Shambhala Publications, Inc. 4720 Walnut Street Boulder, Colorado 80301 www.shambhala.com ©1999 by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, whose sole agent for these teachings is Arizona Teachings, Inc. Quotations of Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life are from Stephen Batchelor’s translation, published by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, India, in 1979. This book was previously published under the title Healing Anger. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Cover design by Claudine Mansour Design © 2018 Shambhala Publications, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Bstan-’dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama xiv, 1935– author. | Thupten Jinpa, translator. | Śāntideva, active 7th century. Bodhicaryāvatāra. Title: Perfecting patience: Buddhist techniques to overcome anger/The Dalai Lama; translated by Thupten Jinpa. Other titles: Healing anger | Description: Boulder, Colorado Shambhala, 2018. | Series: Core teachings of the Dalai Lama series | “Quotations of Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life are from Stephen Batchelor’s translation, published by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, India, in 1979. This book was previously published under the title Healing Anger.” | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2018012744 | ISBN 9781559394796 (paperback) eISBN 9780834841864 Subjects: LCSH: Śāntideva, active 7th century. Bodhicaryāvatāra. | Patience—Religious aspects— Buddhism. | Buddhism–Doctrines. | BISAC: RELIGION/Buddhism/Tibetan. | RELIGION Buddhism Rituals & Practice. Classification: LCC BQ3147.B775 2018 | DDC 294.3/5—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018012744 v5.3.2 a CONTENTS Foreword by Lopön Claude d’Estrée and Ken Bacher Publisher’s Acknowledgment Translator’s Introduction DAY ONE First Session Second Session DAY TWO First Session Second Session DAY THREE First Session Second Session DAY FOUR First Session Second Session Glossary Works Cited Recommended Reading Books by the Dalai Lama Index E-mail Sign-Up FOREWORD A LL BUDDHIST TEACHINGS begin with a teacher and a student, and the 1993 teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, were no exception. As early as 1986, Howard C. Cutler, MD, requested that His Holiness come to Arizona. His invitation was accepted in 1990, and in September of that year he invited Lopön Claude d’Estrée to join him in requesting specific dates. Finally, in the summer of 1992, word came that His Holiness had agreed to teach in Arizona in the fall of 1993. His Holiness asked what he should teach, and Howard and Claude replied that he should teach whatever he would like to teach. His Holiness then stated that it was the responsibility of the host to determine what would best serve the needs of the students. It didn’t take long for Howard to suggest Shantideva’s teaching on patience. Why patience? First, we wanted to request a teaching that would be universal in scope, one that would appeal to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. Second, we wanted to request a topic that would be very practical, that one could bring into everyday life. Third, we felt that a lack of understanding of patience, and its reflection in the overwhelming dominance of anger, was endemic to our culture. Anger is one of the roots that cause so much unhappiness, suffering, discord, and violence in our world. It is expressed hundreds of times a day in the mass media, especially television. It is found in how we settle disputes in our highly litigious society; in how our leaders conduct themselves in the halls of Congress; in the increase of domestic violence and child abuse; and in the sense of self-hating and self-loathing that pervades our culture. Politeness, kindness, patience, and compassion often seem a part of our mythical past. Shantideva states in the very beginning of his chapter on patience that one moment of anger can wipe out a lifetime of merit. At first this seems a harsh statement, but upon reflection it makes a great deal of sense. When we get angry with someone we are often unaware of the effect it has on that person, let alone the ripple effect it causes. Nonetheless, it does indeed have a ripple effect: that person does not hang on to the anger but passes it on, perhaps repeatedly. The antidote to anger is patience, and so the dissemination of Shantideva’s wisdom regarding patience becomes a critical need in these times. In the course of developing this series of teachings, Arizona Teachings, Inc. was formed with Dr. Cutler, Lopön d’Estrée, and Ken Bacher as founding directors. We decided to take a new approach to the presentation of a teaching by His Holiness. In the past, His Holiness would stay at a nice hotel, a large hall would be rented, and the students would stay at a variety of hotels and motels in the area. Our vision was to have a place where His Holiness could stay that could also accommodate both the teaching hall and the students. In essence we wanted to create a “campus” for five days where everyone who attended the teachings could relax and enjoy each other’s company. It was important that the setting be beautiful and peaceful, a place where His Holiness and his entourage, lay students, and their families would feel enriched by the natural setting. We chose the Sheraton EI Conquistador Resort, surrounded by the Sonora Desert with a backdrop of the Catalina Mountains in Oro Valley just north of Tucson. The morning of His Holiness’ arrival in Tucson was marked by deep blue desert skies and a double rainbow as we approached Oro Valley. On seeing the natural beauty of the setting for the teachings, His Holiness exclaimed that it reminded him very much of Lhasa. And so, with these good omens, on September 11, 1993, in the Year of the Water Bird, at Pusch Ridge in the state of Arizona, numberless gods and demigods, 1,600 humans and bodhisattvas, asuras, and gandharvas assembled to hear His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet and the living incarnation of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, present and comment on Acharya Shantideva’s teaching on patience and the bodhisattva’s way of life. We pray that these teachings are of benefit to all sentient beings. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Funding and support of Arizona Friends of Tibet, and particularly its president, Peggy Hitchcock, made it possible for our fledgling organization to announce the teachings and begin the myriad arrangements required for the visit. Most of the details of the visit were handled by nearly three dozen volunteers, coordinated by Bonnie Cheney. Computer record-keeping systems were created by Dan Crowell, G. Greg Bender, and Richard Laue. Volunteers transcribed the teachings presented in this book from the sixteen hours of oral teachings delivered by His Holiness: thanks go particularly to Julie Jones, Karen Garland, Amy Zehra Conner, and Julie Montgomery. The transcript was then edited by Ken Bacher and put into final form by Kate Bloodgood and Susan Kyser of Snow Lion Publications, with crucial assistance from Geshe Thupten Jinpa. Some small liberties have been taken with the arrangement of the transcribed material to more effectively present it in book form; the editors, however, have striven to preserve the voice of the Dalai Lama as much as possible. None of this would have been possible without the cooperation and support of Kazur Tenzin Geyche Tethong, His Holiness’ private secretary, and his staff; Rinchen Dharlo of the Office of Tibet in New York; and Geshe Thupten Jinpa, who served as His Holiness’ interpreter during the teachings. Finally, our very special thanks go to His Holiness, Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, our teacher and example, for his kindness in offering these teachings to all of us in Arizona and to the world at large. His Holiness’ personal practice of patience is an inspiration to us all. May he live long to turn the Wheel of Dharma for his people and for all people around the world who look to him as an example of enlightened compassion and kindness in a world too filled with distrust, conflict, and anger. May all sentient beings benefit. Lopön Claude d’Estrée Ken Bacher Arizona Teachings, Inc. PUBLISHER‘S ACKNOWLEDGMENT Snow Lion Publications gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Gere Foundation and Tibet Fund in sponsoring the production of this book. THE CHALLENGE OF PATIENCE Translator’s Introduction A POPULAR STORY THAT Tibetan teachers are fond of telling their students narrates an encounter between a hermit and a herdsman: The hermit was living alone in the mountains. One day, a herdsman happened to pass by his cave. Intrigued, the herdsman shouted at the hermit and asked, “What are you doing alone in the middle of nowhere?” The hermit replied, “I am meditating.” “What are you meditating on?” asked the herdsman. “On patience,” said the hermit. There was a moment of silence. After a while, the herdsman decided to leave. Just as he turned to go, he looked back at the hermit and shouted, “By the way, you go to hell!” “What do you mean? You go to hell!” came flying back. The herdsman laughed and reminded the hermit that he was supposed to be practicing patience! This simple story wonderfully illustrates the key challenge for someone who wishes to practice patience: in a situation which would ordinarily give rise to an outburst of anger, how can we maintain spontaneity and yet remain calm in our response? This challenge is not restricted to religious practitioners alone. It is a challenge each of us faces as we try to live our lives with a degree of human dignity and decency. At nearly every turn we are confronted with situations that test the limits of our patience and tolerance. Be it within our family, in the work environment, or simply when interacting with others, often our prejudices are revealed, our beliefs challenged, and our self-image threatened. It is in these moments that our inner resources are most called upon. All of this, Shantideva would say, tests our character, revealing how far we have developed our capacity for patience and tolerance. The story also tells us that patience is something that cannot be cultivated in isolation from other people. In fact, it is a quality that can arise only within the context of our interaction with others, especially with fellow human beings. The hermit’s spontaneous response shows his inner development to have been as unstable as a child’s sandcastle. It is one thing to immerse oneself in warm thoughts of tolerance and compassion toward others in the unchallenged environment of solitude, but it is entirely a different matter to live these ideals in one’s day-to-day interactions with real people. This is of course not to belittle the importance of silent meditation. Such solitary practices internalize insights which otherwise would remain only at the level of intellectual knowledge. And, like most ancient Indian religious traditions, Buddhism advocates meditation as a key element of the spiritual path. But the fact remains that the true test of patience comes only in the context of interaction with others. The third point that we can observe in the brief encounter between our hermit and the herdsman is that genuine patience is developed only when one has gained some degree of control over one’s anger. Of course, reacting with an outburst of strong emotion at unprovoked verbal abuse is a natural human response. But a genuine spiritual person should be capable of going beyond such predictable human responses. This is what Shantideva teaches us in the “Patience” chapter of his Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. And in His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s lucid commentary, we have a clear exposition of the ideals and practices aimed at cultivating and perfecting the vital spiritual quality of patience. The teachings on patience presented in this volume are essential components of what is known in Mahayana Buddhism as the Bodhisattva ideal, namely the selfless ideals of the spiritual aspirant who dedicates his or her entire life toward others’ welfare. Does the Bodhisattva ideal elevate meekness and submission to high, spiritual principles? Does it advocate tolerance toward evil? What about justified anger and hatred? Isn’t what the Bodhisattva ideal asks of us impossible because it goes against basic human nature? These are some of the questions that immediately come to mind for modern readers of Shantideva. SHANTIDEVA AND HIS GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA‘S WAY OF LIFE