Sustained Effort and the Present Moment

本週重點

Overview

💬 English Goal

英文目標

Form and use adverbs of manner by adding -ly (wise → wisely), including irregular ones (good → well, fast → fast). Review the four main tenses — simple present, present continuous, simple past, simple future — to describe when an action happens.

🪷 Spiritual Goal

佛學／心靈目標

Understand Right Effort (Viriya) — preventing unwholesome states and cultivating wholesome ones — and define Mindfulness (Sati) as awareness of the present moment. Use the wisdom learned earlier to guide our effort, and act it out steadily, every day.

單字 Vocabulary

點 🔊 聽發音

聽、跟著念、大聲說三次。

effort(n.)	努力／精進
mindfulness(n.)	正念
concentration(n.)	專注／正定
cultivate(v.)	培養
abandon(v.)	捨棄
wisely(adv.)	明智地
calmly(adv.)	平靜地
steadily(adv.)	穩定地／持續地

句型 Sentence Patterns

Key Patterns

Pattern 1 · Saying how you act (adverb of manner)

I + verb + ___ly.

We speak truthfully.

I always listen carefully.

He acted wisely and kindly.

Pattern 2 · Being present (present continuous)

I am ___ing ___ly now.

I am sitting quietly now.

I am breathing slowly at this moment.

Pattern 3 · Promising future effort (simple future)

I will ___ ___ly next time.

I will speak kindly next time.

Yesterday, I responded thoughtfully instead of shouting.

✏️ Grammar Focus · Adverbs of manner & the four tenses

An adverb of manner tells us how we do something. Most are made with adjective + -ly: wise → wisely · calm → calmly · truthful → truthfully. Watch the irregular ones: good → well and fast → fast. Then choose the right tense to show when: simple present for habits (always, every day), present continuous for now (at the moment), simple past for reflection (yesterday), and simple future for plans (tomorrow, next week).

故事 The Story

Story

Imagine a young student named Anya. Last week she learned to be wise. This week her teacher asks a new question: not only what is wise, but how do you act? Anya thinks for a moment and says, “I will act wisely.” The teacher smiles — Anya has turned an adjective into an adverb of manner, a word that shows how we do things.

One day Anya felt angry and wanted to shout. But she remembered Right Effort (Viriya): stop the unkind thing before it grows, and grow the kind thing instead （阻止惡、生起善）. So she breathed calmly and answered gently. “Last week I shouted,” she said. “Today I am speaking kindly, and tomorrow I will try again.” One sentence held the past, the present, and the future — and a steady, joyful effort.

Then her teacher asked her to sit quietly. Anya noticed her breath, the sounds in the room, the warm light. She was not thinking about yesterday or tomorrow. She was simply here. That is Mindfulness (Sati) （正念）: full, gentle awareness of the present moment. Effort and mindfulness work as one — we cultivate good habits steadily, and we abandon harmful ones, one mindful moment at a time.

🤔 Check your understanding

How did Anya change “wise” into an adverb? 她如何把「wise」變成副詞？
What are the two sides of Right Effort? 正精進的兩個面向是什麼？
What does it mean to be mindful of the present moment? 「對當下保持正念」是什麼意思？

佛法小品 The Principle

Principle

Right Effort is not a single burst — it is steady, conscious energy, repeated every day. Mindfulness is the gentle light that keeps that effort awake in the present moment.

🌟 Steady Effort, Awake Mind 持續的精進，清醒的心

Right Effort (Viriya) has four sides: prevent unwholesome states from arising, abandon those that have arisen, cultivate wholesome states, and keep them growing. Notice that we describe this with adverbs — we act steadily, wisely, calmly — and we anchor it with tenses: a habit in the simple present, a mindful action in the present continuous. When we act wisely every day and stay aware right now, effort and mindfulness become one path that leads toward Concentration (Samādhi).

練習 Practice

Homework

Each day this week, record one act of Right Effort. Use an adverb to say how you acted, and a tense to show when. Choose the tier that fits you — the daily practice is the effort. 每天記錄一個正精進的行為，用副詞描述方式，用時態確認時間。

Beginner 入門

Present + reflection

Ages 5–8 · new learners

Write 2 sentences in the simple present, each with an adverb, about a kind daily habit. Then write 1 sentence in the simple past about a calm moment today.

ExampleI always listen carefully. I speak kindly to my friend. I felt calm when I read quietly in my room.

Intermediate 中級

Now + past effort

Ages 9–12 · developing fluency

Write 1 sentence in the present continuous with an adverb about your focus right now. Then write 2 sentences in the simple past with adverbs about a Right Effort that worked.

ExampleI am sitting peacefully right now, focusing steadily on my breath. Yesterday, I responded thoughtfully instead of shouting. I finished my homework diligently.

Advanced 進階

Synthesis

Ages 13–16 · fluent speakers

Write 4–5 sentences combining future, past, and present continuous with several adverbs to discuss the four sides of Right Effort. Then reflect: how do effort and mindfulness help you overcome greed (貪) or anger (嗔)?

ExampleI will try harder to speak gently and truthfully tomorrow. I am working patiently on my difficult assignment now, preventing frustration. Last week, I successfully avoided a mean comment, which I now see as acting wisely.

小考 Mini Quiz

Check Yourself

選出最適合的答案，點選後會看到解析。

Question 1 of 10

Make the adjective wise into an adverb of manner.

Correct: C. Most adverbs of manner are made with adjective + -ly: wise → wisely (明智地).

Question 2 of 10

An adverb of manner tells us…

Correct: A. An adverb of manner describes how an action is done — for example, “She acted kindly.”

Question 3 of 10

Which is the correct irregular adverb for good ?

Correct: D. Good is an adjective; its adverb of manner is the irregular form well. (We also keep fast → fast.)

Question 4 of 10

For a habit we do every day , which tense do we use?

Correct: B. The simple present describes habits — the steady Right Effort we repeat every day.

Question 5 of 10

To describe mindfulness right now , choose: “I ___ quietly at the moment.”

Correct: C. The present continuous (am/is/are + -ing) shows what is happening now — perfect for Mindfulness (Sati).

Question 6 of 10

Promise future effort: “I ___ kindly next time.”

Correct: A. The simple future (will + verb) is for plans: “I will speak kindly next time.”

Question 7 of 10

What does Right Effort (Viriya) mean?

Correct: D. Right Effort prevents and abandons unwholesome states, and cultivates wholesome ones — steady, conscious energy.

Question 8 of 10

Mindfulness (Sati) is best described as…

Correct: B. Mindfulness is gentle, full awareness of the present moment (當下) — being here, now.

Question 9 of 10

Which word means 培養 / to grow a good habit ?

Correct: C. Cultivate (培養) means to grow or develop. Its opposite here is abandon (捨棄), to let go.

Question 10 of 10

Choose the sentence that joins a good adverb with a correct tense for a habit.

Correct: A. “I always act wisely” uses the simple present for a habit plus the adverb of manner wisely — Right Effort, every day.

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