Yogi: When the energy level was low, it was difficult to notice many objects using personal effort. It was doing fine seeing many objects with natural effort; it didn’t need much personal effort.

Sayadaw: Yes, personal effort is not necessary – and when wisdom is present, you can’t exert personal effort either.

We keep saying personal effort but effort is not personal – no effort can be personal because effort is effort.

There can be effort applied when defilements are still present and there’s no wisdom about how to apply the effort, then it feels personal.

But when the wisdom is there and the effort is doing its own work, then it feels like it’s not personal effort. But in fact, it is never personal.

When we feel like it is personal effort, it’s more our idea that we feel ‘I’m putting in the effort, but in fact ‘I’ cannot.