# Patience 9a 1989-06-08
**Collection:** Rinpoche Recordings — Patience (1988-89, 2003)
**Duration:** 48.3 minutes
**Words:** 2,547
**Model:** Deepgram Nova-3
**Corrections applied:** 0
**Transcribed:** 2026-03-01 03:37
—
So the to continue beginning with the the verse which which clearly sets out that the that the compassionate ones, that is the Buddhas, look upon all sentient beings as a mother does her only child. That is, with equally directing their caring and compassion toward all sentient beings. That amongst the various types of beings between self and others, others are held to be more important, that others are to be cherished more than oneself. But, it is as if the Buddhas do not even distinguish between themselves and others. That all others including themselves are held to be the same, the same being.
And therefore, having the compassion radiating without discrimination toward all sentient beings. And just as and because of this quality of the relationship between all the Buddhists and holding that all sentient beings just as they would their relatives, their friends, and even their own children. Then just as we respect the Buddhas, then why do we not respect sentient beings in that same way? So this is an analogous situation which exists between the Buddhas and sentient beings and our relationship to the sentient beings exists in regard to, for example, in previous times, in ancient times in India, also in China when there were emperors and empresses and kings and queens that the children of the king for example was regarded with the same high regard as the king himself because they understood that though he did not have the power presently that he was in the lineage of acquiring that power. That eventually he would acquire the same status as the king.
And so in this way though presently they didn’t have the high status of the king or emperor, they were still regarded with the same respect and high regard. Likewise, so that the offspring of these powerful officials, the kings, emperors, etcetera were demanded the same respect as if they were the emperor and the king themselves. Likewise, all sentient beings are in the lineage of the Buddhas that though they do not have the qualities of the Buddhas presently, eventually they will attain these. Moreover, the Buddhas regard all sentient beings as their offspring out of their great compassion. Therefore, it is necessary for us to begin to see them as the offspring of the Buddhas and that they will eventually gain the highest status and qualities of the Buddhas and respect them in the same way that we respect the Buddhas.
So it’s very much the same situation as a typical parent that because they care for their children a great deal that when a third party treats their child with great kindness, shows a lot of caring toward them, helpful to them, then they have a great liking toward this person who’s helping their child in this way. This is in the case that parents delight in seeing their children made happy by others. That the Buddhas delight in seeing their children, that is to say all sentient beings being cared for and made happy by others. The Buddhas direct all of their attention toward the welfare of sentient beings, that they hold sentient beings as they would a jewel. And therefore, if refrain from harming sentient beings and we seek to practice patience but we never harm in return for harm brought to us, then to that same degree we are accomplishing, we are coming that much closer to Buddhahood.
By taking care of sentient beings, we are emulating the Buddhist actions themselves by not becoming angry, by not harming, but practicing patience and helping when we can. That the Buddhas are constantly involved in caring and benefiting sentient beings. So to the greater degree that we ourselves do this then likewise we are acting in accordance with the nature of the Buddha’s themselves. The Buddhas, that we might offer flowers, offer all the various offerings to the Buddhas and they may take some delight in this but in fact they take the greatest delight in our helping, assisting, benefiting, loving, caring for sentient beings. And in this, there is great deal of positive potential, personal power created and therefore, we accomplish our own purposes by caring for sentient beings.
So because the Buddhas delight when they see others helping sentient beings, developing compassion, caring for sentient beings, through that delight, those who actually are doing the helping, the benefiting, the caring create a great deal of personal power and their positive potential. So, benefiting others brings about not only the welfare of others, but it brings about our own welfare. It serves our own purpose, both temporal and ultimate. Acting in such a way eliminates all the eliminates the suffering of the entire universe, of all the world. That because in benefiting others, bringing about the welfare of others, that we are beginning to eliminate their difficulties.
But additionally, that cause of the Buddha’s delight in these various actions and we ourselves create personal power, positive potential, that we are eliminating the various unskillful actions which will bring about our own personal suffering and we are beginning to eliminate our own suffering as a consequence. So in this Śāntideva begins to list the various reasons for the necessity to practice patience and not to harm others. Due to all these previous reasons that we’ve cited that as by means of helping others, bringing about the welfare of others, caring for others, that we delight the Buddhas find delight in our activities, that we accumulate a great deal of personal power, positive potential, that we purify negativities created in the past. Due to all these various reasons that Śāntideva says I intend to practice patience as a necessary means to eventually begin to care for all sentient beings. I must habituate myself to the practice of patience.
So the meaning here which is intended is not so much that Śāntideva needs to cultivate patience but it is a guideline instruction for us to practice patience that he’s saying that this is what I should be doing therefore this is what you should be doing. So the in the next verse sets out an example of the situation that we are in with respect to the Buddha. It compares it takes the example analogous example of in ancient times when there was a king for example in India. That if the king had a great deal of power he had absolute authority that he could do anything that he wanted. And that if there were some of his officials, servants for example who he liked, then these servants shared in that same absolute authority.
So even when these servants of the king were to act in a very harmful manner to the people that if they were to even kill them or beat them, to take things from them, then some people would immediately retaliate and try to harm the servants back. But the point that’s being brought out here is that those who are more thoughtful, who are more foresighted would refrain from returning the harm to their servants because they know that they’re in the king’s favor and they share in the king’s absolute authority. And in retaliating, they would only be bringing more harm upon themselves. So, they not only refrain retaliating towards the behavior of the servants but if they were extremely skillful, they would return they would act in a very kind manner. They would act in a very gracious manner to these servants as a means of bringing about ultimately their own welfare.
So here we’re talking about a very thoughtful person, someone who is farsighted, that in this situation he would not simply retaliate against some wrong directed against him by a servant of the king because he understands that this person is not alone. That in fact that the power of the king is behind this individual. So that if he were to retaliate then he might incur the disfavor, the wrath of the king. Therefore, if he was very skillful thoughtful, he would not only not retaliate but he would seek to ingratiate himself to the servant and thereby the king. So even taking up this analogy about farsighted and thoughtful people will not retaliate understanding that the object that which might be hurting us directly has more power than is presumed behind them.
Even those who are very weak and bring us only slight harm have in fact a great deal of power behind them We should not underestimate their power. Even if we have more power than our adversary, take a very simple example that we can easily kill an insect. There’s no difficulty in that but even this humble creature has a great deal of power behind them that in harming and killing that we are creating a negative action and that behind this humble insect, behind bringing harm to even this humble creature stands the they are supported by the guardians of the hells and the Buddhists themselves. That by creating the negativity toward even a humble creature as an insect by bringing it harm, by killing it, we are creating negative actions which which will ripen in the future for us to be reborn in hell. And there the guardians of the hells will burn us, will cut us up, pour molten iron in our mouth like all these various tortures that we will go through.
Also, we incur the disapproval of the Buddhism self. So even a humble creature who only hurts us in a very small way who we could easily retaliate and overpower has a great deal of authority standing behind them, the guardians of hell and the Buddhas. Therefore, even in those occasions when we can overpower what appears to be our enemy, the thoughtful person, the person with a great deal of foresight will forego, will practice patience and not only that because we’ll seek to return and create positive potential in this situation by practicing patience, by returning benefit, by returning love and caring in response to this harm and thereby defeating the guardians of hell and delighting the Buddhas. Therefore, no matter who the person or the being might be who is causing us some problems. That understanding that just as in the case of the king that if we were to harm one of his servants who was in his favor that he would come to immediately know about it and we would incur the disfavor of the king.
Likewise, understanding that all we should treat all sentient beings as if they were the subjects of a very powerful king and a very wrathful king that by bringing harm to the subjects or the servants who are in their favor of the king that we would incur the wrath of the king himself. This is but also additionally by harming others that we, since the Buddhas are solely intent upon the welfare of others by harming others, we bring the dislike of the Buddhas. We incur the dislike of the Buddhists. So, in this way, beginning to respect sentient beings just as you would the Buddhas themselves. Seeking to do whatever you can to to aid them and to help them.
I understand that. So the the analogy is between the is the king and his servants who are in his favor. And these are as if the guardians of hell that in harming the servants of the king, we create negativity and thereby, we will experience the wrath of the hell kings that is the consequence of our own karma. And the other analogy being presented is likewise the servants of the king who is dedicated to the welfare of his subjects and therefore, by harming the king’s subjects, again, we displease the king. If there was a king as in previously in India who had many subjects who he held in great favor and if someone were to treat or to harm one of his subjects then this person would incur the wrath of the king.
The king would be very displeased that the king may call upon this person to call this person bring have this person brought to him and he may torture this person and even kill this person. So likewise, you know, by the Buddhist hold all sentient beings in their favor that they love equally all sentient beings and those who harm sentient beings are not only are this causes displeasure to the Buddhas. Creating, causing displeasure, harming sentient beings, we create negative karma. It’s a negative action. The consequence of this is to be reborn in the the hell realms, taking rebirth in hell and as it and thereby having to incur the wrath of the guardians of hell.
This isn’t in the way of being brought to a king and being tortured by the king for having harmed his subjects. Likewise, we end up being tortured by the guardians of hell for having harmed sentient beings in general. So it it says here that the situation is quite similar between king and his attitude toward those who harm his servants who are in his favor and the Buddhas who care for sentient beings, who are cared for by the Buddhas. But the the situation between a king and a Buddha is quite similar. There there is a a significant difference and that is the quality of the consequences incurred in harming.
With respect to harming a subject which has the favor of the king. Having done that, the king may call you to be brought forth brought brought to him and he may torture you. He may there may be even danger to your life. He may he may even take your life, but that’s all they can do. They can’t do anything more than that.
They can only harm the body which you possess of in this life. There’s nothing further. There’s nothing over and above that he’s able to do. That’s the greatest consequence he can bring is actually taking this one single life. But in the case of harming sentient beings, displeasing the Buddhas and creating the negative karma through this unskillful action that not only have we displeased the Buddha, but as a consequence of that negative action, we could be reborn in hell.
So, the consequences beyond the temporal quality of this life that extend to future lives, which in the case of the king is not possible. That having once taken rebirth in hell that we spend a great extremely long periods of time there being continually tortured by the guardians of the hell, being cut up, burnt, having burning iron, burning iron poured down our throat. And in such situation, there’s no possibility of death even though we’re going through excruciating, it would seem life taking tortures. But in fact, we can’t die because it’s our karma to remain in that torturous situation. So the consequences of our negativity of harming those, that is all sentient beings who have the favor of the Buddha is significantly greater than that harming simply the subjects of a king who have the king’s favor.