Path Of Creator Videos

[Transcript]

Hi, I am Jonny John.

Today I want to talk about the practice of patience.

The practice of patience is one of the greatest catalysts for Self-Transformation. Let us understand why.

So, now we all know that the seed cause for all forms of Sufferings are Negative Ideas.

Negative Ideas are ideas which promote the rejection of The Self.

For instance, they can be understood as self-declarations which begin with "It is not ok..." for instance, "It is not ok to be taken advantage of, it is not ok to be embarassed..." and so forth.

Now let us understand impatience in relation to Negative Ideas.

Impatience is simply when The Self is experiencing the surfacing of Negative Ideas within the mind in a situation where one cannot escape from it.

Most of the time, when we experience the surfacing of Negative Ideas, we usually can run away from the situation that has brought it out.

For instance, when we experience anger inside us towards someone else, we can just avoid that person!

However, impatience is experienced in a situation where you cannot really do anything but to face the Negative Ideas surfacing.

For instance, in a situation where you are waiting for a friend who is 30 minutes late but you feel obliged to wait.

Or in a work situation where you are stuck with a customer, and you cannot simply walk away.

For instance, in those experiences, you may be facing the negative idea "It is not ok to waste time, it is not ok to be rude, it is not ok to be stupid", but you are stuck in the situation and cannot resolve it through running away.

Now how does patience help to catalyze the transformation of Negative Ideas?

Now there are two main things which the practice of patience does.

Firstly, by being patient when we are impatient, we are trying to not react negatively more than we need to a situation. This allows us to observe the situation with a clearer and calmer mind, allowing us to develop the Knowing of The Self. And doing this will also help to transform our habit of always reacting negatively again and again.

Secondly, by trying to be patient all the time, it will bring out the deeper impatience from within—the hidden Negative Ideas—which will allow us to develop the Knowing of what is really making us impatient.

And every time you try to be patient, you are in fact developing Self-Acceptance because you are saying that the situation is "Ok" rather than "It is not ok."

Practicing patience can be truly challenging. So to put it into practice, what you can do is that when you experience impatience, simply try to be patient just a little bit more.

For instance, when you feel the urge to buy something, simply be patient a little bit more and observe.

For instance, when you feel the urge to argue with someone, simply be patient a little bit more and observe.

Practices such as meditation can help greatly catalyze the transformation of Negative Ideas because when you are in the practice of meditation, you have no choice but to observe the surfacing of Negative Ideas within the consciousness—whether it is Negative Ideas about the practice itself or the Negative Ideas surfacing due to the wandering thoughts—that come in and out of your meditation sessions.

So, next time in your meditation sessions, when you feel the need to stop the practice, simply practice it 5 minutes more before you stop. This will help you to learn how to develop the mental muscles to overcome impatience—to overcome the urge to react negatively more than you need to.

So, in summary, patience is a great catalyst for Self-Transformation.

Exercise

Pick a day of a week to be patient.

On that day, whenever you experience impatience rise up within you, simply observe it.

You can observe it by trying to become aware of the negative physical sensations that surface on your body as you do this; maybe it's a pain in the stomach; maybe it's stress on the head; simply observe those physical sensations and try to overcome it, accept it, and tell yourself "It is ok, it is ok."

So, when you face situations where you feel the need to escape, physically, or into the mind, or to distract yourself with music, simply face that impatience with patience. Instead of saying "It is not ok", declare to yourself "it is ok" and try your best to come into acceptance with whatever is happening that is making you impatient.

-Jonny John Liu

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