Motivation going down

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A post on another forum:

I entered the spiritual path in my twenties. When I was young I thought I might attain awakening at any moment.
Now I feel tired and hopeless. Is there any way to rekindle my motivation?

This is showing the characteristics of paticcasamuppada. When there is clinging (to progress in your example) then the round spins ever faster.
However, the answer is not trying to stop the clinging or to turn away from the tiredness and hopelessness.
It is to understand these dhammas and the processes occurring then and now.

We naturally prefer that the present moment was all confidence and pleasant feeling - but then we won’t know reality as it is . So we learn to see that the moment is always showing its nature of anatta, merely conditioned phenomena.

Satipatthana - if it is genuine - is wearing away the wrong view of self. Then patience and confidence also build.
That doesn’t mean there is a straight line of progress - it takes much time.

Saṁyutta Nikāya
Connected Discourses on the Aggregates
> 22.84. Tissa

At Savatthi. Now on that occasion the Venerable Tissa, the Blessed One’s paternal cousin, informed a number of bhikkhus: “Friends, my body seems as if it has been drugged, I have become disoriented, the teachings are no longer clear to me. Sloth and torpor persist obsessing my mind. I am leading the holy life dissatisfied, and I have doubt about the teachings.”

Then a number of bhikkhus approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, sat down to one side, and reported this matter to him. The Blessed One then addressed a certain bhikkhu thus: “Come, bhikkhu, tell the bhikkhu Tissa in my name that the Teacher calls him.”

“Yes, venerable sir,” that bhikkhu replied, and he went to the Venerable Tissa and told him: “The Teacher calls you, friend Tissa.”

“Yes, friend,” the Venerable Tissa replied, and he approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Blessed One then said to him: “Is it true, Tissa, that you informed a number of bhikkhus thus: ‘Friends, my body seems as if it were drugged … and I have doubt about the teachings’?”

“Yes, venerable sir.”

“What do you think, Tissa, if one is not devoid of lust for form, not devoid of desire, affection, thirst, passion, and craving for it, then with the change and alteration of that form, do sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise within?”

“Yes, venerable sir.”

“Good, good, Tissa! So it is, Tissa, with one who is not devoid of lust for form. If one is not devoid of lust for feeling … for perception … for volitional formations … for consciousness, not devoid of desire, affection, thirst, passion, and craving for it, then with the change and alteration of that consciousness, do sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise within?”

“Yes, venerable sir.”

“Good, good, Tissa! So it is, Tissa, with one who is not devoid of lust for consciousness. If one is devoid of lust for form, devoid of desire, affection, thirst, passion, and craving for it, then with the change and alteration of that form, do sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise within?”

“No, venerable sir.”

“Good, good, Tissa! So it is, Tissa, with one who is devoid of lust for form. If one is devoid of lust for feeling … for perception … for volitional formations … for consciousness, devoid of desire, affection, thirst, passion, and craving for it, then with the change and alteration of that consciousness, do sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair arise within?”

“No, venerable sir.”

“Good, good, Tissa! So it is, Tissa, with one who is devoid of lust for consciousness. What do you think, Tissa, is form permanent or impermanent?”—“Impermanent, venerable sir.”…Is feeling …
perception …
formations…
consciousness permanent or impermanent?” “Impermanent, sir.”—“Therefore … Seeing thus … He understands: ‘… there is no more for this state of being.’

Saṁyutta Nikāya
Connected Discourses on the Aggregates
22.59. The Characteristic of Nonself
Therefore, bhikkhus, any kind of form whatsoever, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near, all form should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’

“Any kind of feeling whatsoever … Any kind of perception whatsoever … Any kind of volitional formations whatsoever … Any kind of consciousness whatsoever, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near, all consciousness should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom thus: ‘This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self.’

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Just to add on. This is an important point. We need to always make sure that we can think we can do it. That we have what it takes.

We have to work hard to make enough good karma, and to use that karma to purify our views by visiting wise sangha, practicing charity, meditation, mindfulness, peace and Right view.

As we gather the drips of goodness in the bucket, we must always reflect on the difficulties it takes to realise the end of suffering, and that the effort is worthwhile.

Once we set up the determination, we must be like a farmer that does the work, not expecting results. If we cling, as @RobertK says, then this will be a cause for further suffering.

But we must have wholesome desire instead. The desire to have unshackable faith in the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha & Training. To develop metta and all the factors mentioned in MN 16 (I attached a bit of a summary, but please read Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi’s translation.

Then we are farmers not worrying about when the crop will yield, but we are putting in the factors that will help us actually attain.

Also once we give our life to the Buddha and start doing the work, we should say “weather one life or 10,000 lifes may I attain the Dhamma”. Even is one is already a Sotapanna or what not, this does not mean we are lazy, but rather the attitude of the farmer that we have. So that we don’t go to the other extreme and burn ourselves out.

We emulate but don’t imitate. We must walk and find the way for ourselves. Not going too quickly and dying across the desert. Not going too slowly that we run out of supplies and die on the way.

Anyhow I have some good quotes from Kruba Ajahns in Thailand talking about these things.

Good topic.

Metta

Majjhima Nikaya 16.pdf (360.2 KB)

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It sounds like he is a monk or she is a nun? Did you verify this?

One of the common problems for losing steam is the “desire for attainment” as the only reason to enter the order. It should be a main reason follow Buddhism, yet these days with the current parami, you will see that it seems like it would be a lot easier than the suttas say. Nevertheless, the Bodhisatta (as defined by Classical Theravada) still has the goal in his mind. However, he does not have a single life view. You have to reflect on samsara, kamma and parami and understand the big picture to keep on going. The problem with a lot of “dry” westerners is that faith is weak and they reject the Classical Theravada. Posting on the internet is by far the worst thing one can do. It is best to reach out to your fellow monastics, especially your teacher.

The best advice is to re-capture what got you excited to ordain in the first place. Was it reading suttas, learning about vinaya? Grab some of that.

The other advice is to reinvent yourself. There are basically 3 legs of Buddhism.
Practice, study and service. You can balance all three, or go full throttle into another area.

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https://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?p=804302#p804302
Here is the topic. He is a layman.
:folded_hands:

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Okay.. I edited my answer to reflect that.

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it takes much time, very much.

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