How to Deal with Frustration in Practice?
We have to be aware that taming the mind is never an easy task. It is helpful to recognize one’s own states when encountering ups and downs. But more importantly, whatever states one is in, accept this fluctuation in practice as a natural thing and keep going. Even the great masters like Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche made unremitting effort for years and years in the spiritual path. If one can persevere in practice, one will not easily be shaken and will definitely make good progress.
Question:
During the process of training the mind, my negative habitual tendencies frequently emerge, which makes me feel very frustrated and steps up pressure on my practice. My question is, in our practice, how can we deal with frustration coming from being aware of our own negative habitual tendencies? Thank you.
Khenpo Sodargye:
For a student who tries to complete his study, he may sometimes feel it difficult to keep going. A successful entrepreneur might have confronted a lot of hardships in pursuing his success. Similarly, the spiritual path is also not easy but very challenging. It is true not only for us but for some great masters, like Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche who continually made great effort in practice year after year without interruption and spent a great deal of time practicing everyday. So these are common experiences in pursuing a great accomplishment.
During the process, it is good for you to be aware of negative habitual tendencies, but you should never give up practicing. If you persevere in your practice without interruption, you will realize that experiences like frustration or even self-loathing are something normal, not just in Dharma practice but also in any process of pursuing knowledge. So my suggestion is whatever difficulties you may encounter, keep going and work hard unremittingly. In order to achieve this, you should create favorable conditions for your practice. Then in due course, you will naturally enter a state that even if someone persuades you not to continue, you are still willing to keep going on. And the practice goes very well then. So to make unremitting efforts is very essential.
