We are more likely to remember experiences that caused suffering rather than enjoyment: They leave more of a mark. However, we all possess the key to ending suffering. The more content and fulfilled we are, the more we are able to tolerate whatever life may bring.
You have to have tolerance, unless you are going to live in a cave, or surround yourselves with so many comforts that you are cushioned from the reality of life. However, consider how many things you would miss out on if you did that! To see the good in life, you need to change your mindset and become more aware of it. If you adjust your perspective in response to circumstances that are not as you would like and make you feel uncomfortable, you will not suffer. There are numerous levels that require tolerance. The first is toward the natural world and its elements; the second is toward the challenges posed by the body; and the third is toward the level of other people, whether they are friends, relatives, or strangers. With the elements, it can be as simple as bringing an umbrella in case it rains. In order to manage and maintain physical challenges, it may require making some practical adjustments. Be careful not to pay too much attention to whatever irritates you. You are aware that what you tolerate with some people or circumstances, you do not tolerate with others. If you give attention to a small thing, you feel it. However, you do not if you concentrate on the bigger picture. Take pleasure in your experiences. Accept that some are good and some aren’t so good; your approach determines whether you enjoy or suffer; why choose to suffer? I learned from Dadi Janki that I need to be happy and fulfilled in order to truly tolerate. When I lack tolerance – and the signs of that are stress, complaining, irritation, lack of sleep – that means there is something within me that I have to fulfil. If I am content and full, then using the power of tolerance is not only easy, it is so natural that I do not even notice it.
I need to work on a part of myself if I can’t stand a certain person or circumstance. I should really talk to myself to figure out what’s wrong and what I’m missing. And let me try to be content. Tolerance gradually becomes a natural part of my life as I become more content. Dadi Janki described tolerance as an active power; It moves the energy, finds solutions. Patience, on the other hand, is passively accepting a situation that you can’t change; it’s best to sit back and enjoy it until things change. Tolerance and patience go hand in hand, but it’s important to know when to act and move on and when to be patient and accept things. Finally, tolerance brings individuals together in a process of creating unity. You can’t force this. It is a natural outcome of the inner work you do to change your attitude and awareness.