Patience: Transforming Suffering Into Virtue

In this talk and meditation, we explore the value of patience. Patience is a virtue that, when cultivated, allows us to use suffering, difficulty, and challenge to grow and to know ourselves on deeper and deeper levels. Ultimately, it allows us to move closer to experiencing reality as it is. Patience can be considered one of the foundational virtues, as it is the basis of cultivating all other virtues, through allowing us to be fully present and nonreactive to all that we experience.

Reviews

Dear Thomas, I’ve been meaning to write you and this morning your practice around patience came to me. It was exactly what I needed. You would have laughed your authentic Thomas laughter this morning as I was practicing stillness while my son started to scream at me “food” and then “papa” so loudly. I channeled your exemple in the army neeeding to stay still. He eventually stopped. And afterwards it gave me the opportunity to explain my practice and relate it to him doing sets at the gym without interruption. Patience with my son is the biggest practice I have ever been through in life. So many times I have chosen to be reactive while I should have been still, breathing, giving space to the regulation process he needed. I am still experiencing impatience from time to time and this as you say allows me to notice when I am being patient. Thank you for sharing with us your research around virtues. It is very helpful! 🙏

Thomas
At the end of this class, I just found myself thinking, yeah! so good, so good. I find myself so grounded after one of your talks and meditations.. thank you.
Blessings to you..

Thank you for such a profound talk on the virtue of patience; came at a time I needed it the most. Will listen again. Thank you! 🙏🙏🙏

What a timely and pivotal practice for me. This is the muscle I will choose to strengthen. And no doubt will be given the gift to practice often. Thank you 🙏🏼 for this wonderful class. The quote by Victor Frankel is incredibly powerful and relevant.
And the Choice. I choose patience- to remain calm amidst the suffering and be aware of the less virtuous path that offers attention instead. Great learning opportunity! So grateful for this!!

Wow, this was excellent! I love all of your teachings, but I especially love this one on the virtue of patience. Thank you so much! 🙏🌼

Thank you so much again Thomas. I feel a profound stillness and a sense of being grounded. I will use this recording for my daily practice of patience. Wishing you the best.

I have listened to this before… but especially salient today as I face a physical pain that may take weeks to resolve. Thank you so much. Do you have a recommendation for a specific writing of Hazarat Inaya Kahn (sp?) that I might start with? What have you written??

Hazrat Inayat Khan said
“When the cry of the disciple has reached a certain pitch, the teacher comes to answer it.”
Thank you for wisdom and teaching.

Despite many interrupted attempts at sitting and not squirming, itching or fidgeting or moving my aching painful arm to date, due to giving in, I managed to sit through them all just now in the 15 min meditation. I now feel this new life is really happening.

I took your advice on the order of listening to the next few talks. Do you have any suggestion for the order in which I might listening to others?

It was great to hear about your experience in the marines. Namaste 🙏

Very inspiring! Thank you Thomas, your wisdom shines so bright 🌟💖😘

Thankyou so much Thomas. 🙏
I try to stay incognito on Insight Timer...But need to speak my appreciation of your work...
Since I have found you, I have repeatedly been guided by your wisdom through gosh..5? Of your meditations so far..Doing the “Mystical” one quite a few times...But this one for the first time...And for me today, perhaps the most resonant..Patience is a virtue...And one that’s needed for me to practice constantly!...But I’m getting there!...Yours, in honour and spirit..🙏
Thankyou again.💞

Thank you Thomas.

So happy when the meditation ended haha! Was listening to your lecture during my walk today and ended up doing the meditation in the park. Tried to find a spot without mosquitos but they did find me, challenged my patience not to touch my face and neck!!
Good practice for an impatient creature😅Thanks again for another wonderful session. Putting this in my favorite!

Absolutely excellent talk on patience achieving both simplicity and depth on the topic. Delivered with a wonderful attitude and small moments of humor

Perfectly timed and so much I could take away with me for my day. Thank you.

So beautiful and incredibly relaxing.
Thank you for the experience.
Namaste 🙏🏻🦋