Right effort leads to happiness, harmony, peace, and eventually enlightenment. I think we can all respect Buddha, who has helped many people through his teachings. Meditation allows us to see that some of our inner unholy qualities are not conducive to our happiness. We have to work on abolishing them with the help of will and energy. Much of our intelligence can be put to better use if we use it to wisely overcome our difficulties in life. Saying no to temptation is a very important skill to master.

Mindfulness is about seeing what is happening in the present moment and choosing whether or not to do something based on that. It’s about having control over your behavior and being able to do things mindfully, without being a creature of habit. The first things we have to do in order to try and achieve peace, happiness, and enlightenment, is to know the difference between what is a good and wholesome state, and what is an unwholesome state. We then have to put forth effort and energy to create good states in our lives, and to maintain what is good.

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This dhamma talk was originally recorded on cassette tape on 2nd July 1994. It has now been remastered but the quality is still a bit scratchy. But the content is classic Ajahn Brahm and will be of interest to his many fans.

These talks by Ajahn Brahm have been recorded and made available for free distribution by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. You can support the Buddhist Society of Western Australia by pledging your support via their Patreon page.