ཀླའ་རྒྱལ་པ་རྔ་སྒྲའ་ཚགས་ས་བཅད་པ 7

7

It is better to be patient with those who lack patience themselves.
Always be tranquil with those who are irritable,
And always ignore others’ faults.

“ ‘Words of superiors are meant to intimidate, and
Words of rivals are meant to provoke a fight, so have patience.
The noble ones have declared that showing patience for the words of one’s inferiors
Is known as the supreme patience.

“ ‘Small-minded people who are impatient
With those who curse, speak rashly,
And use harsh words
Are like hail falling on a lotus flower.

“ ‘Those learned ones who demonstrate great patience
To those who curse, speak rashly,
And use harsh words
Are like a rain of flowers falling on an elephant.

“ ‘The learned, possessing wisdom,
Have patience for all those
Who are angry and deceitful,
And who use harsh words.

“ ‘A rock does not melt when burned,
Nor does it dissolve in the rain;
Likewise, the learned never succumb
To either happiness or pain.

“ ‘When justly scolded,
The learned remain patient;
But they also remain patient when unjustly accused.
No one demonstrates this apart from them.

“ ‘In this way, the learned may strive to endure
Tolerable suffering for the sake of wealth;
But if they can abandon intolerable miseries
And go elsewhere, it is like gaining a thousandfold.

“ ‘Don’t try to reach and grasp for branches.
Instead, be free from desire, and don’t let your mind become attached.
Since the Earth is filled with good and pleasant things,
Surely you can go elsewhere in this wide world?

“ ‘Wherever you are scorned, disrespected,
Ridiculed, or defamed,
It is better to leave quietly like a solitary buddha.
There is no good reason for the learned to keep company with fools.

“ ‘Wherever people take delight in conflict,
Entertain deceitful thoughts, are persistently malicious,
And indulge in gossipy, divisive, deceitful, or abusive speech,