Luang Por Liem: The Ways of the Peaceful - Wat Pah Nanachat

importance by identifying with them, saying we are like this or
this is ours, they became very powerful and are able to tie us
down.
So the Buddha taught that we should learn to go against the
grain and skilfully develop patient endurance, with mindfulness
well established and our minds well focused, especially in
situations that we have never encountered before. The process is
similar to catching animals in the jungle. Catching a wild animal
is not easy. One needs to learn a lot about its behaviour and
approach it with gentleness. One needs to be sure that one knows
the animal’s behaviour very well until one can approach it.
So we need to observe ourselves. Look at the external side, the
way we live our life. If you’ve studied it well, you will know what
this lifestyle of a monk is like. Whenever you don’t get what you
like, take it as a training in the Dhamma. At least you get some
experience and training with the Dhamma of patient endurance. It
is exactly when we get used to patiently enduring things that it
makes us feel that everything is simply ordinary and not
particularly difficult, not something to get agitated about. These
situations become easy and they are conducive for a life that
pursues liberation. We need to conduct ourselves accordingly and
train ourselves, being aware and cautious, practicing to be mindful
– mindful not to get lost in worldly attitudes, mindful not to get
lost in one’s moods.
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