The Right Effort Exercise

Since last one year, I have been doing the right effort exercise.
It is simply inculcation or wholesome values and eradication of the unwholesome.
We have been using a tracker which contains a list of values- wholesome and unwholesome.
The first step is to visit all values and identify those values which have been playing a major role in life so far.
When I started, anxiety, fear, low self esteem, dependence were the main unwholesome values.
I recognized slowly that my actions speech, thoughts were majorly driven by these values.
I also identified the unwholesome values which have been a part of life and also those which I would like to inculcate. These were Love, Honesty and Contribution.

Working on the unwholesome values, I started recognizing my habit patterns and used a daily log to track them. When there was an arising related to a particular value, say anxiety, I just noted it down in the log and used the technique of Vipassana to just observe feelings and sensations.

Initially, when an arising happened, I wanted to get rid of it immediately. So, I called Sir and said- ohh..this is arising and that is arising. And every time, the same answer came,- " Jaante rehna hai, pratikriya nahin karni" meaning- just observe and not react. Slowly I started understanding the technique deeply and was able to see the impermanent nature of these arisings.

As awareness and equanimity increased, the duration, intensity and frequency of the unwholesome value started decreasing. One after the other, the arisings occur, however, the mind has developed the capacity to just be aware and be able to observe.

When we start observing there occurs a major shift in the mind. From indulgence, mind moves towards observance. After months of practice, the observance also disappeared. Now, everything is just arising and passing away.

And when, the unwholesome values started disappearing, the wholesome values of love, peace, harmony started appearing on the surface on its own. I noticed that happiness and peace levels increased significantly.  I was able to be equanimous towards people around me, without being judgmental. Even for those people who had hurt me sometime or the other, the aversion, anger, irritation, hatred started decreasing.

Complemented with the practice of metta, bondages of ill will, hatred and animosity have been shedding and there is a great release from so many conditionings of this life and many past lives.