“Wise Action” with Jane This Sunday at Minneapolis Insight

Dear Community,

(From Jane) This Sunday I would like to invite you to join in a continued exploration of the Eightfold Path, as we consider the fourth factor, Wise Action. Wise Action, along with Wise Speech and Wise Livelihood, are the “sila” or morality factors that guide our behaviors and protect us from causing harm to ourselves and others.

Phillip Moffitt, in his book Dancing with Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering, describes Wise Action as “any action that liberates the mind, moves you toward freedom from suffering, and supports a feeling of well-being that is independent of external conditions.”

He goes on to state that Wise Action “arises out of clear comprehension—meaning you are clear about what is needed, what is appropriate, and what is doable within your limitations. In order to take action with such clarity, you approach decisions with mindfulness and with awareness of the Dharma.”

He then offers that “Wise Action acknowledges that you cannot control outcome and that you cannot know the ultimate outcome of any action. Your practice is to act with the wisdom you have available to you in this moment and according to your core intentions—that’s all. Of course, you learn from the consequences of your action and gain more wisdom, which enables you to act more skillfully in the future.”

As I consider Phillip’s description of the Buddha’s approach to morality, I am struck by how different it is from how morality has been taught to me and how different it is from how morality is understood in our culture. The Buddha’s approach to morality is quite radical.

We can also see from Phillip’s words above that Wise Action can seem simple and straightforward at times, but yet it can be quite complex when we actually try to engage wisely in situations where we cannot know the full extent of how our actions affect others.

Please join us this Sunday as we explore together the questions that arise for you as you contemplate Wise Action, how you practice Wise Action, and how it influences your life.

All are welcome. Zoom information available here. (We updated our website so it’s no longer necessary to register in advance.)

With mettā,
Minneapolis Insight

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