©2025 The Ringu Tulku Archive
Ringu Tulku Rinpoche
Teachings on Bodhicharyavatara
Session 27
Chapter 6: Patience
Stanzas 94-97
Here Rinpoche summarises the three kinds of Patience, and talks about the temporal nature of sounds and the need to develop a deeper understanding of the source of our misguided view: that another persons’ praise for ourselves and our loved ones is a genuine cause for happiness. This he says is a misunderstanding, because if the root of our happiness comes from the mere words that are devoid of intellect, or from the joy of the person who is uttering the praise, why then should we distinguish between the joy felt by someone who praises me and my kin and the joy of a person praising my enemy? Why would we hurt if we hear of an enemy receiving praise?
If we rely on the words of praise or criticism from another person as the source of our own happiness or pain, we are depending on something that is inconsistent because everything constantly changes.
To find genuine happiness we must let go the idea that contentment comes from outside ourselves. No-one else can know what is best for us, and neither can I know what is best for another person. Everyone is different, so I must be patient with my own and another persons’ expectations.
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Dear Rinpoche. When I study a book, it helps me to write in the book with a pencil and to underline sentences, even if afterwards I delete it. But somewhere I feel uncomfortable with this habitual tendencies. Is it ok or it is better to avoid it? Is there some recommendations about that point regarding the respect of Dharma books? Infinite Gratitude
Dear Rinpoche, how can we exercise patience towards those in positions of power that deliberately cause harm to others in order to maintain or strengthen their position, harm our environment for short-term profit, cause wars and conflict and accumulate bad karma for themselves and their followers?
I found this a particularly succinct and inspirational teaching, Rinpoche. One of the dangers of the Dharma Path is the expectation that other practitioners should meet our subjective projected expectations? Be “better than average”, based on OUR opinions and judgements? Whereas the encouragement for us to be kind, tolerant and compassionate to everyone (regardless if others do as we would want or not) gives us stability and positivity, rather than risk disillusionment?
I once heard the stark advice that we should expect our fellow Dharma students to be the “the most self-centred, hypocritical, emotionally-immature people” imaginable; and then we will never become disappointed (!) but we can be pleasantly surprised if they turn out not to be? 😀
Do you think that some of the propensity for high turnover of, and internecine squabbles between, well-intentioned volunteers in Dharma Centres could be improved, if these particular verses were recited in every practice session, in people’s own language?
Or might the words lose their impact through robotic repetition?