growth and cultivation take time, and that deeply ingrained habits do not dissolve overnight. Because this long-term process is clearly seen, diligence remains calm and measured, unaffected by temporary success or failure.
In practice, diligence does not appear as constant intensity, but as consistency. Even when the mind feels dull and difficulties persist, as long as awareness is not abandoned and habits are not blindly followed, diligence is at work. Many transformations do not come from dramatic breakthroughs, but from countless moments of quiet perseverance.
The power of diligence also lies in what it opposes. It does not oppose rest, but heedlessness. Buddhism does not deny the need for rest and adjustment; what must be countered is unconscious avoidance, procrastination, and self-indulgence. Diligence is not about doing more, but about knowing what deserves continuation and what requires release. When rest supports clarity, it does not conflict with diligence; when lethargy becomes an escape from responsibility, diligence becomes essential.
In daily life, diligence is not confined to formal practice. It is reflected in one’s attitude toward work, the care invested in relationships, and the willingness to take responsibility for inner states. Choosing to correct oneself after mistakes, rather than rationalizing or giving up, is itself an act of diligence. Diligence prevents one from being defined by a single failure or intoxicated by a momentary success.
As practice matures, diligence gradually shifts from “I must push myself” to “I am willing to continue.” This shift is crucial. When diligence is no longer driven by self-pressure or comparison, but by trust in the path, the mind becomes both gentle and firm. At this point, diligence no longer drains energy; it begins to nourish it.
The long-term power of diligence lies in its ability to subtly reorient the center of gravity within a person. A mind once easily swept away by emotion gains steadiness. A habit of retreat in the face of difficulty develops endurance and adaptability. These changes may not be immediately visible, but they accumulate over time and eventually lead to profound transformation.
Thus, diligence is not a heroic feat, but a quiet loyalty to direction. It allows slowness, but not abandonment; repetition, but not complete loss of bearings. Within this ordinary yet persistent strength, practice takes root and life is gradually reshaped. The power of diligence is not measured by speed, but by the fact that, whether fast or slow, one continues to walk the path of awakening.
