This is an AI-generated transcript from auto-generated subtitles for the video above. It likely contains inaccuracies, especially with speaker attribution if there are multiple speakers.

New Year's Resolutions

Introduction

So welcome, welcome everybody, and happy New Year. It's nice to be starting the year off in this way, the first Monday of 2022, sitting together and practicing together. Thank you for this.

I said this at the beginning of the guided meditation, but it is a good idea to keep an eye on the calendar. We may be at the last minute making some changes regarding whether individuals will be here at IMC for these Monday nights. For tonight and next week, I'm just here by myself. On the 17th, technically right now, it will be open for people to attend, but that might change depending on how COVID goes with this Omicron variant. So, just keep an eye on the calendar.

Okay, so back to the Dharma here that we're talking about. Maybe COVID is just as much the Dharma as anything else.

The Fresh Start Effect

Just to say a few words about New Year's: it's that time of year when we make New Year's resolutions. I didn't know this, but there's even a technical term for it. It's called the "fresh start effect." People tend to want to make big changes in their lives and have a fresh start at particular times. Obvious ones include the New Year, but we also hear things like, "I'll start on Monday" all the time. When we have these good habits we want to start, we often think, "Okay, I'll start on Monday" for a fresh start at the beginning of the week, the beginning of the month, after our birthday, or after Labor Day.

For me, there are some things I like to do, and I'm thinking that on the Chinese New Year—which this year is February 1st—maybe I will start some new habits I'd like to incorporate, or embed more deeply, into my life. But perhaps you've already started with some New Year's resolutions. I'd like to talk a little bit about this, how the Buddhist teachings have things that can support us as well as modern psychology, and how there can be a meeting of these two.

Squirrel Determination

I'm influenced by a YouTube video that has had a tremendous number of views—more than 75 million views. It's about squirrels who have this real determination, tenacity, and perseverance. It's a video by Mark Rober^[1], a former NASA scientist and Apple employee who lives here on the Peninsula or in the South Bay. The story is that he had a bird feeder, and the squirrels found a way to get to the bird food despite it being a squirrel-proof bird feeder. So, he decided to have some fun with them and built an eight-part ninja obstacle course that these poor little squirrels had to go through to get to the food they wanted. This video is about that.

We might have this idea that, "Okay, well, I'm going to start something new, and I wish I had what I'm calling this squirrel determination." If you've ever seen bird feeders and squirrels trying to get to them in your own yard, then you know what I'm talking about—this determination to find a way.

Mark Rober isn't the only one who has noticed this. Last year, on New Year's Eve, December 31st, 2020, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer^[2], a wonderful, beautiful poet who publishes a poem every day online, published a poem called Again, Again. It goes like this:

On a day when the world asks too much of me and I don't know how to give it, I think of squirrels at the feeder when I was a girl. Dad hung the feeder on a squirrel-proof wire. Dad set the feeder on a squirrel-proof pole. Squirrels found a way. Surely there's some squirrel in me, some chattering tenacity, some bushy-tailed resolve. If I can't be courageous and brave, then let me at least be stubborn. Surely inside this aching heart is a scamperer willing to try again, to try again to meet disappointment and failure and exhaustion, and try again. Again.

Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer was also inspired by these squirrels. We might have this idea that if only we could be like that—having this tenacity, willpower, determination, and stubbornness to make the changes we want to make happen.

The Difficulty of Change

But making change is difficult. For example, if you wanted to have a more regular meditation practice, it's not so easy. I'm sure we've all noticed this. I don't know anybody for whom it was just easy from the very beginning. Well, maybe I do know one person, but for the vast majority of us, it's not so easy.

Part of the reason why making changes is difficult is because we have to overcome some of our deep-rooted instincts. Our tendency to want instant gratification tends to work against our long-term goals and change objectives. Humans also have this tendency to be forgetful. Sometimes we don't remember: "Oh yeah, I was supposed to do that. I was going to meditate first thing in the morning," and here it is already lunchtime, and I'm only now remembering. It's also natural for humans to take the path of least resistance. It takes energy and effort to modify our patterns, to make changes in our behaviors, or to make changes in our thought patterns. Anything new that we want to do takes energy.

Lastly, another reason why making changes may be difficult is that our social networks—the people we spend time with in our personal and professional lives—may not have been constructed with change in mind. There might be external pressure for us to stay the same and not change. So, there are lots of reasons why change is difficult.

Adhiṭṭhāna: The Power of Resolve

The Buddha recognized this, and he pointed to the qualities of determination, perseverance, tenacity, and resolve, which in Pali is called adhiṭṭhāna^[3]. It's this sticking with things even when it is difficult, a certain amount of stick-to-itiveness. Maybe it's more like a gentle and persistent wind that we feel at our back, encouraging us to take the next step, however small it might be, and not to give up, but to take the next step and try again and again.

To be sure, for some people, being steadfast is one of their strengths, and the edge of their practice may be something a little bit different. Maybe for them, it's to not push this perseverance to the point of drudgery, or to not cut oneself off from others because they're so focused on finishing a task. They might need to watch out for a "go away, don't disturb me, I have something I have to do here" attitude. Or maybe the edge of their practice is to choose those endeavors, changes, and habits that will make the most difference in their lives and be the most enriching, nourishing, and supportive.

Resolve, adhiṭṭhāna, is one of the pāramīs^[4]. If we want to start a meditation practice for example, because it's New Year's, what are some things that we can do? We recognize this "squirrel determination"—those squirrels who want to get the food in the bird feeder find a way. But humans aren't always like that. We might be that way sometimes, but we're not that way every time for everything we want to do. Otherwise, there wouldn't be this huge diet industry or exercise industry. How many books, gyms, YouTube videos, and apps are out there? It's a huge effort to try to support people to pursue these habits and changes they'd like to make. So, what can our practice do to support us? What can the Buddhist teachings do to support us, and how can we use what we learn to help support our Buddhist practice?

One thing I'd like to point out is that adhiṭṭhāna is not the same as stubbornness. Even in that poem, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer describes the squirrels as being stubborn. Stubbornness has an unyielding quality—no matter what, just going straight forward, even if it might be harmful, deleterious, or not the wise thing to do. It has a really limited view of, "I'm just going to do this, get out of my way."

That's not what adhiṭṭhāna (resolve, perseverance, determination) is about in the Buddhist tradition. As a pāramī, it's linked to freedom. It's linked to efforts that have a quality of warmth and care, nourishing and supporting ourselves and others. It's an integral part of moving towards greater freedom. Stubbornness, on the other hand, makes us feel stuck, like, "No, I have to do this," even though all the pointers might indicate it's not the wise or best thing to do. So it's not this type of tunnel vision.

Nor is adhiṭṭhāna a way to prove ourselves, either to ourselves or to others. It's not that we're striving to become the best just so that we can be the best. We're striving to become the best versions of ourselves so that our best wisdom can be offered to the world and play a role in everything we do. It's also not about focusing on everything that's in our way—the barriers, difficulties, or restrictions we might have in our lives. It's not about trying to obliterate anything that gets in the way, because that type of thinking can become a looping thought process—"If only X didn't happen" or "I should have done X"—that doesn't really move us forward and takes a lot of our energy.

Systems Over Goals

What are some ways we can use adhiṭṭhāna that recognize our humanity? We have limited energy. Some of us have more energy than others, but we all just have to work with whatever energy we have. How can adhiṭṭhāna be a part of our life instead of something we feel has to be the foundation for every change we make?

Often, the people we think of as having the most self-control or willpower—maybe the people who talk about how much they meditate every day, or how they haven't missed a day of meditation for X amount of time, or how many retreats they've done—we might think that they are exercising willpower or self-control to make themselves do it. But actually, willpower is overrated. Humans only have so much of it, and it can't sustain us through these really important changes required to become the best versions of ourselves.

Those people who appear to be exercising a lot of willpower or self-control have most likely built habits, routines, and systems. They've created conditions to support these habits, like meditating every day. They've made it so that these good behaviors run more on autopilot than requiring willpower. That's part of the secret here.

To be sure, it takes energy to start to do anything new and different, and to have some perseverance. Adhiṭṭhāna is an integral part of Buddhist practice and an integral part of anytime we want to make a change, but it's not the same as relying on it. Willpower isn't always available. Sometimes we don't feel well. Sometimes we have emotional difficulties, and we just don't have the energy for these new behaviors we're trying to develop. Sometimes we have physical difficulties, or we get disappointed. There are countless reasons why we can't just believe the Nike commercial slogan, "Just Do It." I think there's a part of us that thinks, "Oh yeah, I should be able to just do it like everybody else," but chances are that those other people have created the conditions in which these new, good behaviors are more likely to happen.

To change our behavior, fulfill our New Year's resolutions, and start a meditation practice, we can focus on systems, processes, or conditions rather than specific goals. It's helpful to have specific goals, but goals are about the results we want to achieve—for example, having a regular meditation practice. Systems are about the processes that lead to those results. When we're stressed, not feeling well, or lacking energy, these systems and processes can support us and help us make movement towards these outcomes we would like without relying on willpower or a tremendous amount of resolve.

The Buddha taught a lot about conditions. Of course, there's a big emphasis on cause and effect and the consequences of our actions. We might say that this is one of the key teachings of the Buddha: that everything is a consequence of something else. It's just causes and conditions unfolding. Nothing arises without an underlying cause or condition. We know this, it's obvious, but the Buddhist teachings show just how thorough that is and how there are no exceptions. Having this deep insight and deep knowing can be really transformative.

Temptation Bundling

Can we use this understanding of causes and conditions to support changing our behaviors or starting a meditation practice? Psychologists use the expression "temptation bundling." This is to link something alluring, attractive, and something that we want with something that takes a lot of energy, that we might be dreading or finding resistance to doing. An obvious example is listening to podcasts or audiobooks. You give yourself a rule: "I'm only going to listen to this really engaging, fascinating, interesting podcast while I'm out for a walk, at the gym, or cleaning the kitchen." We link something we feel we should do with something we want to do and find fun.

How can we take this idea of temptation bundling and apply it to starting a meditation practice? One way is to reflect on what the heart loves. Is there a part of practice that makes your heart sing? Is there a way that this can be logically linked with meditation practice? Maybe it's something really small, but it's delightful, meaningful, or touches you in some way, and you can have that as part of the meditation practice or as a support for practice. Bundling something we feel like we should do but have resistance toward with something delightful can make a huge difference.

Here are some examples. Maybe there's a part of your heart and mind that wants to express appreciation, love, or gratitude—a way to tap into those individuals who support us, or to feel appreciative that we have a practice. You could start your meditation practice with gratitude. Or maybe if that feels like too much work, there's a devotional aspect that doesn't have words. I know people who like to bow before they sit. Some people bow from the waist, some bow on the floor, but there's something about this act of bowing that can help us get out of our own way. Or maybe chanting. I know people who chant the Metta Sutta^[5] when they first sit down. They chant it out loud or they chant it in their minds. I've certainly done this and found it uplifting.

Maybe it's reading a sutta passage. There might be some passages that are really uplifting and meaningful for you—from the Dhammapada^[6], the Therigatha^[7], the Theragatha^[8], or some passages from the Sutta Nipata^[9]. You could say, "I'm going to read a sutta passage, chant, or bow, and then I'm going to sit." When you're first starting, just getting into the meditation posture for 60 seconds is a success.

With temptation bundling, maybe there's a part of your practice that you feel fascinated or curious about, and there's a part of you that likes to learn. You could say, "I'm only going to read these Dharma books after I've sat." That way, the Dharma doesn't become just an analytical exercise, but an embodied practice. Or maybe there's something about ritual that is comforting and soothing, perhaps in a way you can't explain to anybody else. It could be ringing a bell—especially these days when we're on Zoom and the noise cancellation makes bells sound less satisfying, having a beautiful bell at home can be wonderful. Lighting a candle, lighting incense, or finding some gesture or activity that makes your heart sing can be linked to your meditation practice.

The Gladness Pentad

This isn't exactly temptation bundling, but it highlights the link between having a settled, collected mind and having the heart sing. This is known as the "Gladness Pentad"^[10], and we see it showing up in all kinds of suttas in many different ways. The Gladness Pentad has five elements: gladness, joy, tranquility, happiness, and samadhi^[11]. Rather than translating samadhi merely as concentration, we can think of it more as a settledness, a collectedness, or non-distraction.

There's a real connection between allowing our heart to sing—having this happiness, joy, and gladness—and allowing the mind to settle. It can be a real support for meditation.

Psychologists are using this expression "temptation bundling" as a way to help us start new habits and New Year's resolutions. As a support for meditation practice, we can think of temptation bundling as I just described, but also recognize the Gladness Pentad and what supports gladness. In the Buddhist teachings, this cascade goes naturally from gladness down to samadhi.

Conclusion

Next week, I'll talk about some more supports for New Year's resolutions, or for anytime we're making resolutions to support our meditation practice.

I will end with an appreciation of practicing with others. Right now, I'm alone in this room, but I see some of you on the chat for YouTube, and just for myself, how wonderful it is to practice together. It makes me glad.

So, with a warm-hearted happy New Year, thank you.