Patience and Pace. . .
Patience (“khanti”) is one of the Buddhist perfections. In a culture of instant gratification, patience is radical. It’s not passive waiting but active endurance — staying steady and open-hearted in the face of delays, challenges, or provocations.
Daily life offers countless opportunities to practice patience: traffic jams, long checkout lines, slow coworkers, tech glitches. These moments can either fuel frustration or build strength. By breathing, noticing sensations, and reframing the delay as practice, you transform irritation into resilience.
Patience also deepens relationships. Instead of snapping during an argument, you pause, listen, and respond thoughtfully. This breaks cycles of escalation and builds trust.
In Buddhist teaching, patience is closely tied to compassion and wisdom. You’re patient not just for your own sake but out of understanding that everyone struggles. The person cutting you off in traffic may be rushing to a hospital. This perspective softens the heart.
Cultivating patience improves your nervous system. Stress hormones drop, your mind clears, and your decision-making improves. Over time, patience becomes a quiet power — allowing you to navigate life’s ups and downs with grace.
Patience isn’t about enduring injustice or staying silent in harm. It’s about maintaining clarity and kindness even as you take necessary action. In a fast-paced world, this is a profound skill.
Peace and Love, Jim
#patience #thedailybuddha #tdb
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