Date: 04/12/2025 04/13/2025
Location: Star River Meditation Center
Teacher: Yunquan Huang
Dharma Knowledge
Laxity on the Path of Practice
Laxity—loss of energy or motivation—is a challenge that nearly every practitioner encounters. It rarely appears dramatically; more often it unfolds quietly: sessions are postponed, routines become irregular, inspiration fades. Laxity is not a moral failure but a natural psychological and energetic state. If unrecognized and unaddressed, it gradually drains momentum and blurs the path.
From a Buddhist perspective, laxity has multiple roots. A common one is misaligned expectations—treating practice as a quick-fix project and hoping for immediate calm or breakthroughs. When expectations aren’t met, enthusiasm wanes. Another root is misunderstanding discomfort—believing practice should feel pleasant all the time. When restlessness, difficulty, or life’s friction arise, one assumes something is wrong and withdraws. Laxity can also follow overexertion: intense effort early on that ignores the body–mind’s rhythm, leading to burnout and aversion.
Laxity often travels with distraction. Modern life fragments attention. Even when we sit, the mind is pulled by messages, tasks, and emotions. Practice then feels effortful and ineffective, which further erodes motivation. At a deeper level, laxity is tied to ego pressure—subtle comparison, self-judgment, and the demand to “be progressing.” Accumulated pressure seeks relief, and withdrawal becomes the easiest option.
The first antidote is to restore right view. Practice is long-term training, not a performance. What matters is direction, not speed. Shifting attention from outcomes to the quality of presence—clarity, kindness, and skillful response—naturally revives interest. Next is right pacing. Right effort is steady, not forceful. Short daily sessions beat sporadic marathons. Consistency builds trust; trust sustains energy.
Supportive conditions are also vital: a regular schedule, a simple practice space, companions on the path, and guidance from teachers. Ongoing nourishment through teachings and texts reminds us why we practice. Integrating practice into daily activities—walking, eating, speaking, working—transforms it from an extra burden into a lived orientation. When practice meets life directly, its relevance becomes self-evident.
When laxity has already set in, meet it with honesty and compassion. Acknowledge low energy without self-criticism. Restart with steps so small they can’t fail—a few mindful breaths, a brief recitation, one wholesome action. Often laxity is not a lack of willpower but the residue of overstrain. Gentleness restores safety; safety rekindles energy.
Buddhism also teaches that laxity can be a teacher. It reveals our misconceptions, attachments, and avoidances. If we observe laxity with mindfulness—seeing how it arises and passes—it becomes a source of insight. The Middle Way, exemplified by the Buddha, avoids both indulgence and self-mortification; it discovers the right tone between slack and strain.
Ultimately, overcoming laxity doesn’t depend on sheer grit. It depends on clear intention, suitable methods, sustainable rhythm, and supportive conditions. With these in place, effort becomes quiet and continuous—like a steady stream rather than a burst of force. In returning again and again to the present with wisdom and care, energy matures naturally, and the path unfolds with resilience.
