A Dam

[RedLantern]

Sometimes,in our situation of living in a society with very wide boundaries-this community living together in a world that we call our"big family"-we need to use a lot of patient endurance,When situations arise where we have the feeling that we don't know where we are at,we might carelessly do something wrong,so we generally should be able to patiently hold ourselves back a bit
Patient endurance is a kind energy.It is just like the energy that is generated from the dam of a reservoir that retains water,like we have here.Patient endurance similarly is a potential ready to benefit us.
We patiently endure circumstances where we come into contact with emotions from people around us.
If we can let go of things and put them down,patient endurance becomes renunciation or sacrifice in itself,an important quality for mutual support in society that gives us a better understanding of life.

[icy]

We need to cultivate patience even if we have no interest in spiritual development, because without it, we remain vulnerable to anxiety, frustration, and disquiet. If we lack patience, it is difficult for us to maintain peaceful relationships with others. Patience is the opponent to anger, the most potent destroyer of virtue. We can see from our own experience how much suffering arises from anger.

[yontenjamyang]

Denoting patience as pent up energy like in a dam is to say that there needs to be a dam to act as a barricade for this pent up energy. If we imagine the dam and its power of potential energy then the next thing may be we will imagine that when the dam burst, the destruction is great. If we can harness this potential energy and use it to benefit mankind then we say that this energy is useful.

In the "Eight Verses of Training the Mind" verses 5 and 6 talks about the attitude that the practitioner should adopt when facing the challenges to one's patience:

(Verses 5 and 6 of the Eight Verses of Training the Mind)

Whenever someone out of envy
Does me wrong by attacking or belittling me,
I will take defeat upon myself,
And give the victory to others.

Even when someone I have helped,
Or in whom I have placed great hopes
Mistreats me very unjustly,
I will view that person as a true spiritual teacher.


It is clear that at least from a Sutric point of view the best strategy is not to built a dam but to "let go" and offer the victory to others and regard those who treated one unjustly as our "spiritual teacher" ie the one who teaches us patience.

Then, there need not be any dam.

[metta girl]

Angers comes more easily in moments of confusion and people rarely get angry when they are confident in what they are doing.....To be patient doesn't mean being a doormat and let others walk all over you,but because we have gained realization that anger can lead to unhappiness , Through this we learn to tolerate, forgive and forget....In Buddhism, patience has three essential aspects:- gentle forbearance, calm endurance of hardship and acceptance of the truth.

[pgdharma]

The world will be a better place if everyone practices patience and tolerance.  As Ajahn Chah often said “Patient endurance is the highest austerity.”  Patient effort, enduring effort, persistent, consistent effort is greater than the violent effort of frustration and anger.  We have to train to practice patience towards ourselves first, then towards others and to the world.

In Buddhism, Bodhisattvas practice patience to such an extent that they are not irritated even when they are seriously hurt either physically or mentally by others. Instead of seeing the ugliness in others, they will see the good and beautiful aspect in everyone.