Chapter 6: Verses 52-65
Part of a series of teachings on Chapter 6: "The Perfection of Patience" from Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, organized by Pureland Marketing, Singapore.
- How to stop our minds from getting reactive and upset when somebody harms our body or looks down on us
- How we create negative karma in search of worldly gain that we can’t take with us into the next life
- Long or short, our lives will be over one day, and seeking worldly happiness by creating negative karma is not appropriate
- Our mental happiness comes from cultivating equanimity towards, and not attachment to, our worldly reputation or material gain
- Getting angry at things interfering with our happiness just causes more unhappiness
- How to stop anger at misdeeds done to the Dharma or our friends and relatives
- Why anger towards people who harm our spiritual mentors or ruin monasteries is inappropriate
- Questions and answers
Venerable Thubten Chodron
Venerable Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1977 by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche in Dharamsala, India, and in 1986 she received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan. Read her full bio.