Perfection of Patience

The action of waiting is hardly considered a virtue, but when linked with determination, it can be viewed differently. The two, along with hope, go hand in hand. The defeated and exiled Scot leader Robert Bruce once saw a spider repeatedly failing to weave its web onto the next beam, but it kept trying patiently until it succeeded in its seventh attempt. Robert Bruce overcame dejection and returned to win the battle against England. Patience should adopt silence, for, as Joyce Meyer says, 'Patience is not simply the ability to wait, but it is how we behave while we wait.'

One may wait but with a stream of expletives flung at another or one's situation. The litmus test for a person's emotional quotient is the limit in patience and ability to remain silent. Certain religions prescribe maun vrat, silence, to test one's spiritual progress. Consistency in a display of patience leads one to maintain silence amidst chatter. Spiritual masters say that without patience, we will learn, see, hear and feel less.

In effect, a person achieves less than possible. Buddhism promotes 'kshanti paramita', the transformative perfection of patience, which lends strength of character and dignity to the person who has mastered it. It equips man to handle adversities with equanimity as a way of acquiescence to the Almighty's will.