Worldly and World-Transcending Patience

Patience can be worldly or world-transcending. Worldly patience is manifested in coping with the environment, enduring extreme heat, cold, hunger, thirst, pain, joy, criticism, and physical and mental fatigue. World-transcending patience goes beyond the experiences of pleasure, pain, fatigue, etc. It is forbearance in integrating the Dharma into one's life, in accepting the difficulties that come with exertion in practice, and in using one's time wisely and fully.

By its nature, perfecting patience is a long, laborious process. I once encouraged an overweight person to engage in more meditation and exercise. Two weeks later he returned and said that he had followed my advice, but had not lost much weight. Besides, he was getting tired of the routine. I countered that I had been a monk for several decades without feeling that I had made any progress. Nevertheless, I had to be patient and continue to fulfill my vows as a monk. I told him that he should also be patient and continue to practice.

On the other hand, yesterday one of my disciples remarked that practicing the Dharma had not been much help to him lately. Yet I see him showing up again today. Even though he feels stagnant for the moment, he keeps on coming to our center to learn the Dharma. This is world-transcending patience.

The ability to endure and to have forbearance is integral to living; without it we cannot accomplish anything. To practice patience is to integrate it into our daily lives, our careers, our studies, and so on. These all require various degrees of patience, without which it would be very difficult to maintain a basic sense of humanity and to have harmony with others.