{"id":20287,"date":"2021-04-18T16:47:26","date_gmt":"2021-04-18T14:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dev.meditation-paris.org\/?p=20287"},"modified":"2026-09-16T07:54:39","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T06:54:39","slug":"dealing-with-discouragement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.meditation-paris.org\/es\/dealing-with-discouragement\/","title":{"rendered":"Dealing with discouragement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Self-effacement or self-sabotage?<\/h2>\n<\/div>

In the course of our work, for example, we often face a situation where our superior asks us to carry out a long and complicated project or to complete tasks within a very short deadline. We may be saying to ourselves, \u201cDon\u2019t ask me that!, It is beyond my skills, someone else could do it better than me, There is so much at stake in this project, I risk sabotaging it!\u201d<\/p>\n

We can hold this same discourse in the context of our spiritual life. We think, for example, that it is impossible to realize emptiness or to obtain such spiritual realizations.<\/p>\n

These two examples show us that we are under the influence of discouragement, and that we sabotage ourselves. If we realize that we can finally achieve the goal, with a little encouragement, we are very happy and we accept the challenges that come our way. Likewise, if we let go of the idea that we cannot realize emptiness, with a little encouragement and inspiration, we can begin to enjoy ourselves and take the first step.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Laziness in disguise<\/h2>\n<\/div>

Discouragement is ubiquitous in our time, and when it finds its way into our spiritual practice, it becomes a dangerous type of laziness, called \u201cthe laziness of discouragement\u201d.<\/p>\n

We have enormous spiritual potential. Everything depends on our mind, our thoughts, including our sense of ourselves. Keeping the thought that our self is permanent and limited prevents us from changing and realizing our potential.<\/p>\n

Self-effacement can be seen as endearing, sometimes even covered in humility, but more often than not it attaches strongly to a limited self that holds us back from trying or reaching for anything that might help us. themselves and others. Our inner monologue leads us to develop thoughts like \u201cYour no good,\u201d \u201d You\u2019re too old,\u201d \u201cYou won\u2019t make it!\u201d etc. These thoughts are not humility, but dislike and hurtful comments that we would not tolerate in other people. The fact that we tolerate and heed our own harmful thoughts is a shame knowing that we have precious human life, Buddha nature and that we can do anything if we go there.<\/p>\n

Regarding the laziness of discouragement, we may think like this: Discouragement is a problem for me \u2013 there is often no line between self-effacement and self-destruction in my mind. My teacher told me that the full name for discouragement is discouragement laziness, but we don\u2019t find ourselves lazy when we feel discouraged. This thought is legitimate. We think that devaluing ourselves is not serious and has no consequence. We don\u2019t think that thought is a delusion. Now, this laziness of discouragement IS indeed a delusion. It may even be the most harmful delusion, in the sense that under its influence we let our lives go on unchanged and it keeps us stuck in suffering if we let it.<\/p>\n

We can better understand the delusion of laziness if we appreciate what opposes it, namely a positive mind, which is effort.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/i> Our meditation classes for dealing with discouragement<\/h2>\n<\/div>