What Is Sammā Vāyāma (Right Effort)? (MN 141)
Katamo cāvuso, sammā-vāyāmo?
And what, friend, is Right Effort?
Idhāvuso, bhikkhu
Here, friend, a bhikkhu (practitioner):
1. Preventing Unarisen Unwholesome States
Anuppannānaṁ pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ anuppādāya chandaṁ janeti, vāyamati, vīriyaṁ ārabhati,
cittaṁ paggaṇhāti, padahati.
He generates desire, makes effort, arouses energy,
applies and steadies the mind, and strives so that unarisen unwholesome and harmful mental states do not arise.
2. Abandoning Arisen Unwholesome States
Uppannānaṁ pāpakānaṁ akusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ pahānāya
chandaṁ janeti, vāyamati, vīriyaṁ ārabhati, cittaṁ paggaṇhāti, padahati.
He generates desire, makes effort, arouses energy, applies and steadies the mind, and strives so that arisen unwholesome and harmful mental states are abandoned.
3. Arousing Unarisen Wholesome States
Anuppannānaṁ kusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ uppādāya chandaṁ janeti, vāyamati, vīriyaṁ ārabhati, cittaṁ paggaṇhāti, padahati.
He generates desire, makes effort, arouses energy, applies and steadies the mind, and strives so that unarisen wholesome mental states come into being.
4. Maintaining and Perfecting Arisen Wholesome States
Uppannānaṁ kusalānaṁ dhammānaṁ ṭhitiyā asammosāya bhiyyobhāvāya vepullāya bhāvanāya pāripūriyā chandaṁ janeti, vāyamati, vīriyaṁ ārabhati, cittaṁ paggaṇhāti, padahati.
He generates desire, makes effort, arouses energy, applies and steadies the mind, and strives so that arisen wholesome mental states endure, are not lost, increase, expand, are cultivated, and reach fulfillment.
Ayaṁ vuccati sammā-vāyāmo.
This is called Right Effort.
Wrong effort moves in the opposite direction
Notes for the Right Effort, Wrong Effort and Their Dependent States (4)
1) Right Effort is preventive, not only corrective
Most dukkha begin as small mental movements—an image, a memory, a mood, a “just this once.” The Buddha places the first effort on not letting unwholesome states arise because once they fully arise, they gain momentum (speech follows, actions follow, regret follows). Prevention means you become skilled at noticing the “seed stage” of lobha/dosa/moha before it becomes a “tree.”
How it is necessary daily:
Daily life has constant triggers: notifications, traffic, hunger, criticism, old memories. If we only practise after we explode or after craving takes over, the day becomes damage-control. Prevention makes the Dhamma protective.
How to do it in daily life:
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Know your common entry points: fatigue → irritability; hunger → impatience; praise → pride; loneliness → scrolling.
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Change conditions early: drink water, eat mindfully, take a 2-minute silent pause, walk, reduce noise.
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Guard the sense doors: if a topic/video/person predictably pulls you into agitation, limit exposure.
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Use a “first thought” check: “Is this leading to peace or pressure?” If pressure, soften and redirect.
2) Abandoning arisen unwholesome states is active skill, not suppression
When anger, worry, jealousy, or craving has already arisen, the training is pahāna—abandoning. This is not repressing (I shouldn’t feel this!) and not indulging (I must follow this!). It is wise disengagement: you stop feeding the state with stories, images, and inner speech.
How it is necessary daily:
Even a careful (wise) practitioner will still meet difficult states. Without the second effort, we either (1) act out the defilement or (2) feel guilty and become more tense. Abandoning is the middle skill: release without denial.
How to do it in daily life:
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Name it gently: “This is anger… this is worry (kukkucca)… this is craving.”
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Drop the fuel: stop replaying the conversation, stop rehearsing the future, stop checking the phone again.
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Move attention to body reality: feel feet, hands, posture; take 5 slow breaths.
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Use short reflections:
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“This state is impermanent.” (anicca)
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“Following it will harm me and others.” (ādīnava)
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“I don’t have to obey this feeling.”
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If needed, change posture or location: stand up, wash face, step outside.
3) Wholesome states don’t arise automatically—they should be generated
The third effort is to arouse unarisen wholesome states. This shows the mind (thoughts) is not naturally “good” just because we like goodness/wholesomeness. Wholesome qualities—mettā, patience, right mindfulness, clarity, generosity—appear when conditions are intentionally created. The Buddha says: generate desire for it (chandaṁ janeti), then apply energy.
How it is necessary daily:
Without this effort, the day is run by habit. The mind tends toward the easiest grooves: distraction, complaining, planning, entertainment. Arousing the wholesome means you stop waiting for inspiration and instead plant new habits.
How to do it in daily life:
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Begin the day with intention: 10 seconds: “Today I choose non-harming, mindfulness, kindness.”
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Micro-practices: 30 seconds of breathing before meetings; 3 breaths before replying; one kind sentence daily.
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Choose one wholesome theme per week: patience week, generosity week, speech week.
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Use “replacement” practice: when greed/anger arises, intentionally evoke its opposite (contentment, kindness).
4) Maintaining and perfecting wholesome states is the Challenge
The fourth effort is not only “keep it,” but: ṭhiti (endure), asammosā (not lost), bhiyyobhāva (increase), vepullā (expand), bhāvanā (cultivate), pāripūri (fulfil). This is very profound: the Buddha is pointing to maturity. A little right mindfulness is good, but the Path requires it to become stable, deep, and reliable.
How it is necessary daily:
Many people can meditate for one day, be calm for one hour, or be kind when life is easy. But when pressure comes, the mind collapses back to old habits. Maintenance creates consistency, and consistency is the real “spiritual power.”
How to do it in daily life:
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Protect the good state: when calm arises, don’t immediately break it with more stimulation.
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Don’t waste wholesome momentum: after meditation, do one mindful task (washing, walking) to extend it.
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Review at night: “What wholesome state appeared today? How did I support it? How did I lose it?”
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Gradual expansion: increase practice time slowly (5 → 7 → 10 minutes), not by force.
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Link to virtue: wholesome states last longer when supported by sīla (ethical restraint).
5) Right Effort is five-part training, not one vague “try hard”
Insight (deeper):
The repeated phrase shows a method:
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Chanda: wise desire/interest (This matters.)
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Vāyamati: deliberate exertion (I choose to practise.)
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Vīriya: energy (I keep going steadily.)
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Cittaṁ paggaṇhāti: holding/steadying the mind (I don’t let it drift.)
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Padahati: sustained striving (I persist until it changes.)
This makes effort intelligent, not aggressive.
How it is necessary daily:
When people fail, it’s often because one of these is missing: they have energy but no direction, or desire but no steadiness, or try hard but the mind keeps wandering. This formula tells you what to adjust.
How to do it in daily life:
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Low chanda? Read one inspiring sutta line; remember the benefit (peace, less harm).
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Low vīriya? Fix sleep, posture, and routine; keep practice short but consistent.
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Weak citta paggaṇhāti? Reduce multitasking; use breath counting; keep phone away.
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Weak padahati? Continue gently for 2–3 minutes past the “I want to stop” moment.
6) The four efforts map the whole lifecycle of mind-states
The Buddha covers all possibilities:
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Before unwholesome arises → prevent
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After unwholesome arises → abandon
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Before wholesome arises → arouse
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After wholesome arises → maintain and perfect
So Right Effort is a complete daily operating system for the mind.
How it is necessary daily:
This stops confusion like: “Should I let it be or change it?” Answer: it depends on the stage. If unwholesome is not yet present, prevent. If present—abandon. If wholesome is absent—arouse. If present—maintain.
How to do it in daily life :
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Morning (arouse): set intention + short practice.
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During day (prevent/abandon): guard triggers; release reactions quickly.
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Evening (maintain): gratitude, reflection, loving-kindness, review.
7) Wrong effort is misdirected energy—often mixed with craving and self-judgment
Wrong effort is not only “doing bad.” It can be trying to practise with greed (I should get calm now), with ego (I should be advanced), or with aversion (I hate my anger). That makes practice tight, harsh, and exhausting—defilements wearing a “Dhamma mask.”
How it is necessary daily:
Many practitioners burn out not from lack of practice, but from practising with pressure. Wrong effort leads to discouragement, spiritual pride, or collapse. Right Effort is firm, but not violent.
How to do it in daily life:
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Watch for signs of wrong effort: tight jaw, self-criticism, comparing, forcing results.
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Replace with balanced energy:
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Small steps, steady.
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Return again—no need to punish the mind (thoughts).
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Effort with loving-kindness. (mettā)
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Practise “gentle persistence”: consistent return is more powerful than force.
8) Daily progress depends more on consistent Right Effort than rare deep insights
Insights are precious, but the mind changes through repetition. The four efforts turn Dhamma into daily training, not occasional inspiration. This is why Right Effort supports every other path factor: it keeps the direction of life aligned with non-harming, clarity, and liberation.
How it is necessary daily:
Without steady effort, virtues weaken, mindfulness becomes occasional, and meditation becomes mood-based. With steady effort, even a busy lay life becomes a field for awakening.
How to do it in daily life:
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Choose one daily minimum you never skip (5 minutes sit, or 10 mindful breaths, or evening review).
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Use “anchor moments”: before meals, before messaging, when entering a room, when starting the car.
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Keep a simple weekly check:
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What unwholesome did I prevent better this week?
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What unwholesome did I abandon faster?
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What wholesome did I arouse more often?
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What wholesome did I maintain longer?
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