Start by taking a moment to settle and relax before you begin.
Find a comfortable sitting position and listen to what the body needs,
Shifting position to be comfortable and balanced if necessary.
Begin by bringing attention to the body in relation to the space it is in,
Sensing the room and any objects around you.
Lift the attention to the entire body as it sits here.
And now move the attention to the breathing process in the whole body,
Breathing naturally,
Leaving the breath to find its own rhythm.
Come back to the sensation of the entire body.
Bring to mind your reasons for doing this exploration on patience.
What's motivating and inspiring you to engage with this process of inner development?
And finally,
Wish yourself success in this process.
This exploration is to help you recognize what is within your control and what is not,
And how that can help you develop patience and counter underlying dissatisfaction.
It will also encourage you to question your life and open up to possibilities of change and fulfillment,
Helping you build a picture of what your potential might be,
What may be helping you develop your potential,
And what may be limiting you at the moment.
You are more in control of your attitudes than external events.
However,
When you confuse what is in your power and control with what is not,
You become more vulnerable to difficult experiences.
In Buddhism,
Patience is seen to counter the disturbing mental states associated with the experiences one does not want and their underlying dissatisfaction.
Patience can be considered one of the main antidotes to hostility,
Aggression,
And hatred and their underlying dissatisfaction.
There are two useful reflections in such situations.
The Buddhist monk Shanti Deva contemplated what is within our control.
If a problem is fixable,
If a situation is such that you can do something about it,
Then there is no need to worry.
If it is not fixable,
Then there is no help worrying.
There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.
Worrying here means to be overanxious and to give in to rumination.
The verse is not about the denial of difficulties.
Epictetus,
The Stoic philosopher,
Also reflected on what is within our power.
On the one hand,
There are things that are in our power,
Whereas other things are not in our power.
In our power are opinion,
Impulse,
Desire,
Aversion,
And in a word whatever is our own doing.
Things not in our power include our body,
Our possessions,
Our reputation,
Our status,
And in a word whatever is not our own doing.
Patience is about enduring difficulties and accepting hardships where necessary,
Allowing yourself to let go of irritability,
Hostility,
And hatred,
And is expressed as self-control and restraint.
Another word for patience is forbearance.
Patience counters violence,
Lack of restraint,
And annoyance.
It is wise to cultivate,
Embody,
And enact patience,
As there will always be frustrations and change in life that you are vulnerable to and that you need to be able to deal with,
And patience can help you with these.
It is also a good idea to practice patience in daily life so that you avoid the consequences of frustration and hostility,
Both for yourself and others.
These consequences could mean both an unpleasant internal experience,
A disturbed mind,
As well as unpleasant external consequences,
Such as losing a friendship after an argument.
If you practice patience repeatedly,
You will diffuse the building up of anger and irritability,
So eventually these do not even arise.
Cultivating patience as a positive quality enables a positive experience,
Allowing a broader range of thoughts about a situation and choices of what to do in a situation,
In other words widening your thought-action repertoire.
This can mean both positive internal experiences,
Inner peace,
As well as positive external experiences,
Such as receiving kindness from others.
However,
Cultivating patience is not easy and requires attention and practice.
Take a moment to ask yourself what you repeatedly get annoyed,
Frustrated,
Or impatient with,
And choose something that is safe for you to explore right now.
What do you think is causing this annoyance,
Frustration or impatience?
Is there an underlying dissatisfaction driving the cause?
What is it?
Are you sure this is driving the cause of your annoyance,
Frustration or impatience?
Might there be anything else?
Thinking again about this underlying dissatisfaction,
What is not within your control?
Are you sure that it is not within your control?
And what is within your control?
Are you sure this is within your control?
Now,
Thinking back over the exploration,
What was in your power?
And what was not?
Was it surprising?
Did these questions help you to develop a deeper understanding of why you might become impatient?
Did they help you change any fixed ideas you had about yourself,
Others or a particular situation?
And do you think this enquiry might help you develop patience over time?
Why or why not?
And remember,
We are using the image of the spiral to show how certain personal qualities build on and reinforce each other in an upward spiral towards positive potential,
A positive reinforcement spiral.
Likewise,
Certain personal qualities also build on and reinforce each other in a downward spiral,
A negative reinforcement spiral.
So using your learning from the previous exploration on patience,
Simply note whether this may be helping you develop towards the top of the spiral or if it may be limiting you towards the bottom.
Finally,
Taking a moment to reconnect with your posture,
Rebalancing,
Relaxing and gently releasing any tension if necessary.
Being aware of the body breathing.
Taking a moment to recall your motivation for doing this exploration.
Learning to mind what you have experienced and learned in this exploration.
Have you discovered anything about yourself?
Have you begun to cultivate any helpful qualities or overcome or let go of any unhelpful qualities?
And how might this process be beneficial and meaningful and contribute to the welfare and well-being of yourself and others,
Your family,
Friends and those close to you,
Those who inspire and nurture your positive development,
And all living beings in the environment they rely on?
And as this exploration ends,
Try to carry this with you wherever you go by recollecting it occasionally.
