In the previous post, I described and reflected on the first of the Four Great Efforts, which are a canonical rubric for understanding one dimension of the path-factor of Skillful Effort.

Skillful Effort: The First Great Effort

In this current post, I’ll consider the Second Great Effort. Whereas the First Great Effort consists in preventing unskillful states from arising in the first place, the second great effort is an attempt to overcome unskillful states which have already arisen and remain present.

But first, let’s step back for a little context. There are eight path-factors in the Eightfold Path, of which Skillful Effort is one, and there are at least two dimensions to skillful effort. One dimension of skillful effort deals with the manner in which effort is exerted. At some point, I’ll write more about that “manner” or “way” dimension in subsequent posts. The other dimension — the one we’re considering here — concerns the ends toward which efforts are made, and is formulated under the rubric of the Four Great Efforts.

The Second Great Effort

The second great effort is: to direct one’s efforts, or energy, toward overcoming unskillful states which have arisen and are currently present.

Overcoming

Let’s consider the notion of “overcoming” in the context of the second great effort:

Overcoming unskillful states isn’t a matter of not feeling anything unpleasant. It isn’t a matter of not having any thoughts or feelings that we might view as bad or unskillful. It isn’t a matter of exerting total control over things that really aren’t in our control.

In overcoming an unskillful state, we first want not to be overcome by it. In other words, I don’t want the unskillful state to take control of me. I also want to avoid it strengthening its hold on me. I want to cut off its fuel or food, and let it naturally pass away as an eventual result.

I also want to gain an understanding of mind from knowing the experience, and to strengthen my skill, confidence, and habit of overcoming such states.

How to go about this?

An integrated part of the path

In general, one wants to apply effort in a way that’s balanced with the other seven path factions, and also in a way that’s balanced with the other dimension of Skillful Effort (the dimension involving the manner in which one “efforts,” mentioned briefly above). So one cannot practice or understand any of the four great efforts in a vacuum; they form and are formed as part of an integrated path, practice, and understanding.

Several specific methods

Here is a light outline of general methods to apply in seeking to overcome unskillful states. I’ll try to go into greater depth in a subsequent post. (If you don’t want to wait for that, you can always consult Bhante Henepola Gunaratana’s Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha’s Path.)

1. Notice the unskillful state with basic mindful awareness. If the state is not too strong or if you notice it quickly enough, then light mindful awareness may, given time, be sufficient to dissolve it.

2. If the unskillful state is stronger or has become somewhat established, you may need to give full attention to it. You can examine the state and reason with yourself about it. You want to show yourself that the state is unskillful: it is leading you to unhappiness, and further, it is unreasonable. You may also want to try replacing it with a contrary skillful state. For example, you might try replacing an aversive state with thoughts and intentions of acceptance.

3. There are some alternatives to the examination, reflection, reasoning, and replacement strategies just mentioned. One can also try the following:

i. To ignore the state. This is not the same as unskillfully pushing it out of consciousness simply to avoid an unpleasant feeling. When you skillfully ignore an unskillful state, you are not acting from an unskillful state. In contrast, an unskillfully ignored state may end up directing my actions, thoughts, and feelings, without my being aware of it, and is in that way a danger to myself and others.

ii. Turn your attention to something else: divert your mind, distract yourself. The function here is a kind of disruption, interruption, replacement of the unskillful state. (Again, this differs from unskillfully ignoring it.)

iii. Crush the unskillful state through sheer mental force of will. Yes, this really is a classically recommended tactic, although it seems in general to be a “last resort” type of move. (Again, this surely differs from dissociative repression and unskillful unawareness. You’re not being willfully (nor involuntarily) unaware, but actually willfully stopping the state itself.)

More receptive aspects of handling unskillful states

There are also important, more receptive aspects of handling arisen-and-currently-present unskillful states, which are complementary to the methods described above. Since we try to keep these posts to a certain length, I’ll write about those in the following post.

Not fully “up to us”

Finally, keep in mind — and this is part of skillful mindfulness and understanding, as well as effort — that mental states, whether skillful, unskillful, or neutral, are never entirely up to us. We don’t have full power over them (and this is part of their being “not-self”). What we do have, is some limited but real power over how we direct our efforts or energy, and that’s what Skillful Effort is about.

---

SeekerFive creates expressive photographic artwork:

Instagram @intentional_camera_magic.

Etsy at elementalexpressive.etsy.com.

---

SeekerFive is collecting and developing resources to help people with philosophical practice and study at philosophicadvising.com.