THE GREAT CHRONICLE OF BUDDHAS
1614
(e) The Perfection of Energy (VÊriya-PÈramÊ)
Bodhisatta's Exertion of Energy
In matters of the Perfection of Energy, the Texts give the example of a maned lion whose
nature is to put forth maximum effort whether in hunting a rabbit or in hunting an elephant.
He does not exert less in hunting a rabbit because it is a small animal; nor does he strive
more in hunting an elephant because of its great size. In both cases, he uses equal degree of
exertion.
Following the ways of a maned lion, a Bodhisatta while fulfilling the Perfection of
Energy, does not make less effort for ordinary tasks nor put forth more energy for more
arduous ones. He always makes the same amount of maximum exertion, whether the task is
small or great.
Deep Impression of Past Exertions on The Buddha
As a result of the habit of employing uniform energy whether attending to big or small
affairs in past lives as a Bodhisatta, when He finally became an Enlightened One, the
Buddha made equal efforts when giving discourses. He did not reduce His effort and
deliver an address casually to a single person; neither did he put forth more energy to
enable the audience at the extreme end hear Him when addressing a huge assembly as, for
example, at the time of delivering the First Sermon. He maintained an even voice putting
forth equal energy for both occasions.
Special Glory of the Buddha. The Buddha being blessed with unthinkable majestic glory,
His voice uttered with uniform exertion reaches all who listen. If there is only one person
listening to Him, only that person hears the discourse. When there are many people, each
person, whether near or far from the Buddha, hears Him clearly. (When the Chief Disciple
MahÈthera SÈriputta gave the Discourse of Samacitta Suttanta, as the audience was very
large, his normal voice could not reach all of them; he had to make them all hear him with
the help of his Supernormal Psychic Powers of Accomplishments (
Iddhividha AbhiÒÒana
);
he had to use the ‘
abhiÒÒÈ loud-speaker
,’ so to say. However, it was not necessary for the
Buddha to do so to make everyone in the audience hear Him.) This is the special glory of
the Buddha.
Every Buddha exerts Himself to fulfil the Perfection of Energy in all His previous lives
as a Bodhisatta. In addition, in His last birth when He would gain Enlightenment, He
renounces the world and makes strenuous efforts to practise austerities (
dukkaracariya
) at
least for seven days. Having performed the austerities, as the time draws near for
Buddhahood, He sits on a seat of grass at the foot of the Bodhi tree and makes a resolute
effort with a firm determination: ‚Let only My skin remain; let only My sinews remain; let
only My bones remain; let all the blood and flesh dry up, I will not rise from this seat until
I have attained Omniscience (
sabbaÒÒuta-ÒÈÓa
).‛
Through this effort, He developed the Knowledge of Insight as powerful as a thunder
bolt (
MahÈ Vajira VipassanÈ ©ÈÓa
) which enables Him to realize first, the Law of
Dependent Origination, followed by the knowledge of the three characteristics of
impermanence (
anicca
), unsatisfactoriness (
dukkha
) and unsubstantiality (
anatta
) in all
material and mental phenomena (
r|pa
and
nÈma
).
Energy (
VÊriya
) like Wisdom (
PaÒÒÈ
), is a mental concomitant, but whereas Wisdom is,
as stated before, always associated with moral consciousness, energy being a miscellaneous
type of concomitant (
pakiÓÓaka cetasika
) is associated with both moral and immoral
consciousness and also of indeterminate type (
abyÈkata
) which is neither moral nor
immoral. Consequently, energy can be wholesome or unwholesome or indeterminate.
Effort which is wholesome is known as Right Effort (
SammÈ vÈyÈma
); effort employed for
wrong purpose is unwholesome and is called Wrong Effort (
MicchÈ vÈyÈma
). It is only the
Right Effort which should be cultivated to the fullest extent as the Perfection of Energy.
Right Exertion (Sammappadhhana)
Right Effort (
SammÈ vÈyÈma
)is also known as Right Exertion (
SammappadhÈna
). The