Long-Term Minimum Effort vs Short-Term Heroic Effort | Ajahn Dhammasiha | Dhamma Talk on Buddhism

Dhammagiri Buddhist Podcasts · Oct 16, 2025 · 21m

During an all-night meditation, or during a retreat period, we tend to exert maximum effort. However, no one can maintain maximum effort for a very long time.

Unfortunately, once we can't maintain the high level anymore, we often end up relaxing too much.

Unfortunately, it's much easier and faster to regress in our bhāvanā, than to quickly progress.

So we may end up losing hard earned 3 months of progress within just one week of carelessness.

Therefore, Ajahn Dhammasiha encourages us to look at the minimum standard we maintain throughout. A high minimum level of effort, which we never fall…