Lover. Warrior. Ruler. Sage.

I listend to a terrific talk the other night on the Four Energy Patterns (iddhipada in Pali) that are the basis for any successful endeavor. The talk was given by Ayya Santacitta and she used her own life story to illustrate these four different kinds of energies that are all necessary, each at different times, in order to realize a wise heart’s true desire. (You can listen to the talk here.)

Here, I’m expanding a bit on what she said (and drawing from another great talk by Marc Akincano Weber on this same topic, which you can listen to here). I’m identifying each of these energies as an archetypical character.

First, there’s the Lover.

This is the energy that gets things going. (chanda in Pali) It’s a deep intention, desire, or aspiration that reaches out to one’s highest potential.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, there’s the Warrior.

This is the energy that makes things happen. (viriya in Pali) It’s the courageous effort, the strong determination, and the relentless persistence that will surely be needed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then there’s the Ruler.

This is the energy that keeps things going. (citta in Pali) It’s the managerial mind state, the practical taking-care-of-business intelligence, and the ability to sustain one’s initial effort over the long haul.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, there’s the Sage.

This is the energy that makes wise adjustments to changing conditions, (vimamsa in Pali) the judgement to know whether to tweak the original plan and keep going or to take a deep breath and set out on a new course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Think about it!