Patience (Khanti)

    The Buddha said "the greatest prayer is patience." Patience (khanti)  is a virtue as they say. Patience in Buddhism is one of what we call the six perfections.  Patience is the ability to accept what is happening to you right now,whenever and whatever it may be.  A conscious  enlightened person is said to have a high level of patience. Patience is a factor in equanimity, or what we call peace of mind  (equanimity is one of the four sublime states of mind that we covered in recent posts.) Patience combats the poison we deal with daily called stress or tension. Patience irons out our lack of temperance.  The Buddha mentioned that there are three things that we should especially grow patient with: illness, the weather, and other people.

   Here is one perspective. When our own world is not to our complete liking, we tend to grow impatient. I, from personal experience, know only how true this really is. Impatience promotes negative things like greed and hate. Prudent is the one who is a mental warrior, having a sharp mind that defends oneself against the elements of this broken world we call our own. Those who give into anger will never know patience. To be patient with a person does not only heal your own self, but the person as well. Could you imagine a world without anger, where each person was calm and completely patient with each other? I can: it would be a utopia. But alas, it'll never be. But you can make a start. Eliminate that anger and give birth to patience and forbearance. Tolerance is what we need, as always.

    Patience helps us now and in the future lives we live. Waiting, and accepting things for how they are at all times can be quite the task, but ultimately very rewarding. A forgiving self will acquire much compassion from others for yourself. I'm not saying be patient to receive patience and favor from others, but I do say that it will be inevitable.  Do it for the broken, do it for your heart and what dwells within, do it for a better life.  As mentioned exercising patience is overcoming anger and hate, which are both so abundant in this world. Don't be a statistic, be an example.

     I can sit here and encourage you all to be patient and tell you all how cruel this world is, but listen up. A higher state of consciousness is achieved by those who practice the virtues and also those who understand themselves. Could you imagine a complete being, free from suffering? I can, in fact I know what it is like. But all those times I do slip, it all stems from anger. Those little things other people do just make me lose patience every once in awhile, and I have to catch myself, and restore my patience. It's difficult. I give you the greatest prayer, as Buddha said, patience. May you know that anger and intolerance is nothing but inequity.

     Hopefully this has moved you. My personal thoughts and those from basic teachings are a good backbone to learn from, but there is something even greater. Experience, gain those lessons from it and you will become truly wise. Crash and burn you may, but rise you will.