Bodhisattva’s way of life C5 Patience — 04 BWL

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

Bodhisattva's way of life C5 Patience — 04 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 42-minute teaching, Geshe Doga unpacks the first aspect of patience from Śāntideva’s Bodhisattva’s Way of Life: voluntarily enduring suffering. He begins by establishing a key insight — that all conditioned things in saṃsāra naturally produce suffering, so complaint is unreasonable. Rather than despair, this understanding becomes a foundation for acceptance. Doga then reframes hardship: when friends disappoint or circumstances change, recognizing their nature as impermanent eases the mental pain. He moves to the essential ingredient — enduring suffering must serve a larger purpose, ideally the welfare of all beings. He illustrates this through examples: even worldly success requires patience with difficulty; ultimate enlightenment cannot be reached without it. The teaching ends with practical encouragement: familiarity with patience grows gradually, starting with small provocations and building capacity over time. He notes that in Tibet some practitioners transformed their angry temperament entirely through understanding these principles. Oriented toward practitioners already studying this text.

To explain the first point, the patience of voluntarily enduring suffering, the starting point is the sense that it is the very nature of all contaminated things, our body or I mean, all such contaminated things to always be in the state of suffering. It’s natural to be subject to, I mean, to always be in suffering. So there is no reason to worry about suffering. It is because in the saṃsāra, the causes of suffering are many, I mean, numerous. And the causes of happiness are very rare and less.

So in saṃsāra, suffering becomes like its nature. Since its causes are numberless, so we must think that suffering is the nature of being in saṃsāra. So if we think like that, then in this saṃsāra, whoever we befriend or whoever we accompany, that has the nature of suffering. That has the nature to cause suffering. And also, wherever we live, that place also has the nature of causing suffering.

We eat, that also has a nature to cause suffering to us. So there is nothing in saṃsāra which has no means to cause suffering. So if we think like that, then we could endure the suffering. So because of such natures of everything in this saṃsāra. We enjoyed with a friend at the beginning.

And then due to sudden disagreement or due to sudden conditions, we depart from him or her. So we produce much mental pain. But we need not have to, I mean, suffer in those situations by thinking that since that is the nature of every being. So being that nature, everything—house, friend, and food—everything of saṃsāra looks very nice and very enjoyable at the beginning. But once we use that thing more and more, then we will dislike that thing. Won’t like it.

Like, at the first time, we would like to live in a new house, but our mind will change after we live in that house for a long period. So this is because that house is being saṃsāra or it is contaminated. So even with regard to the food that we eat, also it has a nature of causing suffering. We enjoy from that food at the beginning.

And due to our overeating, or, I mean, such causes, it gives us problems later on or even it may cost us our life. So being aware of this the nature of samsaric things, then we could endure the suffering whenever it comes by thinking. So knowing the reality of saṃsāra, knowing the disadvantages of all the samsaric things is very essential. Without knowing the reality of all the suffering of saṃsāra, we can’t generate our wish to liberate from this saṃsāra. We can’t generate that renunciation. So to generate that renunciation is mainly dependent upon our understanding of this reality of saṃsāra.

Also, if you understand that reality, then this would also help you in a in when you are in bad circumstances or sufferings. Yes. But to endure the sufferings, one must endure that for the right purpose. It is hopeless and useless if you endure suffering without any purpose, without any long aims, without any right aims. But if anyone endures suffering keeping in mind the welfare of other people or of all sentient beings, then that enduring is not without, I mean, reserve.

It has a very great reserve. So this session, I mean, this session is a time for us to train our mind in the bodhisattva way of life. So our enduring of suffering should be directed to the welfare of other people and other beings. That is reasonable and that is needed. Because even to fulfill a slight I mean, work or slight aim of this life, we have to endure lot of sufferings.

Without enduring suffering, we can’t, I mean, achieve anything. This life or next life. So that is very important. Since our aim is directed to the highest enlightenment, in order to liberate all sentient beings, so the enduring of suffering is indispensable. So even in this lifetime, some people become rich and prosperous.

Because of their prior enduring of many problems and sufferings. Without such prior enduring of the situations, one can’t become rich and prosperous in this life. So in the same way, to achieve that ultimate goal, one has to endure lot of suffering in the midway. So this teaching of patience by the Śāntideva in his Bodhisattva’s way of life. That has, I mean, great purpose.

It has the purpose of, I mean, achieving the ultimate goal of the highest enlightenment. If we practice the same in a very life after life in a very long period. And it also has the purpose which if we are practicing that in this lifetime to make our life happy and peaceful. Once if you try to know advantages of the patience and disadvantages of the anger, and if you apply that in this lifetime, one could realize the result of that. So, if you apply that practice of patience in this lifetime, suppose if one had a good friend. Although, I mean, there is no guarantee about that friend, it is natural that on one or other day, a slight or unpleasant event would start. So when I mean, when in circumstances, when that good friend, when he or she gives you, I mean, problems.

At that moment, if you practice patience, then there is no need to depart from your friend. And this practice would help you I mean, after some moments, your previous relation would become more firm and more strong. So, our practice of this patience should be done especially in a situation when someone else gives you problems, says some harsh words or anything. So if your good friend says some harsh words or if he gives you some problem. So that is the best opportunity for you to do the practice of patience.

That means anything. Patience. So at that moment, through that practice of patience, if possible, you could say some good suggestions or a suggestion to your friend or some good instruction. If possible, you can do that.

Even if you say some harsh words or anything. If that is not possible, then by your practice it is better to keep quiet and say nothing. So this would help possibly after one or two hours, situation is as it was before. In Tibet too, some people who are having a strong nature of anger, after listening especially to these topics, they get some idea and some knowledge and they could completely change their natures. So the main thing is putting this topic into practice.

So if one tries to make familiarity with practice of patience, then one could bear it. Why? It is because once if we make our mind familiar with patience or any such virtuous actions, then that nature of mind would change. So there is no such mind that cannot be changed into some other nature even if we try to make familiar with some other natures. The familiarity of this patience starts from the tiny seedlings. So at the beginning, maybe we would just endure the slightly harsh words by other people.

So by this, if we try to endure more and more such suffering, then gradually, you could endure a really great suffering too. So when you experience all sufferings, how to endure the suffering? Is that if we think that the real causes of suffering were done by oneself and no other else. Since those causes were done by oneself, the result of the causes to be experienced by oneself. So that consciousness is ripening its result now at the present moment.

So I don’t have to worry since this is my own fault that this person is causing suffering. And then one may also think that by enduring this present suffering, may the suffering of other people may also be stopped. So if you think like that, then that enduring the suffering will be a very great practice. So it is a great virtuous action. Yes.

Very much. So this kind of practice should be practiced individually. No matter what other people say about you. So if you do the same practice, the patience in your situation when your friend shows you bad nature or anything, humbly, I mean, without caring to what others say or anything. If you do this practice from your side, then this would help you and this would be beneficial to you. So this sort of practice should be done individually and also the Dharma practice is to be done individually. Only if any such kind of practice helps your mind, to calm down your mind, to make you happy, you find such practice. So need not have to care about whatever other people say about that practice. I mean, that practice which helps you, I mean, your mind.

So, if this kind of practice or the general Dharma practice gives you mental happiness or peace, then you need not have to care about what others say, what other people say. So, you need not have to care, because this is what really matters to you, isn’t it?

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.