The Profound Practice of Patience and Endurance

The Wisdom of Restraint

There is a well-known Chinese proverb that says, "Enduring a moment of anger can spare you a hundred days of sorrow." This saying serves as a vital reminder of the profound difference between simple suppression and true, wise endurance. Often, people find themselves embroiled in heated arguments or consumed by anger over a single word or perceived slight. In doing so, they damage the harmony of their relationships and create negative karma. From the perspective of the Buddha’s gate, such behaviour is far from compassionate.

Why do these situations arise? They occur because of the presence of the "self." We cling to our ego, our views, our opinions, and our personal perspectives. When another person holds a view that differs from our own, conflict or unpleasantness inevitably arises. As a practitioner, when you find yourself in such a moment, you should first reflect upon your own shortcomings rather than blaming others. It is most common for us to place our own position and feelings at the forefront of our minds. Because of this, we are easily struck and wounded by the words or actions of others. However, if you were to achieve the state of no-self, where would there be any place left to be wounded?

The Freedom of No-Self

If you can practise the path of no-self, you will find that following the Causal Conditions becomes a truly liberated experience. When opinions and perspectives differ, it is ideal if the other party can accept your well-intentioned suggestions. However, if they are determined to follow their own path, and if that path is clearly flawed, it is not appropriate to accompany them. Each individual must bear the consequences of their own karma. In such moments, you should summon your compassion and capacity of heart to tolerate the behaviour of others. Use your wisdom to judge the situation, and be willing to suffer a loss or practise Patience (Endurance) rather than creating negative causes that will inevitably lead to evil consequences.

Bodhisattvas fear the cause, while ordinary beings fear the result. This is because once a bitter cause is sown, one must inevitably reap a bitter fruit. Ordinary beings often do not understand the laws of karma and cause and effect. Even if they do understand, they may still perform acts that harm others to benefit themselves, all to satisfy immediate, selfish desires. The retribution for these actions may not manifest in this life; it may come in the next. Yet, the time of reckoning is always the time of suffering. This suffering may manifest as physical pain, mental anguish, or the torment of the spirit. Therefore, if you are currently experiencing illness or facing difficult situations, you must understand that all of this is governed by the laws of karma and cause and effect. What you are experiencing now is the result of past actions. This is not the time for complaints or regret; rather, it is the time for repenting, changing your ways, and even inviting your karmic creditors to receive Chao Du, which is the most effective method for resolution.

The True Spirit of Patience

Patience (Endurance) and the practice of endurance are not the same thing. The true spirit of endurance is rooted in compassion; it is the refusal to allow the other party to increase their negative karma. When you are subjected to humiliation, or when others harm, slander, or say and do things to hurt you, you must keep your heart in a state of meditative concentration. Do not be moved by these external events. Observe the situation and follow the conditions without responding with retaliatory words or actions. Do not let your primary response be dictated by the secondary environment. This is not because you are afraid of the situation; rather, it is because any response or emotional fluctuation only creates further instability and unrest between you and the other party. It may even trigger interference from karmic creditors, unnecessarily increasing the harm caused to both sides. In such moments, the strength of your personal practice of endurance is revealed. Some may possess this ability as an innate quality, while others must work hard to cultivate it through the Three Learnings of Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom. Conversely, if you are easily stimulated by a single event or a single word, and if your personality and habits are prone to volatility and anger, then this is precisely where you must put in the work in your practice.

The Path of Self-Management

Every person in this life has different lessons to learn and different problems to overcome to reach the goal of realising their true nature and saving beings through rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Regarding the problems that have already manifested, you must practise diligently to improve. Only then will you have the capacity to face the next wave of changes, unexpected situations, or tests. You must learn from every fluctuation or injury you experience to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Only through such learning and practice does your journey become meaningful.

There are many situations that require patience. For those who are prone to emotional volatility and anger, the practice of "patience" and the ability to stop oneself are particularly important to avoid harming oneself and others. Those who are easily agitated or prone to anger may have deep-seated habits. They may be arrogant, find it difficult to submit to others, or possess a strong, subjective attachment to their own opinions. They may have already accumulated a great deal of negative energy. Once things do not go according to their wishes, or when there is a disagreement, they may explode, causing mutual harm. In truth, they have already created negative karma, and the one who suffers the most is themselves. Therefore, you must manage yourself well in your daily life and not allow negative energy to accumulate. This is a crucial aspect of Buddhist education and the study of practice.

The Reality of Negative Energy

Remember that this negative energy is what we call karmic creditors. Many people are unaware of this, and they have no opportunity to learn about it. I, Ashvaghosha, bring this to your attention to remind all disciples that anything contrary to the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way is not part of your original nature; it is a part of your karma. Where there is karma, there are karmic creditors; karma and karmic creditors coexist. "Negative energy" is a modern term that is easier for everyone to understand. It encompasses negative emotions, fluctuations, and harmful speech or behaviour. Therefore, the accumulation of negative energy is simply the accumulation of karma upon karma, and the accumulation of karmic creditors upon karmic creditors. The result is inevitably harmful. The longer it accumulates, the greater the damage becomes. Many forms of suffering, illness, and mental health issues are caused in this way. At this point, purification is necessary, as is inviting spirits to resolve karmic conflicts and performing Chao Du to send attached spirits to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. However, this is merely a remedial measure after the fact.

The Importance of Awareness

The importance of practice lies in not allowing thoughts to arise; this is where the true skill of practice resides. With no thoughts, there is no karma; with no karma, there are no karmic creditors. Therefore, you can prevent and stop harm before it occurs, ensuring that you do not suffer. The next level of skill is to have the awareness to detect a thought the moment it arises and stop it. In ordinary circumstances, one lacks this awareness and allows thoughts to fluctuate and persist, or even to deteriorate and change, increasing the harm. This necessitates remedial action after the fact, or even leads to endless suffering in the cycle of rebirth. From this, you can see the importance of awareness! When awareness arises, and you detect that you have improper thoughts, emotions, fluctuations, or are engaging in harmful speech or behaviour, you will know that you may be under the control of karmic creditors. You must immediately stop the actions of your body, speech, and mind. This means you must exercise patience and restraint. Do not continue to speak, do not continue to act, and do not continue to think. Do not continue to interact with the other party. Because at that moment, you are already walking into a trap. By continuing to do, say, and think things that are wrong, you will not solve the problem; you will only make the situation more complex and difficult to resolve. If you do not know when to stop, you need a wise person to lead you away from that situation.

The higher your awareness, the more you will be able to detect subtle thoughts and changes in your body, speech, and mind, allowing you to stop immediately or respond appropriately, thereby preventing or reducing the occurrence of harm. Those who have realised their true nature have found their original nature. They are free from thoughts, free from ego, free from attachment, and free from selfishness. They possess keen awareness, compassion, and wisdom. They are not burdened by thoughts, ego-attachment, selfishness, or the negative actions of body, speech, and mind. Therefore, they can make harmonious judgments and handle situations with ease. This is the preciousness of realising one's true nature, and it is also the condition that those who practise to save the world and help beings must possess. Before you have realised your true nature, you need a good teacher to guide you, to help you walk on the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, and to correct your mistaken views and ideas. If you learn through your mistakes, you must be even more diligent in your improvement; otherwise, it will be difficult to escape the suffering caused by the manifestation of karma, and even more difficult to rely on your own strength to rediscover your true self. This is the preciousness of a good teacher.

All disciples at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, you are fortunate to receive the love and guidance of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. You must understand how rare and difficult it is to encounter such an opportunity! You must listen to the teachings, repent and change your ways, remove your ego-attachment and subjective views, and work diligently. Only then will you realise your true nature early and be able to save the world and help beings.

This message was recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Shi HaiZe.

Namo Amituofo