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In chapter 8–15, Śāntideva turns to the topic of purification and discusses the various practices bodhisattvas can engage in to purify themselves of sinful actions and afflictive emotions. These actions include: confession and atonement, the practice of patience, putting forth effort in study and learning, purifying the mind through meditation, and applying the mind to the practice of mindfulness.
Chapter 9: Perfection of Patience
In order to eschew immorality, which causes continuous suffering, and to dispel the karmic obscurations, one must cleanse negative emotions. To do so, one must practice patience. Without patience or tolerance, which is, in essence, the ability to bear discontent and weariness, one cannot succeed in study, contemplation, or practice. Thus, one must first pursue study without weariness and then endeavor in meditation, which will help cleanse the afflictive emotions.
What are the types of patience or tolerance then? Śāntideva cites The Compendium of Dharma Sūtra (Skt. Dharmasaṃgītisūtra) to present the three types of patience: the patience of undertaking suffering, the patience of undertaking Dharma, and the patience of being unirked by harm doers. The patience of undertaking suffering counteracts unhappiness and anger resulting from encountering unpleasant experiences which are not desirable or obstructing pleasant things which are desirable. The Moon Lamp Sūtra succinctly describes patience as not being attached to happiness and not being tired of suffering. Similarly, The Questions of Ugraḥ Sūtra (Skt. Gṛhapatyugraparipṛcchāsūtra) recommends that a bodhisattva householder engage in the world with equanimity free from attachment and aversion to deal with the eight worldly concerns of gain, loss, praise, criticism, fame, infamy, pleasure, and pain. Seeing things as illusory, one must not have pride in getting what one likes or displeasure and timidity in not getting what one likes. The sūtra also advises that one must not have too fickle and sensitive a mind to avoid sadness. Patience, in most Mahāyāna literature, is defined as an unperturbed mind.
Besides, Śāntideva quotes his own words from The Way of the Bodhisattva to say that there is no need to get upset if something can be fixed and no use getting upset if something cannot be fixed. Moreover, Śāntideva argues in both his works that everything, including tolerating harm and pain, can become easy with practice. Ordinary people such as farmers, fishermen, and soldiers tolerate great hardship and pain for basic livelihood or worldly gains because they are used to facing hardship. What need is there to say then of bodhisattvas who work for the much greater cause of dispelling the misery of the entire world and eliminating the negative emotions, which have caused so much harm throughout lifetimes?
With practice and training, a bodhisattva can achieve the meditative state of being imbued with bliss even when he is inflicted with the suffering of hell or the pain of bodily parts being chopped off. Śāntideva cites The Sutra on the Meeting of Father and Son (Skt. Pitāputrasamāgamanasūtra), which lists the many kinds of torture and hardship a bodhisattva may be subjected to and which also states that a bodhisattva would only experience bliss and pleasure in all circumstances due to his persistent prayers and practice of sympathetic joy. He then cites The Teachings of Akṣayamati Sūtra (Skt. Akṣayamatinirdeśasūtra), which describes the great joy of bodhisattvas and lists the many ways in which to feel and express joy.
The Questions of Sāgaramati Sūtra (Skt. Sāgaramatiparipṛcchāsūtra) also presents the practice of patience, pointing out how a bodhisattva should not be disturbed and his principles and practices not shaken by harm doers, evil forces, distractions, abuses, etc. Even if one's body is cut into small pieces the size of Indian juniper needles while one is upholding the thought of giving, discipline, patience, effort, meditation, and wisdom, a bodhisattva should not give rise to disturbance in his mind and give up the thought of reaching buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. Should the body of a bodhisattva with skill-in-means be cut into pieces, he can perfect the practice of the six perfections in such an instance. To let go of and give up the body is the perfection of giving, to spread loving-kindness to all beings and not give in to sensation is the perfection of discipline, to tolerate the pain and not be mentally wounded when the body is harmed is perfection of patience, to not give up the pursuit of buddhahood and engagement in the world to promote virtue is the perfection of effort, to calmly think of buddhahood and not forget bodhicitta even when the body is being destroyed is the perfection of meditation, and to see the body as impermanent and illusory even as it is being cut is the perfection of wisdom. Thus, a bodhisattva must put on the armor of patience or tolerance. One must not react or retaliate but have forbearance to be undisturbed even if one's life were at stake.
Additional resources
Here we need to think about what would be particularly useful to the student/reader at this point. Link to key terms found in chapter one? Any thoughts?
The Way of the Bodhisattva
The Compendium of Training
