Item 3 in Six Perfections
Patience
Respond to difficulty without hatred, while retaining boundaries and justice.
- Position
- 3
- Form
- Mixed formulation
- Obligation
- Context-dependent
- Wording status
- Translation
- Intended audience
- Bodhisattva practitioners, with wider ethical application
- Last reviewed
- 28 June 2026
Names and terminology
Canonical name: Patience
Source wording
Respond to difficulty without hatred, while retaining boundaries and justice.
Broader interpretation
Respond to difficulty without hatred, while retaining boundaries and justice.
Practical meaning
Respond to difficulty without hatred, while retaining boundaries and justice.
Ethical purpose
This principle is intended to guide conduct, character and relationships in accordance with the parent framework.
Variations across schools or traditions
Interpretation and application may vary across communities, translations and individual circumstances.
Criticism and difficult cases
This principle should be applied with attention to evidence, consent, equality, power, foreseeable harm and realistic alternatives.
Truth By Reason analysis
Respond to difficulty without hatred, while retaining boundaries and justice. Its ethical force depends on whether its application reduces avoidable harm and respects equal human dignity.
Ethical themes
Sources
- The Dhāraṇī of the Essence of the Six Perfections Mainstream secondary source