From irritability to patience

Gaden Shartse DroPhenLing Grand Puja with Dagyab Rinpoche, monks & volunteers

It has indeed been a fruitful 2 months with the visit of 2 of my gurus, the Grand Puja, initiations and many teachings.  And I ended the 2 months in full bliss, and  almost falling sick. Had a sore throat but fortunately I recovered within 2 days without getting a cough, because I  took Bird Nest Chuan Bei Pi Pa Gao (a traditional Chinese cough syrup), as well as I meditated and chanted the Medicine Buddha mantra and other mantras for protection.

Other than that, the past 2 weeks have been a little unsettling. I found myself having to deal with people who disturb me no less, with unimportant trivial matters, through the most ridiculous ways of communication. With my many years of working in sales, I have come across many types of people, and I must say, people's management is one of my forte, although not exactly excelling in it. I try to be accommodating most of the time and I do meet many benefactors along the way. Of course, on and off, there are the very few who still make me irritated and lose my cool.  

It was timely I attended the Guru Puja Tsog Offering yesterday at Amitabha Buddhist Centre.  Guru Puja is conducted twice every month on the 10th and 25th of the lunar Tibetan calendar. It is a very important puja as it can accumulate extensive merits - offerings are made to all the enlightened beings from Shakyamuni Buddha to all the lineage lamas to our personal guru. It strengthens the bond with one’s spiritual master and creates the cause for finding one's spiritual master again and again in future lives.  Also, for tantric practitioners, engaging in Guru Puja helps to purify any transgressed vows.  In terms of generating merit, attending pujas in a group is also a karmic bonus – every person doing the puja accumulates the same amount of merit as all participants combined. How wonderful! Yesterday's guru puja there were almost 100 participants with the presence of Geshe Chonyi and Venerable George.

Guru Puja is one of my favourite pujas because of the benefits (read my previous post about "The significance of Guru Puja"). Also I can chant the text in Tibetan which is so beautiful and melodious, especially the tsog offering verses. Doing the puja twice every month makes me even more familiar with the text. Yesterday, one particular verse caught my attention, maybe it was exactly what I needed to hear and to remind myself of - the perfection of patience.  It says, 

Should even all the beings of the three realms without exception,
Become angry at me, humiliate, criticize, threaten or even kill me,
I seek your blessings not to be agitated, but to complete the perfection of patience,
That works for their benefit in response to their harm.

Yes I need to control myself from being agitated and to practice patience, especially when interacting with people and testy situations. Besides people being angry with us, sometimes strangers being extra nice to me with ulterior motive, can agitate me with their actions too. I need to put this irritability into the practice of patience. 

May I develop an even clearer mind as I grow older, learn to be independent with the support of true friends. May those who are sick and facing obstacles, and those who need a peace of mind, as well as those who appear well but unsettled inside, be completely healed.