Sunday 21 June 2015

Anger


A lot of people partake in sports initially as a way to let anger out. Although they will receive the numerous obvious benefits of sports, nothing can cure anger and it is not something that can be let out like an infection. Nothing can cure anger because it is not a disease or malady, it is something we face as humans, part of our experience and existence. What we can do though is control our anger, or more accurately not let anger control us, by understanding the nature of anger. 

Anger is a karmic reaction of sorts. It is useful to forget concepts such as ’karma is a bitch’ and perhaps initially more so ‘cause and effect’ although this too is incorrect as it linguistically implies cause and effect are separate. It takes immense courage to acknowledge your behavioral patterns are inherited from the people around you. It is no coincidence that I am overcome with anger whilst driving and my father is the same (this is where I learned all my swear words from too). This is the karma he is continuing on to me - it’s not going to help anyone if I continue this tradition.


Let us not identify with our anger. I think the first step any one should take is to not identify with their anger - no one is an angry person, no matter how many times you lost your shit today. If we look at how many different states you were in during the day it becomes absurd to identify yourself as an angry-person. For instance most of us sleep for more than 6 hours a day, I’d be very surprised if you were angry for that amount of time during the day, so I think if we were to describe ourselves based on our experiences, or state, it’s probably more accurate to call yourself a sleepy person. 

_________

summer grasses -
all that remains
of the warriors’ dreams

Basho 

2 comments:

  1. A good thing to remember is that the root of anger is ignorance. This way you wouldn't get caught in a situation like "Oh, this is definitely a right moment to express some anger. I will do what must be done."

    The thing is that allowing "a little bit of anger" is like allowing a little bit of cancer. Under no circumstances this is appropriate and you have to think and think hard to find the real way and do not rely on shady shortcuts. So, keep your guard up, be vigilant and root it out.

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    1. This is very much true. Sometimes we are faced with anger and we must deal with it regardless of if it is allowed in or not. Our practice shows us the nature of anger and with this insight it is clear it is not something worth continuing or investing in and root it out.

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