The Master of Patience

‘The ancient Masters were profound and subtle. Their wisdom was unfathomable.  There is no way to describe it; all we can do is describe their appearance.  They were careful as someone crossing an iced-over stream.  Alert as a warrior in enemy territory. Courteous as a guest.  Fluid as melting ice.  Shapeable as a block of wood.  Receptive as a valley.  Clear as a glass of water.

Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?  Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself? The Master doesn’t seek fulfillment.  Not seeking, not expecting, she is present, and can welcome all things.’
~ Lao Tzu

Patience is one of the most important qualities to develop for those on any path that leads to greater awareness or enlightenment. Patience automatically follows in the wake of humility and innocence.  In fact, the three are inseparable.  When patience is lacking arrogance arises and one becomes more forceful.  This in turn stresses the nervous system, which in turn leads to more pain and suffering, not less.  Thus the stillness of the Self remains obscured beneath the tumultuous waves of strain and effort.  When patience is completely mastered, humility and innocence are mastered.  As an inevitable result, consciousness is mastered.  Where there is patience there is perfect openness and gentleness.  Naturally the mind and body become less tense.  This provides fertile ground for true conscious, spiritual growth to blossom.  Freedom is never far from one with such qualities.

As long as humanity has existed there have existed those with clear vision and understanding into the true nature of all things.  Such individuals, though rare and often unknown, have been the Lighthouses for those seeking to partake in that same clarity of Divine Wisdom.  The message of these great Masters is that pure wisdom already exists within everyone and everything.  Underlying the ever-changing activity of the phenomenal universe lies the unshakable, indestructible stillness and fullness of the Absolute.  Just as water is the uniting essence for all the apparently diverse reflections on the surface of a clear pond, Reality is the still foundation in which all things are forever intimately connected. This perfect truth is obscured in most by the ‘muddiness’ of past conditioning and chaotic thought streams which lead to outward projected awareness.  When awareness is constantly projected outwards, the inner awareness of the Ascendant Self remains unrecognized.  Thus the average human lives a frail life, dreaming dreams of limitation, suffering and death.  The clouds blocking the light of the Self remain intact.

The royal road that leads beyond such unfortunate and unnecessary habits leads within.  If the desire to wake up is present along with a valid technique and clear guidance, this inward march can be relatively smooth and effortless. Patience is a quality that will forever prove necessary.  In fact, it only becomes more important as one evolves, not less. Anything less than patience is arrogance and is a waste of energy.  Nothing can be done to allow the ‘muddiness’ of thoughts and conditioning dissipate faster than to watch patiently and Ascend.  Any forcefulness will only work in the opposite direction of clarity.  Patience and mindfulness while one Ascends allows ‘right action’ to arise by itself in the most efficient way.  Innocence means not seeking or expecting anything in particular. With innocence one is open to all things.  To be perfectly present is to be perfectly innocent and to be perfectly innocent is to be perfectly present.  As a result, one is accepting to all thoughts, feelings or situations.  Nothing is resisted because nothing is judged.

Ultimately the path of true conscious growth into enlightenment must both begin and end with the qualities of patience, humility and innocence.  When the presence of the Ascendant Self begins to be consciously experienced within, the qualities of this inseparable trio become natural, as these qualities are inseparable from the Absolute.  But these things are still qualities of the Absolute and not the Absolute itself! This presence is literally beyond description and beyond particular qualities.  That is why the unfathomable wisdom of the ancient masters was indescribable.  All that could be described was the physical appearance and actions of those who had realized It! It is both profound and subtle in its unmistakable glory.  To be consciously immersed in That is to be forever careful, alert, courteous, fluid, shapeable, receptive, crystal clear, still, perfectly patient and perfectly free.