Friends, I’ll be practicing heroic perseverance in December as part of the Paramita Project. Energy, zeal, and heroic effort also describe its meaning. The “heroic” connotation shows up often because the Sanskrit word, virya, comes from the root vir, which means hero. (One of my many side-hobbies is reading about and studying heroes, so this delights me to no end.)
Heroic perseverance calls forth notions of courage, vigor, dedication, and enthusiasm. We love a hero because he doesn’t quit. He shows stamina and grit and an admirable stubbornness to his cause or task. I call it admirable stubbornness also because it asks the hero to be committed regardless of the outcome. Part of what makes the effort of virya heroic is that it’s a commitment to practice despite the results.
Much of the work we have to do in the world–violence in the world, the fragility of the environment, systemic injustice– is not going to produce results overnight. We can feel small, and even inconsequential, if we look at the enormity of the task. But the hero does not waste time with such notions, and focuses instead on the integrity of her work. She puts forth effort because it is her work to do, and it is the right thing to do.
I think we may be in a cultural moment where this makes more intuitive sense to us. I’ve seen so many people rise up in the past few years and get more serious about what issue/problem/need might be calling to them. It may be that virya is the zeitgeist of the moment. And just the right practice to set our new year on its proper course.
I’ve been reading Pema Chodron’s Becoming Bodhisattvas (formerly titled No Time to Lose). She explains that the first three paramitas are about connecting with our bodhicitta, our awakened heart. The next three are practices to help us keep it. So heroic perseverance isn’t just a practice to cultivate something new; it’s also a practice to keep the fires of generosity, self-discipline, and patience alive within you. In this way, heroic effort “brings eagerness to all we do.” It keeps us alert and committed. Of course, part of enthusiasm is knowing when to push and when to ease up. But without virya, we would surely ease up to a full stop. The work is too hard without it.
On a personal level, this is the paramita that makes the most guttural sense to me so far. I don’t know if we’re born with a dominant paramita, but if we are, mine is certainly virya. Which means I could already tell you the many pitfalls that come from not understanding where the line of effort becomes a line of overexertion. I am absolutely best friends with that line. I have stepped over it approximately one zillion times. (The reason I tore my ACL is because I stepped over that line. Too much oomph into what I was doing meant too much energy to land well. Story of my life.) I’m interested to see what practicing heroic perseverance will bring to my own long journey with this energy, what nuances and new insights will emerge.
I know December is a time of such busyness and hustle. All the more reason to practice being mindful of where we are using our energy, and to what end.
