Diligence: The Joyful Endeavor of the Buddhist Path

by Dzigar Kongtrul, Jennifer Shippee (editor)

An exploration of diligence, the essential quality to inspire joy and openheartedness for Buddhist practice and daily life, from renowned Buddhist teacher Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche.

This book contributes the first commentary on the diligence chapter from Shantideva’s 8th-century classic The Way of the Bodhisattva. While many books have explored his celebrated chapter on wisdom, diligence has been overlooked. As one of the six paramitas or perfections that are fundamental for following the bodhisattva path and helping others, diligence can profoundly impact our lives.

The highly acclaimed Buddhist teacher Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche guides us through the depth and complexity of Shantideva’s teachings with his characteristic buoyant energy and clear, accessible writing. With over three decades of teaching on the subject, Dzigar Kongtrul illuminates how diligence is the inner quality that inspires us to engage with the world and, most importantly, with our own mind. It’s the inner vigor that sparks enthusiasm despite difficulty, the dynamic armor that protects against laziness, and the inner strength that aims to meet the world with joy and openheartedness. Shantideva explains that diligence is the energy that flows through all the paramitas—it’s the wind that keeps us moving toward the goal of liberation and benefiting others. Within the heart of every bodhisattva is a bursting sense of tenderness, peace, intelligence, and joy—which is inherent in the quality of diligence.

In this book, Dzigar Kongtrul explores traditional teachings on diligence, such as the three kinds of laziness, the Four Immeasurables, the two strengths, rebirth, the nature of emptiness, and dependent origination. Joy is the continuous thread woven through this time-honored wisdom that will aid us throughout our lives whether in formal practice or our day-to-day interactions with an ever-changing world. With diligence, we will overcome laziness and succeed in all our meaningful endeavors.

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2024

Reviews

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second of Dzigar Kongtrul's books I have read. (The other is the Peaceful Heart.) Until I came across the Peaceful Heart, I knew nothing at all about Buddhism. Both Peaceful Heart and Diligence, though, are enormously educational, accessible, and inspiring. The more I read, the more excited I am to walk the bhodisattva path.

[Daniela Quirke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best examples I’ve ever read of an author taking an ancient text and making it of practical use in the modern era. If you’re struggling to embrace joyful consistency in your practice, you’ll find it beneficial.