Patience means endurance, the highest form of endurance in the face of suffering which may be inflicted upon oneself by others; and it means forbearance of others’ wrongs. A Bodhisatta practices patience to the extent that not even when his hands or feet are cut off will he become provoked.
Knowing that the Law is our great helper if we live by it, and that no harm can come to us if we work with it, knowing also that it blesses us just at the right time, we learn the grand lesson of patience, not to get excited, and that impatience is a check to progress.
Only cultured people can have a mostly right attitude, and can therefore be very patient.
They can be patient because through experience and being cultured they can see the right side of life, the right side of things; they have consideration for others, sympathy, they reason and therefore do not easily become angry.
Such people can be very patient, very reasonable.
Knowing how and why we differ in thought and outlook on life, we are able to make ample allowances for all types of people and are thus able to live more harmoniously with others. Patience brings forth peace, success, happiness and security.
Right understanding, patience, tolerance, goodwill and loving-kindness, the elementary principles of Buddhism, may be difficult for the average person to practise, but we should be trying to rise above the average.
As a Buddhist one should never be impatient with others if one cannot see things from their point of view. One should be tolerant towards all, even the intolerant, and remember that what seems to be proof to one person does not always seem to be so to another.
Once we have identified our own character, and judged the most dominant aspect in us, we can choose an object for meditation that will help us. If, for instance, we are very quick-tempered, the object must be one that will help us to be patient. To make us patient we should choose something opposite such as goodwill or peace, or love (metta).
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