Why did he have such
energy, compared with is grandson?
Why is it such an
important story?
Expansions:
- In
even the smallest movement and action there is physical skill, that when
practiced, reduces the effort required.
Sawing wood for
example seems easy; hold the saw and move it back and forth. There are, though,
10 to 20 different elements to the physical skill of sawing that if learnt and
practiced will reduce the effort of sawing by 80%, which means you will be able
to saw ‘5 times’ the amount with the same effort.
- In
even the smallest movement and action there can be complete attention to it.
With the practice of attention tasks require less effort.
We rarely pay complete
attention to what we are doing. Our mind is off somewhere dreaming, worrying,
lazing around, unfocused. EVERY item on this list requires attention to the
‘present moment’ to have any effect. Attention is NOT about what you’re
supposed to be doing, (like paying attention in class) it is about what you ARE
doing. By complete attention to what you ARE doing in every moment you will
maximise the benefits to you of that moment and minimise the effort in whatever
you are doing.
- In
even the smallest task there is mental skill that, when used, reduces the
effort required.
During a task hold in
your mind all your experience applicable to the task and apply it
imaginatively. Whatever you have done before there will invariably be something
different this time around so you are doing this task for the first time. If
you approach every task as if you are doing it anew you will learn more, find
new ways and become more effective. And you will never get bored.
- In and
before every task there is mental planning that when practiced reduces the
effort required for the task.
Before every task do
it in detail in your imagination. You will see the potential problems,
materials and tools you will need, changes you will need to make and
alternatives that may save time and effort. You can do a job in any number of
different ways in your imagination without lifting a finger where doing and
changing in practice takes effort, time and causes frustration.
- In
every movement and action there is physical strength, that when achieved,
requires less effort.
Lifting a 10Kg weight
when you’re unfit takes a lot of effort but with exactly the same body but
fitter it takes much less. Be physically fit and tasks will take much less
effort.
-
Before and during every action there is time to worry about many things.
Replace your fruitless worries with complete attention and they will take no
effort.
People often spend a
good deal of energy worrying about the past, the future, other people or other
circumstances. Worry takes energy but achieves nothing. Observe lessons from
the past and plan for the future, and leave other people and other
circumstances until you next encounter them. Pay attention to what you are
doing in the moment.
- There
is a time in every task when something may go wrong and you curse. Dispense
with your curses. They bare no fruit yet steal much effort.
Cursing is like
pushing your left hand hard against your right hand; you are spending energy
fighting yourself and your circumstance. Every curse is based on a thought that
“something is working against me”. ‘Things’ cannot think so have no ‘thoughts’
for you. It is you that is working against you. Involve yourself in achieving
the result you want. If things go wrong use your energy to make them go right.
- During
every task feed yourself with the joy of being alive. Feed your heart to give
yourself spirit, breath to feed your body with energy.
It is wonderful to
have life and to be able to do things. Whatever you do and however well you do
it you will be giving substance to the life you have been given. Do everything
for the love of being alive. Reflect on this and remember to breathe well.
- In
your body there are many muscular tensions from past issues. Leave your
tensions in history and the tensions will fall from your body, and your body
will save the effort of overcoming them.
Your body holds emotion
in the same way that emotional stress leads to physical tension. Tension is one
muscle set against another causing greater exertion with every movement. When
movement is required your muscles have to overcome these pre-existing tensions
so moving requires much more effort. Your body will also be less fluid and less
accurate. Consciously relax your body and pay complete attention to the moment
- In
your mind there are many tensions from many issues. Place them in abeyance
until they become necessary and useful at their time.
Your mind is not
constrained by physical circumstance. You can set it to work on issues and
stresses of all manner of things that cannot be resolved by your mind alone.
You are asking your mind to waste much effort in trying to achieve the
impossible. Be considerate to your mind and use it to do what it’s best at;
paying complete attention to what you are doing in the moment.
- In
every task you could ‘perform for others’, become your own puppet master
controlling yourself by strings. Be yourself without performance and the task
will take less effort.
When you ‘perform’ a
task for the appreciation of others your consciousness is trying to perceive
the consciousness of others and work via that perception so as to please them.
This makes the task much more difficult. Do the task for yourself directly and
then let others judge the result as they wish.
- Every
task has a right or wrong moment for you to start it. Only do a task at its
right moment, and it will take less effort. But if the moment is not of your
choosing find your ‘want’ that is asking you to do it, and do the task to
fulfil your want, and it will take less effort.
Don’t mend your car in
the cold and rain, do something inside instead. ‘Feel’ for a good time to
start, when your want and enthusiasm is greatest. Equally don’t put off a task.
A task not done at the right time will become bigger. A task that is embarked
upon promptly in joy and comfort will take less effort.
- Sing
your skills, accomplishments and your progress and tasks will take less effort.
Aim for the maximum
joy the task can give you in self worth, satisfaction and reward, and give
yourself due recognition for your accomplishments. Play always takes much less
effort than ‘work’ even if practically they are the same thing.
- In
every task there may be the intrusion of others. Leave them be, yet give to
them your attention and love, and they will take less effort.
People circulate
energy either positively or negatively. Check the nature of your own energy by
observing how others react to it. Let your negative energy go but catch and
circulate your positive energy. Circulate positive energy and it will come back
to you and add to your energy, and more energy means less effort.
- Every
task will teach you new skills. Learn them with ease as they arise and the task
will take less effort.
During every task you
will find new ways of doing things, new skills, and new understandings. Be
flexible and alert to these lessons rather than tied to your old ways.
- Take
to a task as little as you truly need and use up as little as is necessary to
complete it and the task will take less effort.
This discipline
reflects your use of your resources and yourself.
- And
finally, there are many tasks that aren’t necessary, and some that aren’t truly
yours to do. Check with your heart the truth of a task before you begin it and
you will waste no effort in untrue tasks.
Many, many tasks
appear to need doing. Sometimes we invent tasks to avoid doing things that are
more important but frightening to us, preferring the mundane to the courageous.
Sometimes we get caught up in tasks that are rightfully other peoples. Focus on
the tasks most important to you and forget the rest; you or someone else will
do them if and when they become important.
All of these you know
yet little practice. The grandfather did and the youth not.
There are limits to
your mind and body and there are heavy and long jobs that will test those
limits but with practice all can be done effortlessly.
If you find yourself
tired, look to see where your effort is going. Your tiredness will be from your
own wasted effort, not from the task.
Energy is a strange
commodity. It does not follow the laws of mathematics. Energy shared, both
positive and negative, is doubled. Energy has no sign; it is our choice to use
it either positively or negatively or dissipate it with no results. Energy is a
universal currency; it can go anywhere and come from anywhere.
It stems from our
desire to love and be loved but it remains our choice as to how we use it.
Our weakness is almost always in the misuse of our
intelligence. We use it to construct ourselves, our fears, our images of other
people. We misuse it in fruitless attempts to change the past and control the
future and all things that are not present. Its only true use is to exist in
the present, exactly as our body and senses do. In the present our intelligence
can usefully construct lessons from the past, ideas from information and make
plans for the future but only in as much as it is ‘present’ in activity.
