Anger

Once Buddha was passing through a village. The people of that village were against him. They started abusing, humiliating him. Buddha didn't utter a word and keep listening them. Villagers observed he wasn't reacting. So, they stopped humiliating him. Buddha said Is there anything more you want to say? As I am getting late because I need to reach at other village before sunset. Villagers were startled by his response and inquired, Why are you not reacting? Buddha replied, If you said these things to me ten years before I might get angry but now I am a totally different person.

Your sticks can break my bones but your words had no effect on me.

Why did Buddha not react to these villagers? I know you have an answer to this question. Buddha is an enlightened one. It means we aren't enlightened yet so we cannot do anything about it. This is very pessimistic way to look at anger. Can we do something about it. Yes we do but let's first understand anger.

What is an anger? When did the last time you get angry? Most of us answer like that...... I was angry because he insulted me or because of my troubled son or the guy living at next door humiliate me and the list goes on. Do you find any pattern? In every case we are angry because of some external event. If we think deeply anger is within us. External events just help it to come out at surface. One thing is clear Anger is in us and accept it.

It is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows. Epictetus

Have you observed someone who is angry?....... If you observe what do you observe?

I have observed two things when one is angry. Either we express it or suppress it.

While expressing we project our anger on someone who is at lower level in social hierarchy. We are unburdening our self and burdening some one else. The other person will also do the same to the some other person. An endless chain is created. Let's understand it with an example: Assume you are working in some company. You have launched some product which failed spectacularly. Your Boss get very angry and yelled at you. Boss is unburdened but now you are burdened. You project your anger on your wife. Your wife is a University Professor. She project her anger on her innocent students.... an eternal chain is created.

Sometimes we suppress our anger. When we can't project it on others we start projecting it on ourselves. We start beating, inflicting severe pain on ourselves. Hence creating self destructing behavior. Those innocent students in above example can't project it on others hence suppress it and create self destructing behavior.

By analyzing above two cases we conclude that expression is detrimental for society and suppression is detrimental for ourselves.

So, What to do? Is there any other way? Remember Buddha in above story how he is at ease with himself in spite of the destructing behavior of villagers.

In the moods of extreme desires, be undisturbed. Osho

By being alert we can get rid of anger. It is very easy to resist in the beginning than in the end. When anger start arising be alert see how it feels and anger disappear. You are the sky and feelings are like clouds. Clouds come and go but sky remains the same. Likewise feelings come and go. Be alert of them but don't become one with them. The whole essence of spirituality is "You are more than your mind, You are more than your body." In our entire life we are asleep. We are walking but not actually walking. Our mind is some where else.( You can substitute walking with some other activity and the result is similar). So how to counter it? By being alert. While walking feel how your feet touch the ground. While eating feel the delicious food. Feel everything and see the difference.

Conclusion: Entire phenomenon is divided into three axis: x, y and z.

X- axis: Express anger create eternal chain.

Y-axis: Suppress it to inflict wound on yourself.

Z-axis: Be alert and go beyond anger.

Choice is yours. Be happy and keep smiling.