Seeing Enemies as Teachers
Recognizing difficult people as opportunities for practice.
Those who harm us provide the opportunity to practice patience - the most difficult and valuable practice. Without enemies, patience cannot be perfected. We owe them gratitude.
Those who harm us are our greatest teachers.
This radical teaching transforms how we view conflict.
Bodhicaryavatara
Written about in
- What Tibetan Buddhism says about doing no harm
Shantideva's argument, which readers find either brilliant or exasperating: without someone to provoke you, patience cannot be practised, so a difficult person is doing you a service.