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Grounds for Laziness: Eight Excuses and Eight Reasons to Make an Effort
Practice

Grounds for Laziness: Eight Excuses and Eight Reasons to Make an Effort

Aṭṭhimāni bhikkhave kusītavatthūni

The same situations, such as having work to do, having travelled, having eaten, or just recovering from illness, are used by one person as an excuse to lie down first and by another as a reason to start making an effort. The difference lies in how they think.

8 points

In the Discourses on Grounds for Laziness and Grounds for Arousing Energy of the Book of Eights, Aṅguttara Nikāya, the Buddha speaks of eight grounds for laziness, the things a lazy person uses as excuses, and eight grounds for arousing energy.

Both discourses use the same eight situations: having work to do, having done work, having a journey to make, having made a journey, not getting enough food on alms round, getting enough food, having a minor illness, and having recently recovered from illness. The lazy person thinks, "My body will get tired, or is tired, so I'll lie down." The energetic person thinks, "Since this is so, I'll make an effort in advance."

The effort in question is effort to attain what has not yet been attained. The discourses are addressed to mendicants, but this pattern of thinking appears in everyone's life.

  1. 1

    Having work to do Kammaṃ kho me kattabbaṃ bhavissati

    The lazy person thinks: I'll have to work, and while working my body will get tired, so I'll lie down first. The energetic person thinks: while working it won't be easy to attend to the teaching, so I'll make an effort in advance.

    Applying it in daily life

    If you know this afternoon will be busy, do the good thing you intended, such as reading Dhamma or exercising, first thing in the morning.

  2. 2

    Having finished work Ahaṃ kho kammaṃ akāsiṃ

    The lazy person thinks: I've worked, my body is tired, so I'll lie down. The energetic person thinks: while I was working I couldn't attend to the teaching; now the work is done, so I should make an effort.

    Applying it in daily life

    After work, before picking up your phone, spend the first ten minutes calming your mind or reviewing the day.

  3. 3

    Having a journey to make Maggo kho me gantabbo bhavissati

    The lazy person thinks: I'll have to travel, my body will get tired, and lies down. The energetic person thinks: while travelling it won't be easy to attend to the teaching, so I'll make an effort in advance.

    Applying it in daily life

    Before a long trip, finish the day's good routine before you leave home.

  4. 4

    Having made a journey Ahaṃ kho maggaṃ agamāsiṃ

    The lazy person thinks: I've travelled, my body is tired, so I'll lie down. The energetic person thinks: while travelling I couldn't attend to the teaching; now I've arrived, so I should make an effort.

    Applying it in daily life

    When you reach your lodging after a journey, instead of letting the whole day slip away, do at least one small thing you intended.

  5. 5

    Not enough food, or having eaten enough Māsācitaṃ maññe

    When the lazy person doesn't get enough food, he thinks his body is tired and unfit for work; when he does get enough, he thinks his body is heavy, like soaked beans, and lies down either way. The energetic person thinks his body is light and fit for work, and sets about making an effort.

    Applying it in daily life

    Notice how we use both "hungry" and "full" as reasons to postpone. Once you see this, the excuse loses its weight.

  6. 6

    A minor illness Atthi kappo nipajjituṃ

    The lazy person thinks: a minor illness has come up, which is a reason to lie down. The energetic person thinks: this illness might get worse, so I'll make an effort in advance.

    Applying it in daily life

    If you're just a little unwell, choose a good activity that suits your strength, such as a short meditation or listening to a Dhamma talk, rather than cancelling everything.

  7. 7

    Just recovered from illness Paṭikacceva viriyaṃ ārabhāmi

    The lazy person thinks: I've just recovered and my body is still weak, so I'll lie down first. The energetic person thinks: the illness might come back, so I'll make an effort in advance.

    Applying it in daily life

    Illness reminds us the body is uncertain. Once recovered, gradually return to good practices as your strength allows; don't wait until everything is perfect.

  8. 8

    One situation, two choices Aṭṭhimāni bhikkhave ārabbhavatthūni

    All eight are the same situations in both discourses. The difference is that one person "lies down and doesn't arouse energy", while the other "arouses energy to reach the unreached and attain the unattained".

    Applying it in daily life

    Write your most frequent excuse on one side of a page and the energetic way of thinking on the other. Read it whenever you want to put things off.

Try it in daily life

What these discourses show is that the situation doesn't decide whether we are lazy or diligent; our way of thinking about it does. The same event can be an excuse or a motivation.

To use them, catch the sentence in your head that begins "Not now, because..." and try turning it into "Because..., I should start now." For example: "Because tomorrow is busy, I should meditate for ten minutes today."

The discourses don't forbid rest. If you are really ill or truly exhausted, rest and follow your doctor's advice. What to watch for is the habit of using small things as excuses to keep putting off what is good.

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