August 8, 2024
Patience Is a Buddhist Virtue
Patience, or khanti
in Pali, is the sixth of the Buddhist paramis, the virtues or qualities
needed for awakening. Together, the paramis, also known as the ten
perfections, are generosity, ethical conduct, renunciation, wisdom,
energy, patience, truthfulness, determination, lovingkindness, and
equanimity.
The Buddhist commentator Dhammapala (5th or 6th c. CE) wrote in A Treatise on the Paramis that acceptance is a key part of patience, whose function is endurance and cause is clear seeing. In The Way of the Bodhisattva,
8th-century Indian Buddhist sage Shantideva described patience as
innate, something we all possess, but something we must also
cultivate—starting with ourselves.
By accepting minor irritations, or big ones, instead of trying to fix
them, we can turn adversity into opportunities to develop more patience.
This extends to, or rather begins with, self-acceptance. Respecting,
forgiving, embracing, or simply acknowledging ourselves and where we’re
coming from at any given moment makes it easier for us to let go,
tolerate, and endure. Patience with ourselves, in other words, endows us
with patience for others. This patience will give us space to think
before acting or speaking, and time to return to a commitment of doing
no harm. It will make us more apt to investigate a painful emotion
instead of letting it consume us, or to appreciate a subtle joy. It will
foster compassion for others.
This week’s Three Teachings explores patience as an
essential quality on the Buddhist path, and why accepting ourselves is
the first step to generating patience for others.
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