Bodhisattva’s way of life C5 Patience — 06 BWL

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

Bodhisattva's way of life C5 Patience — 06 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 39-minute teaching, Geshe Doga explores the practice of patience (the fifth chapter of the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life) by dismantling the logic of anger when others harm us. He begins with a striking comparison: we don’t get angry at inanimate illnesses like jaundice, recognizing they arise from causes—overeating, for instance. So why, he asks, should we blame the person whose harmful actions stem equally from causes—their own mental afflictions—which they themselves cannot control? He develops this insight through a powerful metaphor: just as water naturally flows downhill without intention, so too do others act under the compulsion of their delusions. Geshe Doga then shifts to practical benefit: patience stabilizes your mind and prevents harm from escalating. He concludes by urging practitioners to cultivate a good heart continuously, noting that a family where both parents embody such goodness radiates happiness to their children and guests alike. Suitable for practitioners with basic familiarity with Buddhist logic and ethics.

So that patient should be developed or cultivated within oneself. And with regard to enduring the suffering means the suffering that one has got or such harmful action from others. So one has to endure suffering that one have at the moment or from such harmful action from others. So, thirdly, the practice, I mean, If we think that it is valid to respond to others who harms us, So if we think that it is valid to respond the the such I mean, harmful action from others, then why one has not responded to the illness that one has, supposedly one has, that give us the same suffering to to oneself as, I mean, other gives. So we make difference in producing anger towards I mean, towards animate beings or inanimate, isn’t it?

We have no such anger to things, like animals. So we make a difference. We get angry only towards those beings. Animates, isn’t it? Animates, the opposite.

Yeah, Yeah. Those enemies, yeah, who gave us who harm us, not to the inanimate things. A jaundice disease, that would cause us a lot of suffering to one’s death. But still, one can’t produce anger to that disease. Just while keeping in mind that that is due to some taking more such fat things or just take just giving mind such, we don’t get angry.

If it is I mean, if you think like that, we that we can’t have we can’t have to anger to anger to us produce anger to the jaundice. Because that jaundice is due to some certain condition and certain causes. So, if it is so, then we can’t have to produce the anger to the other people. Because the others do the same such harmful actions, not without any cause. So, they do such actions by the force of their mental afflictions, which make them uncontrollable too.

So they are uncontrollable. They do this action without any control for themselves, just by force of their inner afflictions. So so other people do such harmful actions. Not by themselves, but by the force of their inner mental afflictions. So there is no reason for us to produce anger to that person.

If we produce anger, we must produce anger to that affliction that is within them. Like can be known by Suppose we get angry and does many such actions, even we would say some unpleasant words or say some such unpleasant actions even to one’s dearest son and daughter. That’s all due to one’s I mean, that anger that is within oneself. Not So why one may think that there’s no reason to produce the anger to that person? Because that mental affliction of other people, since that person has such intention, he has that intention to harm others, harm you only. So, the anger produced within the other people or ones that with some sudden accumulation of its own sudden causes, although not without causes.

But when that anger comes, then that person becomes uncontrollable of his actions. He becomes They came from those such mental afflictions. And also that mental affliction also comes from some its own causes. So due to that, they are that the causes of the mental afflictions, they came from. So the mental affliction, they also, I mean, have their own they don’t have any they don’t exist, I mean, inherently.

So, they also cultivate it from their own causes. So it is like a water coming from the the down of the hill. Yeah? I mean, what do call? Hollow.

Hollow, is it? High or hollow? Very? Not very. Hollow.

Very? Not very. Hollow? Hollowness. Little depression.

When we pour the water on the top of the hill, it naturally comes down. It won’t stay. It won’t go up. It will come down. That is natural.

You don’t have to get anger when the water came down. You see? It is just it’s nature. You see? So like that.

I mean, all those I mean, the the such harmful action of other people’s, all such I mean, our own mental afflictions or their mental or their mental all came from their own causes. So all those causes of our actions has no such intention to give suffering to others. Yeah? So they are accumulated just naturally without control. There is no such intention.

And also, when we and during those causes, when we suffer, our suffering also has no such intention that suffering comes from causes. So when the causes of the suffering is already produced, then that effect will come automatically. So all this, I mean, reveal the fact that the just because of other people, I mean, having the such intention to harm you, just, I mean, merely to that reason, we can’t, I mean, produce anger to them. So when we see our own relations, also other people, just harming you. And at that moment, one must think that the that they are doing that actions uncontrollably due to their inner ignorance and afflictions.

So, if we think like that, then this would help us to abandon anger, to respond to them in the same attitudes. So, what one must have to think is that when other people harm you, think that he does such action without control. He does he does the action, I mean, not independently. It is he does this due to some his he is dependent on his own causes. During that causes, he does the actions.

He becomes subject to do that action due to those causes. If there is no necessity to have some causes, to depend on some causes for him to do such actions, then there is no way to anyone to suffer. Because everybody everybody wants happiness and doesn’t want unhappiness. But they have to experience some suffering, although they don’t like it. This is because of those suffering comes, I mean, dependently to their causes.

If the suffering has not depended on its causes, then there won’t be any suffering. So, like, they show that everything, every actions, every, I mean, such mental affliction or anything is depending on its causes. So the other does such actions, mean, due to their inner causes, they are helpless. So, if you want think of such things like that, then this would help So, as I mentioned before, what we have to think is when some other people harm you, some say some unpleasant words or some unpleasant actions, then think that he does such harmful actions not in control, but uncontrollably. So, if we think, maybe he does that action due to his strong desire and attachment.

Or maybe he does that action due to his strong anger or some pride. So all such I mean, action does by the such his inner delusions. He is helpless. So, like this, if you do think like this, we will reduce the anger. So when other harms you, you should try to do this same practice of patience.

You try to not only respond in the same way. That is very beneficial to you. Whether you have just the doing on such practice, whether you aimed at the such liberation or the highest enlightenment or not. And if you have such intention or I mean, doing that practice for the purpose of just to obtain the ultimate goal, then that is good. Because without such patience, one can’t attain even the highest enlightenment.

Anyhow, no matter if one doesn’t have such high goal, the ultimate goal to do the patient, at least by one can think that if one responds the same, just by showing anger or doing some harming to others, that would create the problem more instead of, I mean, solving. So, on the other hand, if you do the patience, that will keep your mind stable, peaceful. So, in fact, it is benefit to you. So in every day, one must try to maintain one’s own mind, try to watch one’s own mind all the time if you could. Because if one doesn’t maintain one’s own mind, no one would take care of one’s mind.

If other people could control your mind, maintain your mind, then the Buddha Lord Buddha or such, they have such intentions that they might have, I mean, control our mind, but they can’t do that. So it should be controlled by oneself, not by any other. Even if the Buddha can’t control your mind. Watch the mind all the time and try to maintain such a kind of mind which gives you happiness, which gives you and other people happiness. And try to keep out of those mind which cause you you and other people suffering and pain.

So you should even make a prayer to develop the good heart forever, all the time. Because even in family, if both parents have such a good heart, they have a good relations and good relations, good and kind love to each other, then their sons and daughters, they will also have a very happy life. And also, if any guests from other come, they would be also happy to deal with that good atmosphere in that family. You can also feel happy to receive such type of other family. So, all this sort of happiness, good life.

So comes from that that good heart. So we should, I mean, maintain that heart as much as we can.

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.