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4 EASTERN HORIZON | LEAD ARTICLE
Enduring
The Fires: From
anger to patience
By HH The 14th Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is the Patience is one of the vital elements in the bodhisattva’s training. This
former political head of third chapter of the Bodhicaryāvatāra , which deals with patience, and the
Tibet and the spiritual eighth chapter, which deals with meditation, together explain the key points
leader of the Tibetan people of bodhicitta.
. He is the 14th in a line
of successors considered Good works gathered in a thousand ages,
to be incarnations of the Such as deeds of generosity
bodhisattva of compassion. Or offerings to the Blissful Ones:
A single flash of anger shatters them.
In 1989, he won the Nobel No evil is there similar to hatred,
Peace Prize in recognition Nor austerity to be compared with patience.
of his nonviolent campaign Steep yourself, therefore, in patience
to end the Chinese In all ways, urgently, with zeal
domination of Tibet .
In August 1991, in a vast As a destructive force there is nothing as strong as anger. An instant of
tent pitched in a meadow anger can destroy all the positive action accumulated over thousands
of kalpas through generosity, making offerings to the buddhas, keeping
in the Valley of the Vizere discipline, and so on. So we can say that there is no fault as serious as anger.
in the Dordogne region of
France, His Holiness the Patience, on the other hand, as a discipline which neutralizes anger, which
Dalai Lama expounded the prevents us from succumbing to it, and which appeases the suffering we endure
dharma to an audience of from the heat of the negative emotions, is quite unrivaled. It is therefore of the
5,000 people. The week- utmost importance that we resolve to practice patience, and a lot of inspiration
long teaching took the can be gained by reflecting on what is wrong with anger and on the advantages
form of a commentary on of patience.
the Bodhicaryavatara (The
Way of the Bodhisattva), Positive actions are difficult and infrequent. It is hard to have positive
the celebrated text written thoughts when our minds are influenced by emotions and confused by adverse
by the 8th century Indian circumstances. Negative thoughts arise by themselves, and it is rare that we
adept, scholar, and do a positive action whose motivation, execution, and conclusion are perfectly
poet Shantideva. pure. If our stock of hard-won positive actions is rendered powerless in an
instant of anger, the loss is immeasurably more serious than that of some more
abundant resource.
