The world of Tzu Chi June 2020 (Vol.123)

49 TZU CHI 123 * The article is extracted from the book “Still Thoughts (Vol. 2)”. A member said, “Master, I want to be your good disciple. However, the more I tolerate a certain person’s insults, the more he seeks to benefit from the situation by trying to gain a yard after taking an inch. My anger is on the verge of exploding. What should I do?” The Master answered, “Try to regard that man as Buddha who arranges various types of distress just to test you. How could you be angry with Buddha since you want to imitate his behaviour?” Someone asked the Master to talk about the importance of tolerance and patience. The Master said, “Of the six virtues, tolerance is most important. The friction between people is caused by a lack of tolerance and patience. Aman can never cultivate the other five virtues – unselfish giving, abiding by the Buddhist disciplines, self-improvement, meditation and wisdom, without having cultivated tolerance. You need to be tolerant and patient in order to do things that benefit all living creatures. Each living creature has a different nature. If we want to help living creatures remove their bad habits, we need to wait patiently for the right moment. We can then accomplish our task as easily as skimming oil off the surface of a pool of water. When a person is tolerant and patient, he is able to deal with people smoothly and reasonably. Thus, he can promote the six virtues without expending too much effort.” A member asked, “What kind of people do you feel less compelled to forgive when they offend you?” The Master said, “I can forgive anyone who is rude to me except those who lie. To err is human, but when a man is dishonest, he is unpardonable.” Serene Reflection Question & Answer By Dharma Master Cheng Yen