The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Monk

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Monk

1. Noting.
The highly efective monk always note any Dhamma that happens (Dhamma of the body, Dhamma of feelings, Dhamma of Mind, and Dhamma itself). Like he opens a bag and he counts any stuff in it, "this is a tomato, this is rice, this onion.."

2. Dhammavicaya.
After noting creates difference of Dhammas, the monk always investigate, why this thing is good and why that one is bad, why some people get old, why a view is bad, etc. Later this will give a new ability to him which is yoniso manasikara (the ability of systematic thinking).

3. Energy.
Boundless energy filled the mind of a monk who do 4 things:
a. The effort to restrain defilements.
b. The effort to abandon defilements.
c. The effort to develop wholesome states.
d. The effort to maintain wholesome states.
The energy is:
a. The ability to restrain defilements.
b. The ability to abandon defilements.
c. The ability to develop wholesome states.
d. The ability to maintain wholesome states.

4. Rapture.
Rapture happens when a monk leave unimportant objects and go for important objects. Like in meditation, when you leave unimportant objects like desire, aversion, boredom, worry, and doubts, you begin to respect your meditation object, and this will cause rapture.
In monk's life, a monk gained rapture because of Nekkhama (renunciation). If someone offer him money or woman, he rejects and even feel rapture because he reject them.

5. Calmness.
Like I said in number 2, the monk gains ability of yoniso manasikara. This helps him to always calm in any circumstance. There is no more trouble in life since everything can be explained why it happened, and how to solve it.

6. Concentration.
Because of his calmness, the monk easily blend with any object that he put into his mind. So he always have some progresses.

7. Balance.
Because of his concentration, he never become lax nor exciting. He now able to think, speak, and do things, as if he is the object itself.