Episode 56 - The promise and the problem

This week we try to practice and improve our patience.The practice of patience is to keep a peaceful state of mind by accepting things as they are— having given up the idea that things should be other than the way they are. Further, this week we will try to untie a knot in our life, something that continuously causes us to become unpeaceful. Will do this by trying to accept the situation and changing the way that we view it. The opposite of patience, anger, arises when we experience unpleasant feelings in the mind and we start to focus on it with inappropriate attention. This inappropriate attention is what gives rise to anger. Instead of reacting with blame or thoughts of the faults about the situation/person, this week we will try to have a different way of thinking about it. We can try to see the promise in the problem. In other words, we ask ourselves how the situation will help us. We see how it is the unfolding of something positive. We also meditated on the benefits of patience, a traditional way to begin our practice of patience. 

Benefits of Patience:

1. Persons who have patience will not have many enemies later on.
2. You will not have many separations from those to whom you are close.
3. much happiness 
4. no regret at the time of death
5. fortunate rebirth 
6. patience stops you from turning away from others' welfare
7. Solves your problems
8. long lasting relationships
9. karmic cause of beauty in future 
10. happiness in this life and the next 

Not disparaging others, not causing injury,

Practicing restraint by monastic rules,

Knowing moderation in food,

Dwelling in solitude,

And pursuing the higher states of mind,

This is the teachings of the buddhas.

--Buddha, the Dhammapada

References

Buddha. The Dhammapada: The Buddha's Path of Wisdom. Translated by Acharya Buddharakkhita. Buddhist Publication Society Kandy, 1985. pp. 48.

Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, by Je Tsongkhapa, Volume 2. Translated by the Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee. Joshua Cutler, Editor-in-Chief, and Guy Newlan, Editor, pop.152-154.