Against Anger

Anger is the fire that burns the wood of our virtue. It lurks behind all disputes, whether they be domestic quarrels between husband and wif...

Anger is the fire that burns the wood of our virtue. It lurks behind all disputes, whether they be domestic quarrels between husband and wife or wars between nations. Anger destroys good relationships and ruins the happiness within families, between fiends, and among colleagues at work. It quickly causes us to be separated from those we like.

There is no evil greater than anger. It is a force capable not only of negating the effects of whatever positive actions we may have done in the past but also of preventing us from attaining goals we have set for the future, whether they be attaining enlightenment or simply improving our want to make genuine spiritual progress 8212; we must realise that there is no greater practice than patience.

The destruction of virtue is one of the invisible faults of anger and therefore something we must accept on faith, but there are many visible faults of this delusion. Whenever we are overcome by anger we immediately lose all peace of mind and even our body becomes uncomfortable. We are plagued by restlessness and the food we eat seems unpalatable. We find it nearly impossible to fall asleep, and, when we do, our sleep is fitful. Anger transforms a normally attractive person into an ugly red-faced demon. We grow more and more miserable, and no matter how hard we try we cannot control our feelings.

One of the most harmful effects of anger is that it robs us of our reason and good sense. We lose all freedom of choice, and driven here and there by revenge or rage we often expose ourself to great personal danger. Sometimes our anger is even directed at our loved ones and benefactors. In a fit of anger, forgetting the immeasurable kindness we have received from our friends, family, or teachers, we may shout at or even strike those we hold most dear. No wonder that an angry person is soon avoided by everyone who knows him or her.

We generally assume that we get angry in response to meeting someone we do not like, but in truth the situation is often the exact reverse; it is the anger already within us that transforms the person we meet into an imagined enemy. Someone who is prone to anger lives within a web of suspicion and paranoia, surrounded by enemies of his or her own creation. The false belief that others hate him can become so overwhelming that he might even go insane, the victim of his own delusion!

Extracted from 8216;Living Meaningfully, Dying Joyfully: The Profound Practice of Transference of Consciousness8217;, New Age Books