Bodhisattva’s way of life C5 Patience — 01 BWL

Bodhisattva's way of life C5 Patience (Geshe Doga)

Bodhisattva's way of life C5 Patience — 01 BWL

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Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.

About this talk. In this 45-minute teaching, Geshe Doga opens the fifth chapter of Śāntideva’s Bodhisattva’s Way of Life with a detailed exploration of anger and patience. He begins by establishing the foundational motivation: both teacher and listener must cultivate bodhicitta, the aspiration to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. The core teaching unfolds as a careful analysis of anger’s nature and its devastating consequences. Geshe Doga distinguishes between visible defects—loss of sleep, physical ugliness, inability to enjoy comforts, damaged friendships—and invisible defects, such as the destruction of vast stores of virtue accumulated over lifetimes, especially when anger is directed at realized beings whose inner qualities cannot be discerned from appearance. He emphasizes that if we do not know who possesses bodhicitta, we should refrain from anger toward anyone. The teaching then pivots toward practical application: recognizing anger in the moment, understanding that it harms both self and others, and using this insight to generate determination to abandon it. He addresses a student question on anger toward children, acknowledging that affection-tinged correction differs from destructive anger, though emphasizing caution. The repeated message is that patience is not passivity but a skilled mind unshaken by harm, and that familiarity with antidotes to anger gradually weakens it, moving the practitioner closer to liberation.

Relations. Go look at it. The both the Dharma listener and from the who give the teachings should have the motivations of the awakened mind of the bodhicitta. So to speak in a rough meaning of the bodhicitta, it means the a wish, a pure wish to accomplish the the highest enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So so to attain that the ultimate goal, the highest enlightenment, the what we should do is to first, to listen the the right path to reach that goal, and then put into practice put into practical what the point we have. Listen.

So bodhicitta as our motivations to hear these teachings, then what we I mean, hearing in this session is on the on the patience. That is the the sixth chapter of Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra. This is because the purpose of our engaging in this Dharma practice is that we are very fortunate to have these human bodies which has, I mean, possessed every quality to practice the right Dharma. So we must not let this body be meaningless. So the subject matter of this session is on the patience, which is the sixth chapter of the guide of the bodhisattva way of life.

So when we talk about these patience, then the opponent of the patience, the anger, the defects of anger on that point comes, I mean, it comes. So the nature of the anger is that the it is a rough mind which has an entity of harming towards any of its three objects. That is to to any, I mean, to any sentient beings or to any suffering or to the the the the the source the or the source of, I mean, having that anger. Yeah. The the next question It is the mind which is not disturbed by any bad circumstance.

So it is a state of non-disturbance. So it is very important to recognize the right nature of the patience and its opponent’s anger so that we could know which has more defect and which has more qualities. So if we know these two, then we would know whether we produce the patience or whether we produce anger. So from that we will know what comes from the anger and what comes from the patience. And also which has more qualities in benefiting oneself and others.

So the distinctions of what comes from patience and what from the anger should be known rather experienced by oneself. Oneself. Not just by saying that the anger has more shortcoming and the patience has more qualities. So it should be known by one’s own experiences that the as it once when we, I mean, produce the anger, then what comes from from the practical, I mean, point of view. If you know this distinction of patience and anger from your own experience, then it would be more helpful to you so that you could recognize yourself when you generate the anger or patience.

So that you would know that now you have generated the anger and then you try to apply the antidote for that anger. So there are many defects of generating the anger, but some defects are visible and some are invisible. So the invisible defects of anger. Like,, I mean, this producing a strong anger towards our superior being like bodhisattva in a single moment would destroy your enormous virtuous actions that you have gathered in many aeons. So we have the potentiality of the virtuous action like our engaging in the meditations, our doing the offering, puja, and so forth. So this so when we produce anger towards being like bodhisattva, even in a very single moment, then this would degenerate our such the potentiality of our virtuous actions.

So it will stop the that potentiality to produce good results. Now, you know, there is the great invisible defects of producing anger, especially towards the bodhisattva. But we do not know who is bodhisattva or who is not. Because the bodhisattva is a person who has generated the internal qualities as bodhicitta. So as we do not see the inner knowledge or the inner qualities of anyone, so we can’t, I mean, adjust that, we can’t guess that this is bodhisattva or this is not.

So better we should not produce any such anger to anyone else. So thinking in this way, to some extent, help you to decrease your anger. The bodhicitta is to be found within any person. So it cannot be seen by other any other other It can be seen only by those who are bodhisattvas, those who have attained the same level in their spiritual progress. So we all cannot see those qualities.

The next phase says in the real text of the Bodhicaryāvatāra, there is no virtuous action like patience and there is no non virtuous action like anger. It means that anger is the worst non virtuous action because it destroys what we have done, what we have accumulated of virtuous actions, and so it is the obstruction to your liberation. So in that text, the the invisible defects of the anger are also presented. This is because, I mean, there are many defects of the anger that we can’t see, that we can’t realize. So to know the so this the the many defects are known by using our own mental thinking and reasoning.

So following that, the presentation of the invisible defects of the anger, the text has also explained the many defects that we could easily understand. The visible defects of anger were presented in the text in such a way as just showing examples, that as if we had a painful suffering. Sufferings. So when we have that pain any fatal diseases, then there’s no place for mental and physical happiness. What we would experience if we produce very strong anger or torment anger.

So from that we will experience a very same amount of suffering. If we produce a very strong anger, then So if you produce that strong anger, then there’s no chance of having a mental peace. Even if we I mean, even if we if we we did some virtuous actions. So, if you produce that anger, then there is no chance of our mental and physical happiness. Physical happiness.

Since there is no happiness physically and mentally, then can’t get enough sleep. The mind will also can’t stand still. So these shortcomings of anger are that which we could realize ourselves when we had such anger. Or not only, I mean, strong anger affects our mental and physical happiness, but it also changes our physical appearance. So when if a white person has such anger, they physically become red, and the red person becomes darker, or looking ugly. If one generates such strong anger, then even if one wears very fine ornaments, that would not be charming for oneself and also to others.

There are such moments if one sleeps even in a very luxurious bed, with things soft and comfortable. If we lay our body on that luxurious bed, so still, our mind won’t get any peace. At that moment, we might also forget our own plan, our own plan and proposal or like this. So due to that, we forget our own aims and objectives in this life and we may possibly go on the it lead to the wrong way. So this would make your works unsuccessful and it will bring down your personal reputation if you had.

At that moment, even if your friend or your companion gives some good advice and good suggestions, so you won’t follow hints, rather go in some other way, your mind will turn into ignorance and you do not know who is doing good things or who is doing bad things to you. So this anger will lead you into a let fall you into a wrong way. So this is what your enemy needed. So So we should regard that anger as our enemies. So as we don’t like the enemy even to have a look and even to have a talk with the enemy, so regard that anger as your external enemy and try as much as possible to stay far away from that anger.

In fact, what he has mentioned before, defects of anger, which you would know better if you examine your past experience and see if you happen to produce such anger, then what shortcoming comes from that anger? So if you examine in such way, then you would much clearer know about the defects of anger. Because the purpose of knowing the defects of anger and the qualities of the patient is not to have mental and physical peace and happiness. When you are there. So, it is also the defect of the anger that in in in such an occasion when you produce the the strong anger, then you would probably harm even those persons who show you compassion, who really helps you.

So this would also cause you to show some misconduct to your companions. So if one produces such anger, even if your companions help you and try to calm down your anger, still you won’t care for your companions suggestion suggestion and her help. So this would give the mental and physical unhappiness not only to oneself but also to your companions and relatives and friends. But there is no chance of happiness when you produce such anger. Now, you must know each and every defects of the anger as we have mentioned before and also try to find out some other defects.

And then, try to realize that the anger is your worst enemies which causes you the unhappiness and pain. So try to distance from that anger. So due to the listening of this, the defects of anger, one must at least have such feeling that the anger has such a such defects. We are not caring about those defects. So anger has such power that it would would it would, I mean, make your friend even to your enemies.

That car is enemy. The anger will turn your dearest friend to your to towards enemies. So so it would change your friend to whom you have such a love that without him or her, you won’t feel happy. So this anger will change that love and turn the person into to a versus enemy. Yeah.

The the of the friendly to unkindly, all this, are mainly due to our anger. So the the to to to to become our the relation with the the enemy more worse also due to the the our anger. When our friend become our enemy, then we then we have a mental unhappiness. So so that unhappiness is come from that situation is turned due to our anger. So once we stop, once we not produce that anger, then there’s no our friend won’t become our enemy so that there’s no that results of unhappiness.

Yeah. Yeah. So if you I mean, if you don’t realize the each and every sudden defects of the anger, but at least you must always keep in mind that the anger is not good. So this would help you So whenever you have talk with your companions or friends or any persons, then anything happen when you nearly produce that anger, then stop that so that you won’t say harsh words or any things. Right.

So it is necessary to know the defects of the anger in such a way that suppose when we produce an intention to say some harsh harsh words to any other person, then at that moment, time alone, that intention is due to one’s own anger. And the anger is the main causes of giving one’s own unhappiness, then seeing the defects of that anger, one would stop saying the harsh And also, by producing this anger then to the force of that anger, if you say any words, any harsh words to your friend or anyone else, then there’s no good result from that from that words. We normally think that when someone else I causes you to produce some anger, ultimately we try to respond to his anger or his misconduct by saying some hurtfulness or anything we do. So this action should be controlled. This is because if we not respond to our anger, perhaps this would rather not say any harsh words or anything, this would you keep your relation with that person as normal.

But if by keeping mum or by keeping not responding to his or another person’s anger by anger, if that relation doesn’t improve, still it doesn’t improve, then still if you preserve that not showing such misbehavior due to anger, then surely this would help you individually. Because there’s distinction in you’re stopping relation with anyone else without you don’t fault from your side, without from your side showing any the relation stop with your anger and saying many harsh words. So, this would benefit you in your mental peaceful So, I mean, the still if the relations stop and and without your responding to him or her any anger, then this would give you mental peace and happiness even though the relation does not exist. And not only that, possibly, he or she may think that despite my misbehavior, still there is no such response from the other side. So this is my fault or, like, he may realize his own fault.

We think that the in spite of calming our mind down and in spite of not showing any anger, arousing our anger, will be more suitable for this situation if we arouse our anger and do any such actions from that anger. But that is, I mean, not good. In such circumstances, instead of arousing anger, then better we return our mind to some other thing else. Like, in such situation, if you do the compassion or bodhicitta or such thing, then this would help you to not produce the anger. Hard to do that.

So, in such you have produced anger and what happened following that anger. And if you see some defects or such disadvantage of that anger, then have a determination that I won’t produce such anger at any cause in the future. Because if the anger which you produced in your past life, if that anger has gave you some problems or some suffering or mental unhappiness, then if you produce the anger at the present moment, that anger will also result the same things. Because both these things are same nature of the mind. So both will produce the same results.

Yeah, that’s neat. So once you try that try in such a way to bring down your anger, then you would become familiar with practicing in such situations and this would degenerate your anger and lead you nearer to liberation. So if you do that, then as we call the Dharma will help you in the next life and also in this life, then that will come true. We are not trying to bring down the anger. But if we do, there is a possibility of eliminating that anger.

Because that anger is not in the nature of our mind. So it is adventitious So in certain occasions we had a perfect mental happiness and peace. There’s no chance of anger. So sometimes we have this anger. So this changing process shows that the anger is not inherent in the nature of our mind.

So anger is a kind of force of one particular mind. And as it is a force of some specific mind, then it can be remedied by some other force of mind. If you have any doubts or any questions. Could you please ask, Geshe la, if you have had an outburst of uncontrollable anger, then what is the best step to take next to try and purify that action? Well, if you are angry at somebody, say, a mother to a child, and having done that and being angry, what then is the best action to take to purify that anger?

This topic will come later. So still, usually when we whenever we produce such anger, we produce that anger that the we think that the when if someone else say some harsh words, so we feel angry with that person and not with that harsh words. So so he, I mean, he that person we the person who causes us anger, actually, he has no control over himself. Says such harsh words, we get angry to to that person, but not to that harsh words harsh words, I mean. So the which which comes from that person’s mouth.

The reason behind our not producing angry to that harsh words is that the reading that the harsh words comes from that person’s mouth, so we get angry to that person’s. So in the same way, if you think that the reaction of that person comes from his own anger, then we may come to find that there’s no point of feeling angry to the person but rather to his anger. So if if we think like this, then will come to the conclusion that the harsh words are not the object of anger, then there’s no point of feeling angry to that person. In this way we would control our anger. Often with children, we use anger or we raise our voice.

We speak very loud. If a child does something naughty, something bad, we pretend anger. You know I mean? Yeah. Because we wanna teach the child that it’s wrong.

So where how how in in in the case, for example, where a child is doing something dangerous or very naughty, is there a case for raising your voice and getting a little bit angry? Anger is not so bad because it won’t cause you so much mental unhappiness or like that. Because, I mean, that anger is accompanied with some affection or love to the child. So so due to that love, I mean, we know we don’t we don’t produce such anger to other children. So it is our affection to child that produce the anger.

So we show anger that he is not studying well or like that. So that is so due to that, it’s accompanied with love. So that’s not so that’s not bad. But we must be careful that, I mean, the there’s some children, I’m just we’re showing the anger or such, I mean, rough, then they would come down and we will help them. But to some, not so, it will, I mean, lead them the wrong way.

So be careful in this.

Translation / བསྒྱུར།

This translation was generated using Gemini Pro 2.5 with a curated Buddhist terminology glossary and verified for register, glossary use, and absence of English leakage. The English transcript above remains the authoritative source.