Patience

• 11/3/2025 – Monday Meditation
• 11/6/2025 – Parami class
• 11/9/2025 – Sunday sitting

Today we’ll investigate patience (Khanti).

The Buddha famously declared khanti to be the supreme purification practice.

The Buddha overcame Mara through practicing khanti.

Patience is the restraint of holding the heart still in the presence of its suffering until it lets go of the ways in which it creates that suffering.

Patience is not about resignation. Nor is it about soldiering on. It’s about taking a step back and looking at what is, what has arisen, opening to it. We are not analyzing, we’re allowing the arisen conditions to speak, to make themselves known.

At the core of our suffering is the crucial point where we don’t want emotional pain. We create a self that is a victim, or a self that is to blame. This covers so much of my struggles with Rose E. I’m blaming her for treating me other than I want to be treated, or afraid she’ll blame me for something.

Patience relates to energy. Energy needs to be applied to see what’s arisen.

Patience relates to resolve. We need to honor the commitment to seeing what’s arisen to keep coming back even after the mind has gone far downriver on the floods.

So true for me: “Why does everyone have to bother me? This has got to stop. It’s getting in the way of my seclusion and bliss.”

References

Parami: Ways to Cross Life’s Floods – Ajahn Sucitto.