Kshanti (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

') or khanti (

Pāli Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhi ...

) is

patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when face ...

forbearance Forbearance, in the context of a mortgage process, is a special agreement between the lender and the borrower to delay a foreclosure. The literal meaning of forbearance is "holding back". This is also referred to as mortgage moratorium. Applica ...

and

forgiveness Forgiveness, in a psychological sense, is the intentional and voluntary process by which one who may initially feel victimized or wronged, goes through a change in feelings and attitude regarding a given offender, and overcomes the impact of t ...

. It is one of the

pāramitā ''Pāramitā'' (Sanskrit, Pali: पारमिता) or ''pāramī'' (Pāli: पारमी), is a Buddhist term often translated as "perfection". It is described in Buddhist commentaries as noble character qualities generally associated wit ...

s in both

Theravāda ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

and

Mahāyāna Buddhism ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...

Canonical sources

Examples in the

Pāli canon The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school. During ...

identify using forbearance in response to others' anger, cuckolding, torture and even fatal assaults.

Dhammapada verses

''Khanti'' is the first word of the ''Ovada-Patimokkha Gatha'' (Pāli for " Patimokkha Exhortation Verse"), also found in the

Dhammapada The Dhammapada ( Pāli; sa, धर्मपद, Dharmapada) is a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures. The original version of the Dhammapada is in the Khuddak ...

, verse 184: Elsewhere in the Dhammapada ''khanti'' is found in verse 399:

Lord Sakka's restraint

In the '' Samyutta Nikaya'', the Buddha tells of an ancient battle between ''devas'' and ''

asuras Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the word is sometimes translated ...

'' during which the ''devas'' were victorious and the ''asura'' king Vepacitti was captured and imprisoned. When the ''deva'' lord, Sakka visited Vepacitti in prison, Vepacitti "abused and reviled him with rude, harsh words," to which Sakka did not respond in kind. Afterwards, Sakka's charioteer questioned Sakka about this, expressing concern that some would see Sakka's response as indicative of fear or weakness. Sakka replied: The Buddha then commended to his followers Sakka's praise for "patience and gentleness" (''khantisoraccassa'').

A cuckold's forbearance

In a ''Jātaka'' tale, ''Exposition on Patience Birth Story'' (': J 225), the Buddha tells of a former life when he was Brahmadatta, a king of Benares. At the time, a courtier of the king "fell into an intrigue in the king's harem." This same courtier was being similarly betrayed by one of his own servants and complained to the king about that servant. In response, the king disclosed his knowledge of the courtier's betrayal and stated: Shamed by the king's awareness of their deeds, the courtier and his servant henceforth ceased their betrayals.

Parables of torture

The '' Majjhima Nikaya'' has a classic parable of Buddhist forbearance, the ''Buddha's Simile of the Saw'':

Monks, even if bandits were to carve you up savagely, limb by limb, with a two-handled saw, he among you who let his heart get angered even at that would not be doing my bidding. Even then you should train yourselves: "Our minds will be unaffected and we will say no evil words. We will remain sympathetic, with a mind of good will, and with no inner hate. We will keep pervading these people with an awareness imbued with good will and, beginning with them, we will keep pervading the all-encompassing world with an awareness imbued with good will—abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will." That's how you should train yourselves.

Similarly, in the ''Jātaka'' Tale, ''Patience Teacher Birth Story'' (''Khantivādī Jātaka'': J 313), a jealous king repeatedly asked an ascetic what the ascetic taught, to which the ascetic replied, "Patience," which the ascetic further defined as "not to get angry when injured, criticized or struck." To test the ascetic's patience, the king had the ascetic struck two thousand times with a whip of thorns, had the ascetic's hands and feet axed off, cut off the ascetic's nose and ears, and then kicked the ascetic in the heart. After the king left, the ascetic wished the king a long life and said, "Those like myself do not feel wrath." The ascetic died later that day.Nandisena (2000).
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Citations

General sources

* Bodhi, Bhikkhu (trans.) (2000). ''The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the ''. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications. . * Dhammayut Order in the United States of America (1994). ''A Chanting Guide''. Retrieved 3 Jul 2007 from "Access to Insight" a

* Bhikkhu Nandisena, Nandisena, Bhikkhu (2000). ''Khantivadi Jataka'' ( J 313). Retrieved 8 Jul 2007 from "El Centro Mexicano del Buddhismo Theravada" a

* T. W. Rhys Davids, Rhys Davids, T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5). ''The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary''. Chipstead:

Pali Text Society The Pali Text Society is a text publication society founded in 1881 by Thomas William Rhys Davids "to foster and promote the study of Pāli texts". Pāli is the language in which the texts of the Theravada school of Buddhism are preserved. The ...

. A general on-line search engine for this dictionary is available at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/. * Rouse, W.H.D. (trans.) and E.B. Cowell (ed.) (1895, 2006). ''The Jātaka or Stories of the Buddha's Former Births'' (Vol. II). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 4 Jul 2007 from "The Internet Sacred Text Archive" at http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/j2/index.htm. * Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997a). ''Brahmanavagga: Brahmans'' ( Dhp XXVI). Retrieved 3 Jul 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.26.than.html. * Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997b). ''Buddhavagga: Awakened'' ( Dhp XIV). Retrieved 3 Jul 2007 from "Access to Insight" a

* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997c). ''Kakacupama Sutta: The Simile of the Saw (excerpt)'' ( Majjhima Nikaya, MN 21). Retrieved 3 Jul 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.021x.than.html.

External links

"The Antidote to Snakebite: Talk one of six on patience or ''kshanti''
(transcribed talk), by FWBO's Ratnaghosa {{Buddhism topics Sanskrit words and phrases Wholesome factors in Buddhism