In our daily life, there is much that we have to endure. We have to bear all kinds of pain. Both physically and mentally. We have to face worries, frustrations, depressions, and all types of imaginary fears. It is useful to know how to put up with this pain because many physical disorders are brought about by wrong habits of thought. Unhealthy mental attitudes and unnecessary anxieties. Under such circumstances, it will be useful to practice patience.
Patience is mentioned as one of the exemplary characteristics of a religious person, along with sincerity, swiftness in understanding and tenderness one who has these four qualities is said to be worthy of respect. After gaining spiritual liberation, pindola, a disciple of the Buddha, returned to his native place, kosanbi, to repay the people there for the kindness they had shown him. It had been a hot summer day, and on reaching the outskirts of kosambi, pindola sat in meditation under the cool shade of a tree in a park on the bank of the Yamuna River.
At the time, king Udena came to the park with his consorts for recreation and, after music and pleasure, he took a nap in the shade of another tree. While their king was sleep, his wives and ladies-in-waiting took a walk and suddenly came upon pindola in meditation. They recognized him as a holy man and asked him to teach them.
When the king awoke from his nap, he went in search of his ladies and found them surrounding this holy man ad listening to his teaching. Being of a jealous and lascivious mind, the king become angry and abused pindola, saying: “It is inexcusable that you, a holy man, should be in the midst of woman and enjoy idle talk with them.” Pindola quietly closed his eyes and remained silent.
The angry king drew his sword and threatened paindola, but the holy man remained silent and was firm as a rock. This made the king more anger and he broke open an anthill and threw some of the ant filled dirt upon him. Still pindola remained sitting in meditation and quietly endured the insult and pain. Pindola’s ashamed of his bad conduct and begged pindola’s pardon. As a result of this incident, the Buddha’s teaching found its way into the kind’s castle and from there it spread all over the country.
Be patient. Anger leads on to a pathless jungle. While anger irritates and annoys others, it also hurts oneself, weakens the physical frame and discharged from a mind. A harsh word, like an arrow discharged from a bow, can never be taken back even after a thousand apologies. Never use harsh words in a hearts the trouble.
By cultivating and developing patience, the destructive emotional energy within us will not have the chance to surface to take control and direct us to commit evil. I did not hear what you said. One venerable Sariputta, the chief disciple of the Buddha, was confronted by a Brahmin who abused him. When these words did not affect Venerable Sariputta, the Brahmin became even more furious.
Didn’t you hear what I have just said? Shouted the angry Brahmin. Do you have nothing to say to all my insults? Venerable Sariputta, smiled gently at the Brahmin, and replied, “Well, my friend, I don’t hear you loud and clear. But since I know that you have nothing useful to say. I hear only sound vibrations, and I do not listen to the words, so I am not affected by their meaning”.
Forget every evil or insult; remember every kindness. The world has witnessed enough hatred already. Let the future be based on the broad foundation of loving- kindness, compassion and wisdom. The Buddhist way of dealing with problems is not prescriptive but therapeutic. Hatred or anger, like any other destructive emotion, is be eradicated not by suppression but by gradually removing its roots.
If we return violence for violence, there can be no end to it. Enmity will give rise to more enmity. A desire for revenge will arouse more vengeful thoughts. Resentment can never be conquered by resentment, and hatred only begets hatred. The best approach to these evils is to appease them with the antidotes of sympathy, forgiveness, tolerance and patience. Gandhi says: “Take an eye for an eye, and the whole world will be blind.”
From Mātanga Jātaka (Candāla Champion)
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