Sat, 16 Sep 2006
Be Patient
The Tibetan Meditation Center has a nice teaching by Khenchen in their latest newsletter that I liked and thought was worth posting. Hope they don't send their lawyers after me for quoting from it. Hmmm... I don't see any copyright notice.
Meditation is the principal method to train our mind in wisdom and compassion. There is no other way, so we need determination and dedication. If mind were a machine, you could push a button and it would do what you demand of it. But mind does not operate that way; it does not react instantly. Meditation is the only "button" we can push to effect mental transformation.
We are so habituated in this modern time to think that the whole world functions as a machine. Everywhere we go, in the office, on the road, in the house, we push a button and things work. Because of that conditioning, we mistakenly think that meditation should work the same way. If we don't get results in one session, we get discouraged and say it doesn't work. So, we have to understand that meditation takes a long time. Mind is not a machine, so we must apply perseverance and patience.
With proper patience we can practice without resentment and hatred. We joyfully and fearlessly put in our time and energy--that is the true meaning of patience. Keep going every day, no matter how long it takes to accustom yourself. This is not something to finish in a couple of years. It may take ten years or a lifetime.
