To savor something new, we need to let go of the old.

Emotional reactions to suffering are useless. 

Alleviate them. 

News is everywhere. On our phones, the Internet. On social media, the TV. The list is long and the onslaught nonstop. Wishing to be informed world citizens, we read, watch, and listen. And to the suffering that we see depicted before us, we react with emotions ranging from sadness to anger. We believe these reactions are how caring people would respond. 

But if emotional responses are all we can muster, what will they accomplish? One more person suffering—us! This helps no one, not those caught in the dire situation, nor us. 

If we can do something to improve the situation for others, then we try to do so. For if all we can do is to watch helplessly, what will we accomplish? We’ll only add to the shared angst in the world. 

What should we do instead when there is nothing we can do about what we see? 

We can remain calm. 

We chant the buddha-name. 

Slowly, over time, we will thus end the counter-productive whirlpool of our own emotions.

Every thought is important.

Patience enables us to achieve what we once thought 

could never be ours.

Patience enables us to endure what those who are unable to practice it would normally find upsetting. These include physical discomfort, insults, and setbacks in one’s practice. 

Patience enables us to understand that such things are the karmic results of the thoughts and behaviors we committed. With insight, we will begin to realize that becoming angry rather than remaining calm and quiet will create enmities. New enmities will further deter the building of Dharma relationships, affinities that will allow us to teach the Dharma to others once we are born in the Pure Land and uncover our innate abilities. 

Patience is not just about endurance. 

Or about awaiting better conditions. Because irritations and setbacks test our patience, they are opportunities to deepen it, which, in turn, will help us advance on the path to liberation.