What kind of effort are we to bring to the world? Verse 28 of the 37 Verses of a Bodhisattva encourages us to act like the world is on fire. It reads,
Listeners and solitary buddhas, working only for their own welfare,
Practice as if their heads were on fire.
To help all beings, pour your energy into practice:
It is the source of all abilities–this is the practice of a bodhisattva.
verse 28
At first glance, this verse seems to make very little sense. Isn’t the whole point of our bodhisattva work to get out of anxious, fearful, terrified reactions? So why would we want to go around freaking out like everyone’s heads were on fire?
Well, this would be true if we started from an unpracticed place. But consider instead the kind of person you’d want around if YOUR head was on fire. You’d want someone who can be calm even in the face of crisis. You would want someone who acts decisively, and swiftly, without hesitation. This verse is encouraging us to be this kind of person.
Or consider if your own head were on fire. You’d feel pretty motivated, right? Nothing would be more important than quickly and with great enthusiasm doing everything you can to tamp out the fire. These qualities of focus and priority speak to the heart of this verse.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama tells us that joyous effort- and that’s the kind of diligence called upon in this verse- is the source of all knowledge. If we start our practice from “should,” or if we feel unwilling or unmotivated, we lose the joy. And this takes away the open-heartedness that makes the practice worthwhile in the first place. So, while joyous effort sounds a bit out of place for a hair-on-fire situation, it’s really a willingness to act. It’s commitment to well-being, without hesitation.
Dilgo Khyentse reminds us of the Buddhist saying: “Since I and all others are tied by a hundred bonds, I must multiply my diligence a hundred times.” When we feel the connection between everyone and everything, our diligence, our joyous effort, increases.
One last thing: we need joyous effort to combat discouragement. And, if you’re anything like me, you may be feeling discouraged these days that the world is both literally and figuratively on fire. Consider releasing your discouragement today. Instead, find where joyous effort toward a better world can guide you.
