DHARMA IN EVERYDAY LIFE

  • AWARENESS OF ANGER
  • By Nhat Quan
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    Anger is one of the three poisons in the Buddhist scriptures. The Buddha often teaches the three poisons:
    - Greed, anger, ignorance
    These are the causes of unhappiness, trouble, and worry for people. Greed, anger, and ignorance can be easily found in your actions, words, and thoughts as well as those of others. Experience tells you that anywhere or anytime, if greed, anger, and ignorance are present, and especially anger prevails, private or public life becomes miserable. Greed, anger, and ignorance are inherent in humans and society, and they are the causes that destroy the peaceful life of mankind. Because Anger makes the heart angry, irritable, and hateful when not satisfied as desired. Dissatisfied because of being offended, then doing wrong things. After anger, then holding on to resentment, and looking for an opportunity to take revenge.
    The reason anger arises is due to the love for oneself or one's own. If you scold or criticize someone else, you do not feel angry, but if someone scolds or reprimands you or your loved ones, or damages your property, you immediately feel uncomfortable. When the discomfort increases, it will turn into anger. But remember that in this world, no one can avoid being reprimanded or criticized; it is difficult to avoid the world's mouth, as the Buddha once taught:
    - In the past, in the future, and the present, there has never been a person who has not been criticized by everyone or praised by everyone.
    But because of being criticized, anger is extremely harmful because when you are angry, you are no longer calm enough to control your behavior and language. The Avatamsaka Sutra says:
    - When a thought of anger arises, hundreds of thousands of doors of karmic obstacles open.
    And:
    - A spark of anger can burn down a thousand acres of forest of merit.
    That is why the Buddha often advised:
    - Give up anger, then trouble will not come to you.
    You must cultivate your mind to attain non-anger. Non-anger means not being hot-tempered, no more anger. Living beings go through many lives of reincarnation because they cannot overcome anger. Buddhas are free and liberated because they have eradicated anger from the root. The most difficult thing is to eradicate anger right from within the mind. When your mind no longer thinks of anger, anger will naturally not erupt. When you keep your mind calm, your blessings are endless. This was asked by Master Maudgalyayana of many devas by what merit they had to be reborn in the heavens. These devas listed actions that seemed not very important, such as not being angry, being truthful, patient, giving alms, etc., thanks to which blessings were born.
    When Master Maudgalyayana asked the Buddha about this, the Buddha taught him more than:
    - Through small but good actions, this cause will lead to the heavenly realms.
    And when teaching about the merit of the person who makes offerings to the state of complete purity, the Buddha taught that weeds harm the fields and gardens, and anger also harms humans. Therefore, anyone who completely eradicates anger is worthy of admiration and respect. Just as the elephant is a leading animal among the animals trained by humans for use. Just as an elephant has the strength to uproot a tree, wrap its trunk around it to carry it easily, the Buddha taught that humans can also create for themselves material potential, mental strength, and patience, just like a tamed elephant.
    And it is difficult to practice patience. The Buddha taught that self-control is very precious and that those who make an effort and are patient enough to train themselves will also enjoy good results like those who have skillfully trained animals such as mules, horses, and elephants. A tamed person, Dignity is above all. The Buddha advised sentient beings to abandon both anger and greed. He compared a boat to the body, to the human body made up of the five aggregates. This body will disintegrate due to impermanence, so if you examine it carefully, you will see that it is truly empty. The water in the boat is the bad thoughts that need to be eliminated. To drain the water means to immediately extinguish anger, greed, and ignorance. When the boat is dry, the boat becomes light so that you can quickly reach the shore. Likewise, when the body and mind are free of greed and hatred, they become pure, which is a good condition to quickly attain Nirvana.
    Talking about the dangers of greed, anger, and ignorance, during the time of the Buddha, there were some wealthy people who became monks after they were old. The wife of one of them was a very skillful cook, so every day, he often brought their alms bowls back here to beg for food. The donor offered delicious food and drink. When she died, he missed her, cried, and complained. The Buddha advised the monks to practice a mind without attachment because as long as there is a jungle of greed, anger, and ignorance, the monks will suffer.
    While teaching people that greed, anger, and ignorance are the causes of a miserable life and need to be destroyed, the Buddha also told you that there are three more dharmas: non-greed, non-anger, and non-delusion, which are psychological factors that need to be developed to build a peaceful life. To develop these three good dharmas, you must cultivate according to the right path, including Precepts, Concentration, and Wisdom.
    The Buddha always paid attention to the path of getting out of greed, anger, and delusion and encouraged his disciples to practice it so that the peaceful dharmas would increase and the suffering dharmas would be eliminated. If you do not practice skillfully, not only will suffering increase, but good dharmas will also be eliminated. If you try to practice and cultivate your mind to escape the cycle of greed, anger, and delusion, you will, of course, be completely liberated.
    Everyone knows that anger is a poison that erodes all the merits of practice. Once anger arises, all the merits of practice that have been created up to now will be gone. For example, up until now, you have treated people very well, helped them with everything, so they are grateful and love you. But one day they do something wrong, making you angry, scolding them, making them hate you, then the merits that you have shown them for the past few years will no longer exist. Just one moment of anger is enough to destroy all the merits. Anger is so harmful! That is why I have to remind you today. The things you have learned, you must strive to practice and remember to endure and be happy when you come home from the temple.
    Most of you have made this mistake. So, how can you get rid of anger? How can you get rid of greed? Chanting sutras and reciting Buddha's name have not yet eliminated greed and anger. As long as you chant sutras and recite Buddha's name, greed and anger will temporarily calm down a bit. When you stop chanting sutras and reciting Buddha's name, greed and anger will still arise when conditions permit. So, how can you get rid of greed and anger?
    According to the Venerable Ones, first of all, you need to see the origin of it. The reason you have greed and anger is because of the ego. You see yourself as too high, too big, wanting this, wanting that; when you want but cannot get it, you get angry. For example, you are at home with the authority of a father or a mother. Every time your children do something against your will, you get angry and scold them, because you see them as small, your ego is bigger than theirs, so you easily get angry. When you go to the government, they do things that go against your will, you do not dare to get angry, because in the government, you see yourself as inferior to them, so you are afraid to get angry. The root of anger is the ego, and the ego is caused by ignorance. So, to get rid of anger, you must destroy ego, make the ego, wear it down, and lower it. That is the key to practicing. Let me share with everyone this story:
    A rich old lady has a grumpy temper, often gets angry with her children and grandchildren over small things. Moreover, every time she gets angry, she uses cruel words, unintentionally hurting many people, so her interactions with neighbors and friends are not harmonious.
    She also knows her shortcomings and wants to correct this mistake. But every time she gets angry, she cannot control her mind. One day, someone said to her:
    - There is a Zen master nearby, also a high monk. Why don't you go ask for his teachings? Maybe the Zen master can help you.
    She also felt that it made sense, so she went to consult the Zen master. When she confided her feelings, she was very sincere, really wanting to get some words of enlightenment from that Zen master. The Zen master silently listened to her story, waited for her to finish speaking, led her into a meditation room, then locked the door and left.
    She wanted to get the Zen master's teachings, but unexpectedly, the Zen master locked her in a cold and dark meditation room. She angrily shouted, just like usual, and she uttered vicious insults. But no matter how she shouted, there was still silence outside; the Zen master seemed not to hear a word.
    When she could no longer bear it, she changed her attitude and begged the Zen master to let her go, but the Zen master still did not change his behavior, still letting her continue to say whatever she wanted.
    After a long while, finally, in the meditation room, there was no more screaming or talking from her, then outside the meditation room, the Zen master's voice asked:
    - Are you still angry?
    Then she angrily replied:
    - I'm only angry with myself. I regret listening to others, coming to this hellish place to ask for your opinion.
    The Zen master gently said:
    -  You do not let go of yourself; how can you forgive others?
    After saying that, the Zen master was silent again. After a period of silence, the Zen master asked again:
    - Are you still angry?
    She replied:
    - No longer angry!
    Why no longer angry?
    What use is it for me to be angry? Aren't you still locking me in this dark and cold room?
    The Zen master said with a worried look:
    - You're acting like this is even more terrifying. You've suppressed your anger in one place; once it erupts, it will be even more intense.
    After saying that, the Zen master turned away again.
    The third time the Zen master turned back to ask her, she replied:
    - I'm not angry anymore, you don't deserve my anger!
    The Zen master said:
    - The root of your anger is still there; you need to escape the spiral of anger first.
    After a long while, she took the initiative to ask the Zen master:
    - Master, can you tell me what anger is?
    The Zen master walked in, still not speaking, only making a motion as if accidentally pouring away the glass of water in his hand. At this moment, she seemed to understand.
    Through this lesson, you will see:
    - If you are not angry, how can you curse?
    - If your mind is empty, without anything, how can you be angry?
    - If your heart is not upset, how can you be angry?
    Anger not only makes you suffer, but also makes those around you sad. When you are angry, nothing can stop your mouth from saying evil words, some of which can hurt the listener, even those who love and care for you.
    - Just one thought of anger can result in thousands of obstacles arising.
    So do not let small things cause harm to yourself and others; yelling in anger is the behavior of a fool. Although you cannot be a smart person, at least you have enough wisdom to prevent yourself from being a fool. Take things less seriously and find the benefits of silence, awakening to the meaning of meditation in life. From there, you will feel that life does not have to be as tiring as you think, nor as difficult as you have encountered.
    Small things are like grains of sand in your shoes that make your feet uncomfortable. So, do you choose to shake off the grains of sand or throw away the shoes? ... You cannot not wear shoes, because there is a long road ahead, so why don't you shake off the grains of sand?
    The reason you cling to the ego is that you see your body and mind as real, so you cherish it, see it as more noble than everyone else, and worry about cultivating and embellishing it to make it bigger. Now, contemplating, you see that it is impermanent, a temporary combination of causes and conditions, not real, and seeing that, the notion of clinging to the ego immediately disappears.
    Most people who study Buddhism see the Buddha's teachings in the sutras and commentaries:
    - This body is impermanent and temporary. You also say that this body is impermanent and temporary. But you do not have the experience with wisdom to see that this body is impermanent and temporary; So the mouth says the body is impermanent and temporary, but the mind keeps thinking that you are real, that you will live long, so greed, anger, and resentment never end. Now you must use your wisdom to observe that this body is truly fake, and then greed, anger, and resentment will immediately end.
    Because you always see your body and mind as really long-lived, you resist and curse back. So, when you see your body and mind as really long-lived, then there is competition... When you see your body and mind as temporary and false, then there is no competition, no more greed, no anger. In addition, you must practice patience, but do not suppress anything; see the body as temporary and false, so there is no competition anymore. Today you are still here, tomorrow you may not be here. If you keep competing and do not focus on cultivating, when you die, you will suffer. You can put aside the competition to cultivate, cultivate to have peace and leisure tomorrow, then you are a wise person. But if you keep arguing and competing, causing suffering to each other, not only suffering in the present, but also suffering tomorrow like that, you are not a wise person. So, you are wise when you see this body as temporary and impermanent, life is too short, focus on cultivating, put aside all competition and winning.
    Because there is no competition, people say you are patient, but in reality, there is no patience. When you have the eye of wisdom, you see that people and things are not permanent and not real, so you do not cling. Because you do not cling, you are at peace, so even if someone scolds you, you still smile and do not get angry. Unlike those who hear someone talking and doing better than them, they try to suppress it, suppress it beyond their tolerance, and then explode, yelling and scolding back. That person has not yet mastered their anger.
    If you want to master anger effectively, you must use your wisdom to see that this body and this life are impermanent, temporary, and have no real self. When you see that this body and this life are temporary and not real, then you will not have thoughts of competing and winning. If there are no thoughts of competing and winning, then there will be no anger. Furthermore, when you see that this body is temporary, living on borrowed of seven elements, then you will not have many desires. You are greedy for delicious food, beautiful clothes, and luxurious living... so that this body can be happy. But this body is temporary and fake, so you do not have greed. Because you are not greedy, you do not worry about loss and gain, winning and losing. If you do not worry about loss and gain, winning and losing, then there is no anger. Thus, when you see this body as temporary, false, and unreal, you will destroy ignorance. When ignorance is gone, there is no more greed. When greed is gone, there is no more anger, and all suffering is gone. If you chant sutras or recite Buddha's name well, but still cling to this body as real and precious, then greed and anger will never end. That is why Buddha taught you to contemplate the impermanence of the body or the non-self of the dharma.
    To deal with anger, according to the Ten Wholesome Paths of Karma Sutra, it is taught:
    - Those who do not get angry will have a mind that is not miserable, a mind that does not compete, a mind that is gentle and upright, a mind that is compassionate like Buddha, always bringing benefits and peace to living beings, a dignified body that is respected by living beings, and because of the virtue of patience, they will quickly be born into the Brahma Heaven. Moreover, in this life, you can avoid eight diseases caused by anger:
    1. Melasma
    When angry, a large amount of blood will rush to the brain, the cause is due by a decrease in oxygen in the blood, an increase in toxins. Toxins will stimulate hair follicles to grow, leading to inflammation around the hair follicles at different levels, from which dark spots appear on the face.
    2. Aging of brain Cells                              
    When a large amount of blood rushes to the brain, it will put pressure on the arteries. At this time, the amount of toxins in the blood increases sharply, and the amount of oxygen decreases to the lowest level. The brain cells will be like being poisoned.
    3. Stomach ulcers
    Anger leads to the sympathetic nerves being stimulated, directly affecting the heart and arteries, causing the amount of blood circulating in the digestive tract to decrease, the circulation process to slow down, causing poor appetite, and gradually leading to stomach ulcers.
    4. Myocardial ischemia
    A large amount of blood rushes to the brain and the entire face, causing a decrease in blood flow to the heart, causing myocardial ischemia. Meanwhile, the heart's activity must still be guaranteed, so at this time it will have to work many times more than usual, leading to an irregular heartbeat.
    5. Liver damage.
    When angry, the body will secrete a substance called Catecholamine. This substance affects the central nervous system, causing high blood pressure, increased fatty acid breakdown, and toxins in the blood and liver also increase accordingly.
    6. Stimulates the thyroid gland
    When you are angry, the endocrine system in the body will be disrupted, causing the thyroid hormone to increase, which, over time, will lead to thyroid disease.
    7. Harmful to the lungs
    When you are emotional, your breathing will be very rapid, the alveoli will continuously expand, and you will not be able to stretch and relax.
    8. Damage to the immune system
    When you are angry, your body will follow the brain's command to produce cortisol, a stress hormone. If this substance accumulates too much in the body, it will prevent the cells of the immune system from functioning, reducing the body's resistance.
    The harm of anger is like that, so in you, if you see yourself as greedy, you must cultivate your mind immediately, and practice being content with little. Being content with little means wanting little and knowing enough. Being content with little means having a simple, noble, and safe life because you know enough with what you have. Gradually abandon greed to achieve non-greed.
    In life, there are five pleasures that you often desire the most: money, beauty, fame, food, and sleep. Those five pleasures bring little joy and much suffering. If you are greedy for money, you will have to torment your body, sometimes using dishonest means to obtain it, and when you lose it, you will suffer. Regarding beauty, you should contemplate your body as impure, because when you are greedy for beauty, you will often fall into bad schemes to satisfy your desires. If you are greedy for fame, power, and position, you will have to bow and bend, work hard, and suffer mentally. If you are greedy for delicious food, you will have many incurable diseases, your body will be tired, and your life will not be long. If you are greedy for sleep, your mind will be dull. Those five pleasures are the causes that bind your human life to the cycle of birth and death, reincarnation, and degradation.
    The Buddha praised those who are not greedy and advised everyone to make offerings to them. But when giving alms, you should consider carefully. Doing so will be similar to sowing seeds on good, fertile soil, and then the seeds will bloom and bear fruit. If you meet a virtuous person who gives alms, you will receive many blessings. Talking about the blessings of those who make offerings to the level of complete purity, the Buddha taught:
    - Greed is like wild grass that harms the fields. For practitioners, greed harms the mind, making it difficult for them to attain enlightenment. There is nothing better than giving alms to counteract greed. According to the Sutra of Ten Good Deeds:
    - People who do not desire will achieve the following good things: The three karmas of body, speech, and mind are free, wealth is not lost, blessings and good things will come to you, even though you do not wish for them.
    The Buddha also taught not to let greed and anger, not to let sin drag you into suffering. Sin here is contrary to right conduct and is not following the Dharma.
    In short, you must be aware that anger is the cause of suffering, then when you know it, you are not afraid of greed and anger arising, but only afraid that you are slow to awaken, only afraid that you are deluded and ignorant. If you know that anger arises, but you are clear-headed and make timely judgments, without delusion, then that anger cannot do anything.
    As a Buddhist, you must eliminate your anger and delusion, always be clear-headed about everything, and cultivate your mind to achieve non-delusion. Non-delusion is not obscure, not deluded. For all things, you must always have clear wisdom, consider, judge the evil and the good, the bad, the right and the wrong, etc. Therefore, the work is legitimate, avoiding harmful things, both beneficial for you and for others, in the present as well as in the future.
    When teaching about the blessings of those who make offerings to the level of complete purity, according to the Sutra of the Ten Good Deeds, the Buddha taught that those who are not deluded will achieve the following meritorious dharmas:
    - Having a joyful and good intention and a good friend; believing in cause and effect, rather than giving up one's life than doing evil. Only taking refuge in the Buddha; having an upright mind, having right views; being born in heaven, avoiding falling into the three evil paths; enjoying blessings and wisdom; not clinging to the ego, abandoning all evil karma, and avoiding disaster, etc.
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