EffortPadhānasutta

“Mendicants, there are these four efforts.“Cattārimāni, bhikkhave, padhānāni. What four?Katamāni cattāri? The efforts to restrain, to give up, to develop, and to preserve.Saṁvarappadhānaṁ, pahānappadhānaṁ, bhāvanāppadhānaṁ, anurakkhaṇāppadhānaṁ.

And what, mendicants, is the effort to restrain?Katamañca, bhikkhave, saṁvarappadhānaṁ? It’s when you generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that bad, unskillful qualities don’t arise.Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu anuppannānaṁ pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ anuppādāya chandaṁ janeti vāyamati vīriyaṁ ārabhati cittaṁ paggaṇhāti padahati. This is called the effort to restrain.Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, saṁvarappadhānaṁ.

And what, mendicants, is the effort to give up?Katamañca, bhikkhave, pahānappadhānaṁ? It’s when you generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that bad, unskillful qualities are given up.Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu uppannānaṁ pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ pahānāya chandaṁ janeti vāyamati vīriyaṁ ārabhati cittaṁ paggaṇhāti padahati. This is called the effort to give up.Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, pahānappadhānaṁ.

And what, mendicants, is the effort to develop?Katamañca, bhikkhave, bhāvanāppadhānaṁ? It’s when you generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that skillful qualities arise.Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu anuppannānaṁ kusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ uppādāya chandaṁ janeti vāyamati vīriyaṁ ārabhati cittaṁ paggaṇhāti padahati. This is called the effort to develop.Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, bhāvanāppadhānaṁ.

And what, mendicants, is the effort to preserve?Katamañca, bhikkhave, anurakkhaṇāppadhānaṁ? It’s when you generate enthusiasm, try, make an effort, exert the mind, and strive so that skillful qualities that have arisen remain, are not lost, but increase, mature, and are fully developed.Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu uppannānaṁ kusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ ṭhitiyā asammosāya bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya bhāvanāya pāripūriyā chandaṁ janeti vāyamati vīriyaṁ ārabhati cittaṁ paggaṇhāti padahati. This is called the effort to preserve.Idaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, anurakkhaṇāppadhānaṁ.

These are the four efforts.Imāni kho, bhikkhave, cattāri padhānānīti.

Restraint and giving up,Saṁvaro ca pahānañca, development and preservation:bhāvanā anurakkhaṇā; these are the four effortsEte padhānā cattāro, taught by the Kinsman of the Sun.desitādiccabandhunā; Any mendicant who keenly applies theseYo hi bhikkhu idhātāpī, may attain the ending of suffering.”khayaṁ dukkhassa pāpuṇe”ti.