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Why isn't there a precept that says you may not get angry?
Jeffrey
Veteran
What do people think? I'll give my answer later..
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The Tantric approach is to acknowledge the anger you feel, and then try to use the energy for something good instead of something bad.
The Dhammapada talks about anger and thoughts that lead to anger.
It would be like having one precept: 'Be enlightened'.
I think many who practice dharma and many who don't have experienced transforming anger and it just sort of shifting again into coolness of mind. I have actually when my ex picked up another guy at a pool hall (we weren't an item at but still I was pretty pissed). I have had several other experiences of getting space with anger and transforning the situation, my brother is a great opportunity to practice. Thats the third noble truth and then the fourth is all of the mind training and insight through all the skandas and links that we transform into their enlightened aspect.
"I vow to not give in to anger" or "I vow to not give way to anger" or "I vow to not indulge in anger"
Which really does not say "Don't get angry to begin with" because that is not always possible. But the point of it is to kill anger when it arises and not feed it, etc.
Buddha quotes (Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta)
Not a precept...but pretty clear view.
Chapter One The Twin Verses
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with a pure mind
And happiness will follow you
As your shadow, unshakable.
"Look how he abused me and hurt me,
How he threw me down and robbed me."
Live with such thoughts and you live in hate.
"Look how he abused me and hurt me,
How he threw me down and robbed me."
Abandon such thoughts, and live in love.
In this world
Hate never yet dispelled hate.
Only love dispels hate.
It's great to see this topic come up again. When I had a thread on anger, the consensus was that anger is only about losing control, destructive anger. But I think there are many kinds of anger, a spectrum ranging from annoyance, to righteous indignation, all the way to rage. Rage is a very different ball of wax from indignation, which can motivate us to make positive change in the world. Rage lacks mindfulness.
You may not be able to choose not to get angry, but you can choose how to handle it when it arises.
It's good to see a broader spectrum of opinions coming up this time. Great thread, JEffrey.
Buddha Qoutes, Brainyquotes.com
"Buddhism in general teaches that anger is a destructive emotion and although anger might have some positive effects in terms of survival or moral outrage, I do not accept that anger of any kind as a virtuous emotion nor aggression as constructive behavior. The Gautama Buddha has taught that there are three basic kleshas at the root of samsara (bondage, illusion) and the vicious cycle of rebirth. These are greed, hatred, and delusion--also translatable as attachment, anger, and ignorance. They bring us confusion and misery rather than peace, happiness, and fulfillment. It is in our own self-interest to purify and transform them."
I personally think that after it has been transformed into something positive, it can no longer be called anger.
Besides, telling someone they're not permitted to get angry is the best way to piss hem off!
The implication of the word “poison” is that it’s something to keep out of your system or it will cause harm.
I think that’s true. When someone is structurally angry he may develop an ulcer. So anger really is a poison.
But when we suppress our anger it’s not gone! It will harm us even more!
So I think the smart thing to do is to welcome the anger, so we are sure we don’t suppress it.
And then we work with it. We have a close look at it.
We accept and understand the anger and we find a way to “discharge” it in a not (too) harmful way; like in a game of American Football. :sawed:
I wasn't able to post the Tsem Tulku Rinpoche talk in which he discusses anger, ego, and the difference between egoic anger and "divine anger". I agree with his position (anger that moves you to practice more intensely and become a better person, or that moves you to help others is "divine anger", not arising from ego), and I see his position differs from the DL's. So that's interesting by itself. Sorry we can't have the youtube video here to discuss.