Uplifting One's Character

 In the fourteenth adage, Master Sheng Yen writes, "To uplift our character, begin with cultivating peace in mind, body, family, and activity."
   What this quote suggests is that uplifting character flows from a peaceful attitude that begins with the mind, then flows outward into the others and activities around us. Usually, if a person sets out to improve her or his character, there is some idea of either a very grueling experience or a lofty goal to be achieved. Master Sheng Yen suggests instead that it's through the simplicity of a peaceful mind that one's true character can be uplifted. If cultivating character were a matter of constantly trying to improve on one's self-concept, there would hardly be any room for the things that matter around us.
  Very often, people operate from the opposite mindset from what Master Sheng Yen advises, opting to try to change environment, teaching and surroundings rather than working on their own mind. They might be compared to someone who tries to make their walk comfortable by trying to cover the world with a soft rug, as Buddha has been known to suggest. Such a person has no way to be peaceful within, so everything they approach feels intrusive or not very peaceful. This is because everything that one experiences is a reflection of a mindstate, not a kind of externally permanent reality. Even "character" itself is not static; it changes with one's state of mind. If I am always prone to feeling discontent, I often might attribute my discontent to "lack of character" or, in the parlance of modern psychology, "low frustration tolerance". But these notions are only conditioned concepts, and soon the situation changes to reflect completely new conditions. It's thus important to maintain flexible perceptions and judgments rather than using them to define one's character. 
    To go back to Master Sheng Yen's original quote, it's through peace of mind that a character can seem peaceful..but without that fundamental approach, it's all really words that drift in and out of one's mind-space, lacking a solid ground..
    http://www.dharmadrum.org/content/about/about2.aspx?sn=46