You've got to be determined, without it there is no practice.
Determination is that shift in the brain, "I am going to do this!" If we don't have that shift to begin with, how can we do this? We won't do this unless we have that movement, that shift, "I am going to do this!" So determination is a key factor. It gets us motivated, it gets us going, but we also need the determination to come up regularly as we are doing it, too, because determination comes first, energy immediately follows it. When we are determined, then we do something, we have the energy.
However, what also happens for a lot of people is that they put forth the energy but then they get tired. Then we have to bring the determination back in, "Oh, no, come back, let's do it again." We've got to refocus that determination, we have to bring it up regularly. It's the initial step, but then it also has to be brought up again to keep energy going, to keep it going.
Some of you have quit smoking, great! You had a determination to quit, you had a thought "I am going to quit." You put forth some energy to stop, but occasionally, I am sure, there was a, "Ah, yeah, but..." and you had to bring back in the thought, "I am going to stop", "I am going to stop", so there's your determination. It's a key factor.
Determination is strengthened by wisdom. Nobody quits smoking cigarettes just because "Oh, well, I will just quit." They quit because they developed enough wisdom to see the Dukkha involved in smoking cigarettes. So wisdom often precedes determination. You have to understand something in order to be determined to do it.
The other day I led the Parami meditation and I encouraged you with each Parami to ask yourself, "What can I do in my life to help this Parami grow?"
So first you have reflect about each Parami like, , "Okay! Generosity, what can I do?" You could think of a few more ways to be more generous. Then, from the wisdom you develop there, you bring up determination to put your ideas into action. For example you make a resolution like, "Okay, every Saturday I'm going to do such and such at the hospital." So that could be how it works. The wisdom comes first, then the determination and then the energy to do it.
Now, what supports this wisdom, determination and energy? Compassion. Compassion fuels it. For example, if we haven't even got the feeling of compassion towards how smoking is being harmful to ourselves, then even if we want to stop smoking, we won't get motivated unless there is an element of compassion for ourselves.
Even if the wisdom looks at it and says "Oh, yeah, yeah, smoking is bad for me, smoking is bad for my health, money, blah, blah, blah," if there is no genuine compassion supporting those thoughts, then you are not going to make a determination to actually quit.
There are heaps of people, and I am even sure you know some, who absolutely know smoking is not good for themselves but they keep doing it. Wisdom is kind of there, but there is not enough compassion to make the next step into determination. Once you are into the next step, you can determine all sorts of things, "Oh, yeah, I am going to quit smoking." But if you don't put forth the energy, it won't work.
So again, the compassion has to support the determination. This kind of connection is a process all centered around determination which has wisdom in it, which has energy in it, but all three of them are fuelled by the compassion.