What is anger and how to conquer it?
All anger has its origin in desires that have not been fulfilled, and desires that we tried to fulfill but were unable too. Also other people’s behavior intentionally or unintentionally keeps us from reaching and fulfilling our desire to accomplish something positive or negative. Sometimes natural disasters like floods, tornados, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and rain keep us from fulfilling a desire.
We become angry when people start mistreating us or when people are ignoring us. Also there’re many other behavioral patterns that people display that causes us to become angry. Because we desire people to treat us the way we wish to be treated. So now we know the origins of anger. We should try our best to lessen anger as much as possible inside ourselves. How by practicing meditation, prayer, taking a walk, or just letting a certain matter go sometimes or listening to classical music. Also taking deep breathes, forgiveness and many other things we can do to calm our-selves down when angry.
So yes, anger comes from a frustrated desire. Anger also brings with it resentment and resentment creates hatred and hatred creates potential violence. So we must be aware of the effects and origins of anger in our lives.
By Chance adapted from ——chancellorfiles.com
The Anger-eating Demon
Retold from an ancient Buddhist Story
by Nyanaponika Thera
“Once there lived a demon who had a peculiar diet: he fed on the anger of others. And as his feeding ground was the human world, there was no lack of food for him. He found it quite easy to provoke a family quarrel, or national and racial hatred. Even to stir up a war was not very difficult for him. And whenever he succeeded in causing a war, he could properly gorge himself without much further effort; because once a war starts, hate multiplies by its own momentum and affects even normally friendly people. So the demon’s food supply became so rich that he sometimes had to restrain himself from over-eating, being content with nibbling just a small piece of resentment found close-by.
But as it often happens with successful people, he became rather overbearing and one day when feeling bored he thought: “Shouldn’t I try it with the gods?” On reflection he chose the Heaven of the Thirty-three Deities, ruled by Sakka, Lord of Gods. He knew that only a few of these gods had entirely eliminated the fetters of ill-will and aversion, though they were far above petty and selfish quarrels. So by magic power he transferred himself to that heavenly realm and was lucky enough to come at a time when Sakka the Divine King was absent. There was none in the large audience hall and without much ado the demon seated himself on Sakka’s empty throne, waiting quietly for things to happen, which he hoped would bring him a good feed. Soon some of the gods came to the hall and first they could hardly believe their own divine eyes when they saw that ugly demon sitting on the throne, squat and grinning. Having recovered from their shock, they started to shout and lament: “Oh you ugly demon, how can you dare to sit on the throne of our Lord? What utter cheekiness! What a crime! you should be thrown headlong into the hell and straight into a boiling cauldron! You should be quartered alive! Begone! Begone!”
But while the gods were growing more and more angry, the demon was quite pleased because from moment to moment he grew in size, in strength and in power. The anger he absorbed into his system started to ooze from his body as a smoky red-glowing mist. This evil aura kept the gods at a distance and their radiance was dimmed.
Suddenly a bright glow appeared at the other end of the hall and it grew into a dazzling light from which Sakka emerged, the King of Gods. He who had firmly entered the undeflectible Stream that leads Nibbana-wards, was unshaken by what he saw. The smoke-screen created by the gods’ anger parted when he slowly and politely approached the usurper of his throne. “Welcome, friend! Please remain seated. I can take another chair. May I offer you the drink of hospitality? Our Amrita is not bad this year. Or do you prefer a stronger brew, the vedic Soma?”
While Sakka spoke these friendly words, the demon rapidly shrank to a diminutive size and finally disappeared, trailing behind a whiff of malodorous smoke which likewise soon dissolved.
— Based on Samyutta Nikaya, Sakka Samyutta, No. 22
The gist of this story dates back to the discourses of the Buddha. But even now, over 2500 years later, our world looks as if large hordes of Anger-eating Demons were haunting it and were kept well nourished by millions slaving for them all over the earth. Fires of hate and wide-traveling waves of violence threaten to engulf mankind. Also the grass roots of society are poisoned by conflict and discord, manifesting in angry thoughts and words and in violent deeds. Is it not time to end this self-destructive slavery of man to his impulses of hate and aggression which only serve the demoniac forces? Our story tells how these demons of hate can be exorcised by the power of gentleness and love. If this power of love can be tested and proven, at grass-root level, in the widely spread net of personal relationships, society at large, the world at large, will not remain unaffected by it.” ——acesstoinsight.org
Note
1. The “Norm” or law (dhamma), here referred to, may be expressed in the words of the Dhammapada (v. 5):
“Not by hating hatred ceases In this world of tooth and claw;
Love alone from hate releases — This is the Eternal Law.”
[Translated by Francis Story]
Overcoming Anger
“A Zen student said to his teacher, “ Master, I have an ungovernable temper. Help me get rid of it.” “ You have something very strange,” said the teacher. “Show it to me.”
“ Right now I cannot show it to you.” “Why not?” “ It arises suddenly.” “ Then it cannot be your own true nature,” said the teacher, “if it were, you would be able to show it to me at any time. Why are you allowing something that is not yours to trouble your life?”
Thereafter whenever the student felt his temper rising he remembered his teacher’s words and checked his anger. In time, he developed a calm and placid temperament.”
——–Dimdima.com
QUOTE:
If you want to be free, Get to know your real self. It has no form, no appearance,
No root, no basis, no abode, But is lively and buoyant. It responds with versatile facility,
But its function cannot be located. Therefore when you look for it, You become further from it; When you seek it,You turn away from it all the more.
– Rinzai (d.867) dailyzen.com
THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds!
—–strangefacts.com
THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: Your temper! Studies show that by just counting to 10 will give the average person enough time to change your mind to one of reason and peace rather than fighting and war.
ZENTRAVELER SAYS: Give anger the boot and replace with benefical thoughts which could help mankind. The bible was right when it said: Turn the other cheek! Use the popeye mantra after you are insulted, mistreated, violated or harmed. “I loves you olive oil!”
is the only antidote you need to combat poison.
zentraveler 