..续本文上一页, “Today, I”m going to try to the best of my ability to be patient.” And then in the evening you can look back over the whole day with loving-kindness and not beat yourself up. You”re patient with the fact that when you review your day, or even the last forty minutes, you discover, “I”ve talked and filled up all the space, just like I”ve done all my life, as long as I can remember. I was aggressive with the same style of aggression that I”ve used as long as I can remember. I got carried away with irritation exactly the same way that I have for the last...” If you”re twenty years old, it”s been twenty years that you”ve been doing it that way; if you”re seventy-five years old, it”s seventy-five years that you”ve been doing it that way. You see this and you say, “Give me a break!”

　　The path of developing loving-kindness and compassion is to be patientwith the fact that you”re human and that you make these mistakes. That”s more important than getting it right. It seems to work only if you”re aspiring to give yourself a break, to lighten up, as you practice developing patience and other qualities such as generosity, discipline and insight. As with the rest of the teachings, you can”t win and you can”t lose. You don”t get to just say, “Well, since I am never able to do it, I”m not going to try.” You are never able to do it and still you try. And, interestingly enough, that adds up to something; it adds up to loving-kindness for yourself and for others. You look out your eyes and you see yourself wherever you go. You see all these people who are losing it, just like you do. Then, you see all these people who catch themselves and give you the gift of fearlessness. You say, “Oh wow, what a brave one—he or she caught themselves.” You begin to appreciate even the slightest gesture of bravery on the part of others because you know it”s not easy, and that inspires you tremendously. That”s how we can really help each other.

《The Answer to Anger & Aggression is Patience》全文阅读结束。