08 - Chapter 3 PDF

CHAPTER H.
Anger (Dosa)and Metta as its antidote

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CHAPTER IL
ANGER (Dosa) and Metta as its antidote
In this world we are surrounded by a lot of bad influences and

enemies. Some are outside enemies while others reside within us. The
internal enemies are much more dangerous than die external ones.
Among the internal enemies are anger, jealousy106, hatred, revenge, greed,
fear, anxiety, worries, doubts, apprehensions, impatience, lust for money

and sex, ego, attachment, etc. Out of all these, the greatest enemy is anger
which can attack us any time and completely destroy our intellect and
ability to discriminate between good and bad, inevitably making us
inhuman perhaps “animals’ even in our present existence. Anger is so
powerful that even the mightiest in the history had battled with it, at one
time or the other. Some of whom, had even lost the battle and become a
slave to the anger’s destructive elements.
It is not easy for the worldly persons to control this ferocious
enemy, just by saying ‘Control your Anger ’. It is so powerful that it will
evade all attempts to control it, and at the eleventh hour it will “take the
upper hand” and overpower you. Hence, the correct strategy to control it
would be to attack it at its root and this approach will have to take many
factors into considemtionsr-both visible and invisible, all of which
contribute to the arousal of a person to the limit of anger. Anger has also
been compared to fire which gradually fans, spreads, and assumes a
gigantic form, and finally bums us to ashes. Actually, anger is the
shortest route to hell for the persons concerned.
The Kodhasutta can be quoted and translated as:
106 Jealous, hatred...etc is included in the group of unwholesome mental states by Anuruddha
Mahathera in his Abhidhanimatthasangaha. See “Buddhist philosophy” by A Shin SilSnandahhivamsa.
VoL2. Page, 13.
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(1) All human beings who become angry will ultimately reach the
realm of Hell.
(2) All human beings who understand the Kodha in detail realize
that the five aggregates are impermanent and having accepted this view,
will relinquish the Kodha (anger). Having relinquished the anger, those
1IV7
human beings will never return back to the human world.
Now, before learning the techniques to control it, we should first
ponder over the causes of anger as to why people lose their control of
mind, and become ferocious like animals. Sometimes it is very surprising
to see a person gentle by nature and cool by temperament behaving like
this. We will also ponder over as to why the arousal of anger is
instantaneous in some persons and not in others even if both are subjected
to the same external hostile conditions).
And how is it that some persons can maintain their cool under any
condition? We will have to search for the reasons and their roots, both in
the physiology and psychology of a person because for any emotion to
take place, both lower and upper mind constantly interact with each other.
Thus anger is not purely a mental phenomenon. It is also to be noted that
emotions like impatience, irritation, dislike, intolerance, stubbornness,
hatred, etc. which enslave a person are also disguised forms of anger
only. Therefore, freedom from anger necessarily implies freedom from
these negative emotions also, since there is nothing more destructive than
anger.
In the Sutta, the Buddha said, “O! Bhikkhu, Anger is filthy of
mind; opposite of one’s good mind; enemy of one’s mind; killer of one’s
purity of mind; and is a bad friend to erne’s purity of mind. Anger is
fruitless. Anger creates disturbance of one’s mind. Everyone is not
capable to know the dangers of anger that is hovering in the mind. One
107 Itivuttaka Pali, EkakanipSta, Fourth Vagga, Kfldhasutta. DdsapriflSsutta, KOdhapriflfisutta.

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who gets angry does not know the pros and cons and can not appreciate
the Dhamma. When anger overwhelms the man, he is like a person living
in the darkness. One, who does not get angry, even if faced with irritable
or visible objects, will become a most respected person”.108
And also Visuddhimagga can be quoted as, “Anger has the
characteristic of savageness, like a snake that is being provoked. Its
function is to spread, like a drop of poison, or its function is to bum up its
own support, like a forest fire. It is manifested as persecuting (Dusana),
like an enemy who has got his chance. Its proximate causes are the
grounds for annoyance. It should be regarded as “like stale urine mixed
with poison”.109 Anger, destroys our peace and happiness in this life, and
impels us to engage in negative actions that lead to untold suffering in
future lives. The Buddha said, “If someone “passed away at the time of
getting angry, he or she will appear in the hell. Why? This is because his
or her purity of mind has been destroyed by the anger”.110 It blocks our
spiritual progress and prevents us from accomplishing any spiritual goals
we have set for our selves - which is attainable from merely improving
our mind, up to full enlightenment
Anger is by nature a painful state of mind. Whenever we develop
anger, our inner peace immediately disappears and even our body
becomes tense and uncomfortable. We are so restless that we find it
nearly impossible to fall asleep, and whatever sleep we do manage to get
is fitful and un-refreshing. It is impossible to gain enjoyment when we are
angry, and even the food we eat seems unpalatable. Anger transforms
even 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
further control our emotions.
108 Itivuttaka Pali, TikanipSta, Fourthvagga, Antaramala Sutta, 252, Atthakatha, 264,
m Visuddhimagga, 403. Atthasalinl Atthakatha 299.translated by Bikkhu Nyattamoli
110 Itivuttaka Pali, Rkakanipgta, Second Vagga, Padutthacitta Sutta.
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One of the most harmful effects of anger is that it robs us of our

reason and good sense. Wishing to retaliate against those whom we think
have harmed us, we expose our selves to great personal danger merely to
exact petty revenge. To get our own back for perceived injustices or
slights, we are prepared to jeopardize our job, our relationships, and even
the well-being of our family and children. When we are angry we lose all
“perspectives” and freedom of choice, driven here and there by an
uncontrollable rage.
Sometimes this blind rage 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 Spiritual Teachers, we might
strike out against and even kill the ones we hold most dear. Therefore, the
Visuddhimagga said, “In one with a ‘hating temperament’ there are
frequent occurrences of such states as anger, enmity, disparaging,
domineering, envy and avarice”111. It is no wonder that a habitually angry
person is soon avoided by all who know him. This unfortunate victim of
his own temper is the despair of those who formerly loved him, and
eventually will discover that he had been abandoned by everyone.
Indeed, anger is a response to feelings of unhappiness, which in
turn arise whenever we meet with unpleasant circumstances. Whenever
our wishes are being unfulfilled, or forced into a situation we dislike- in
short, whenever we have to put up with something we would rather
avoid- our uncontrolled mind reacts by immediately feeling unhappy.
This uncomfortable feeling can easily turn into anger, and we become
even more disturbed than before.
In the Visuddhimagga. it had stated that “When one is in
possession of a ‘hating temperament ‘and sees even a slightly unpleasing
visible object, he will refrain from looking at it for a long time, as if he
m -The Visuddhimagga, 85.
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were tired. Then, he picks out trivial faults, discounts genuine virtues, and
when departing, he does so, without any regrets, as if he is anxious to
leave”.112 The other important reason we become unhappy and angry is
because we are faced with a situation we do not want or like. Every day
we encounter hundreds of situations we do not like, from stubbing our toe
or having a disagreement with our partner, to discovering that our house
has burnt down or that we have cancer, and our normal reaction to all of
these occurrences is to become unhappy and angry. However, try as we
might, we cannot prevent unpleasant things happening to us. We cannot
be certain that for the rest of the day nothing bad will happen to us; we
cannot even be certain that we shall still be alive to see the end of the day.
In Samsara we are not in control of what is happening to us.
In the Anguttaranikava the Buddha said, “One who uses to get
angry is ugly; can not sleep peacefully; appear to be fruitless in every
comer of his life; lose his properties by harassing, torturing and killing to
others due to his “hating temperament”. The angry person loses his
reputation and feme. His friends and relatives dislike meeting with him.
The angry person does not know the advantages and can not see the
conditions (i.e. can not differentiate which is good and bad) He becomes
a foolish person when the anger overwhelms him. He is devoid of shame
and fear. He does not pay deep respect to the admonished words given by
elders. For him, there is no place or object, to take refuge in. He can kill
his father, mother, the perfected one (Arhanta) and worldly person.
Eventually, he may kill himself’.113
In feet there is no shortage of conditions that can spark off our
anger. If we were to observe our reactions and responses in the course of
a normal day, we would find many occasions when we lose our cool or
112 The Visoddhimagga 85.

113 “
Ariguttaramkaya, SattakanipSta, AbySkatavagga, KOdhasutta.471. Atthakatha 171. Culaniddesa
Pali, 251-252.
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are on the verge of losing it Anger shows in the way we speak and
gesticulate, the changes in our facial expressions, the irritation in our
voice, the way we snap and raise our voice. And when we lose further
control, we might start to shout, yell, kick, slam a door, bang the table,
slam down the phone or even physically strike or assault somebody. In
extreme cases, people have been known to kill out of anger, or while in
the grip of rage, drop dead from a heart-attack!
Therefore, should we get angry? Is there such a thing as righteous
anger? Is it all right to get angry and yell at people to lose our cool and
blow our top? Has anger become a way of life among people in the
world? Have we taken it for granted and come to accept it as something
natural and unavoidable? When we read newspapers, we would find no
shortage of anger and hatred in our planet. Reading about all the fighting
and continuous warfare in various parts of the world, do we pause to
wonder why man cannot live together peacefully as brothers and sisters?
Why are we so unforgiving, so brutal, so merciless? Why do some kill
innocent people to get what they want? Why do countries compete to
make nuclear weapons that can destroy everybody in the world? Why is
there so much fear and distrust?
The Rev. K. Piyatissa Thera said: “It is not wondered if we, at
times, in our eveiyday life, feel angry with somebody about something.
But we should not allow this feeling to reside in our mind. We should try
to curb it at the very moment it has arisen”.114 Actually, anger starts from
our heart, just as our love does. It is our firm belief that anger is an evil
which should be banned completely from our hearts and minds. It is a
destructive emotion that has caused much misery in the world and in our
lives. It begins from the mind and it is at the source, the mind, that the
anger must be checked and eliminated. In the preamble to the UNESCO
114
The Elimination of Anger, by K. Piyatissa Thera. Page, 9-10.
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Constitution too, it is stated: “Since war begins in the minds of men, it is

in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be built”.
Santideva,115 wrote: “How many evil men could I kill? Their number is
boundless as the sky. But if the thought of anger is killed, then all
enemies are killed”.
Our anger may vary in intensity. Some people are hot-tempered:
and they blow up easily. Others are said to have a mild disposition; they
appear to be always cool and calm. Some would nurse grudges long after
their anger had passed, while others may be more forgiving. Whatever it
is, the fact remains that all of us do get angry, the difference being only in
the intensity and frequency of the emotion. For even the mildest of
persons can show signs of vexation and irritation when his patience is
over-taxed, or when he is under too much pressure.
Anger makes our life miserable. If we continue to accept anger and
make no great effort to curb it, we will continue to live turbulent lives.
Every time we become vexed, annoyed, angry, we begin to bum,
mentally. This burning feeling increases with the intensity of the anger.
The stronger the anger the stronger we bum. It is a very painful sensation.
You can observe it for yourself. The next time , should you get vexed or
angry, look at the state of your mind and heart, and see for yourself the
pain and suffering you are undergoing while being in that state of anger
or disturbance. Anger is an unwholesome state of mind. The Buddha had
never allowed for anger of any kind. In Buddhism there are no such
things as righteous anger. All anger, even of the slightest level or
duration, is bad. It is like a poison to the mind. Thus the Buddha has
exhorted that we should cultivate loving-kindness in return for anger.
1U Bodhicaryavatara by Santideva, Page, 37, Myanmar version.

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On another occasion he exhorted: “Conquer the angry man by

love”.116 In giving a simile to emphasize the point, the Buddha said that
even if a robber were to use a saw to cut off our legs and hands, we
should not give vent to even the slightest bit of anger. If we were to
become even a little angry or annoyed, we would not be following his
teaching. Instead, the Buddha exhorted us to cultivate loving kindness
towards the tormentor. “For thus you ought to train yourself” he said.
“Undisturbed shall our mind remain, no evil words shall escape our lips,
friendly and full of sympathy shall we remain, with heart full of love, free
from any hidden malice. And into those persons’ (the robbers cutting off
our limbs) minds, we shall penetrate with loving thoughts, wide, deep,
boundless, free from anger and hatred”.117
Such was the Buddha’s perfection in loving-kindness. Even as a
Bddhisatta (a Buddha-to-be), he had in countless previous lives,
undergone torture and death without harboring an iota of hate or anger
towards his torturers. Never had he lost his tranquility and equanimity.
When the mad elephant, Nalagiri. charged at him, the Buddha was able to
subdue the animal by radiating loving-kindness towards it
The Buddha, of course, is not the only teacher who preaches love
and compassion. All great teachers do so. Jesus Christ said: “Love your
neighbors as yourself”. “If somebody strikes you on the right cheek you
should turn and offer, him the other cheek. 118The Nobel Laureate for
Peace, Daw Aung Sun Suu Kyi from Myanmar in her speech, delivered at
the square of Shwedagon pagoda, one of the most famous Buddhist
stupas in the world had said: “If blood be shed, let it be our blood.
Cultivate the quiet courage of dying without killing.”119 She had won the
116 The Dhammapada, KOdhavagga, Verse No. 223

117 The KSkacQpama Sutta MajjhimanikSya 21.
118 The bible book, VoL 1, page, 97. Myanmar translation.
119 The booklet, Freedom from fear, page, 31. Myanmar version.
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Nobel Peace prize for her aspirations towards achieving Peace by non
violence.
Besides being poison to our mind, anger and hatred are also a
danger to our physical health. Medical science has confirmed that anger
and other unhealthy emotions can contribute to bodily diseases. When we
are angry our body discharges certain chemicals that can upset our
physical well-beings. If such behavior is habitual, it can, in the long run
lead to various ailments, such as stomach ulcers, indigestion,
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constipation, high blood pressure, heart trouble and even cancer.
As mentioned above, our mental states too have a bearing on our
physical health. “Each thought and feeling is accompanied by a shower of
brain chemicals that affects and is affected by billions of cells”, says Paul
Pearsall, an American doctor and researcher. Emphasizing that our health
can improve with mastery over our emotions, Dr. Pearsall wrote:
“Invisible things such as thoughts and feelings can cause illness and
wellness. Germs hover constantly about us, but they do not set in and take
root unless the terrain is ripe. This terrain is cultivated by our thoughts,
cognitive style, feelings, and perceptions”.121
Another Myanmar doctor, U Aung Thein explained that
unwholesome emotions can upset the biochemical balance of the body.
Chemicals produced by the body as a result of these emotions can
adversely affect various organs such as the thyroid, adrenal cortex,
digestive tracts and reproductive organs. Anger, for instance, causes the
production of the chemical, epinephrine, which in turn causes rise in the
blood pressure, heart beat and oxygen consumption. Prolonged or
frequent occurrence of unwholesome mental states could lead to various
ailments such as peptic ulcers, indigestion, heart problems and even
U Curbing anger and spreading love,by VisuddhScara, page 7.

121 The Super-immunity, by Dr. Paul Pearsall, Page 47.
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cancer. Considering the dangerous effects of anger and other

unwholesome mental states on both our mind and body, we should be
more determined than ever not to give in to these negative emotions. We
would strive to expel them promptly from our mind whenever they
should arise. We should be more determined to respond with equanimity
• i ryy
and calmness in all situations”.
The many medical scientists said that when a person becomes
angry, a stress mechanism is activated in the body which leads to a lot of
biological changes in the body. It is as if a red alert or emergency were
declared in the body to cope with an impending threat This is a
spontaneous physiological response of the body whenever you get
aroused. It is immaterial for the body whether you are aroused due to a
traffic jam or due to the negligence of your subordinate or due to a real
life-threatening attack on you. Body’s response remains the same.
There are various sources of arousal. The response of the body,
also called ‘Fight or Flight response’, is organized by the activation of a
component of autonomous nervous system called sympathetic nervous
system which brings about the following changes in the body
temporarily:
• Adrenal gland secretes a stress hormone called adrenaline
which helps to convert glycogen stored in the liver into
blood sugar to provide instant energy to the body.
• Breathing becomes faster in order to provide more oxygen to
the body.
• Heart beating rate is increased to increase the circulation of
blood.
• Blood pressure is increased and blood vessels are dilated
122 An article on Buddhist meditation and bioscience, by Dr. Aung Them.

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• Digestion is shut down and blood is diverted from stomach

towards skeleton muscles to provide energy.
• Sweating increases and skin resistance decreases.
• Mouth dries up because secretion of salivary glands is
reduced.
• Blood is diverted away from the skin because peripheral
blood vessels are constricted.
• The activity of immune system gets withdrawn for the time
being.
All these changes mentioned as above happen to provide increased

energy to the body to face the impending threat So a lot of energy is
produced in the body when you are angry. Because of the mobilization of
this energy, an angry person can do many miraculous deeds beyond one’s
imagination. He can murder, jump from great height and do many violent
actions in which tremendous physical force is required. But this
enormous strength is produced for a certain time period only i.e.
temporarily. After some time, you feel totally exhausted and will collapse
on account of reaction due to great expenditure of energy.
As outward visible physical signs of an angry person, his eyes and
face become red, the body quivers, the hands and legs start trembling and
his volume of voice increases manifold. In the Visuddhimaeea123
■ ■ 1 .............. . ■ n ii —m
“description of a person with ‘hating’ temperament includes the

following words as, wearing clothes too tightly and not neatly all round.”
He likes eating rough and sour food. When eating he makes a lump that
fills his mouth, and he eats hurriedly without savoring the taste. He is a
person aggrieved whenever he does not get something good”.
123
The Visnddhimagga, 84.
108
It continues saying of the temperament of the angry person as

follows— “One with the ‘hating’ temperament will spread his bed sheets
hastily and anyhow; with his body flung down, he sleeps with a scowl.
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When woken, he gets up quickly and answers as though annoyed”.
The whole nervous system is shattered by an outburst of anger. Various
poisons are thrown into the blood when one is angry. Instances are
recorded where women have killed their children whilst nursing them
with breast milk, when they were in a fit of anger. People, who can see
the astral body of a person by clairvoyance, can find dark arrows shooting
forth from the astral body of the person who is in anger. Repeated
activation of stress mechanism in the body because of anger disturbs the
normal working of the body and tends to over activate some systems (like
heart, endocrine glands, etc.) beyond their capacities. Frequent episodes
of anger can bring about many diseases in the body as listed below.
• Migraine, headaches
• Digestive disorders, diarrhea, ulcer, gastritis
• High blood pressure and other heart diseases
• Increase in cholesterol level of blood, thickening and hardening of
arteries
• Diabetes
• Arthritis, rheumatism
• Muscular tightness, backache, spondylitis
• Nervous weakness
• Immune system of body becomes weak
As far as effects of anger on behavior are concerned, anger totally
destroys the reasoning capacity and intellect for some amount of time i.e.
temporarily. As a result, the angry man becomes highly emotional and
m The Visuddhimagga, Page, 106. by Bhikkhu Nyfinamoli, Secod Edition

109
impulsive. He himself does not know what he is doing and talking about
He also loses his memory and concentration. He realizes his folly only
after his anger settles down and his cool comes back. It is then that he
begins to reflect upon what he did. Great bonds of friendship and love
which have developed and matured over years can be broken by this
ferocious enemy within a moment
Every episode of anger leaves a deep impact and impression in our
inner mind (subconscious mind). Every time we get angry, these
impressions are further strengthened, which increase our vulnerability to
anger still more. These negative impressions continually make the water
of this vast lake of subconscious mind, dirty and turbulent, leading to a
generally aroused and restless mind. In this way anger leads to increased
anger. There are many situations which arouse the emotion of anger in an
individual. The factors responsible for causing anger are varied. They can
be broadly classified into two types: Direct or Immediate causes and
Remote or Subtle causes.
(a) Direct of Immediate Causes of anger
Er. M.K. Gupta stated the following beautiful passages thus:
There are certain situations which may be directly responsible for
making you angry. Following are some examples of such anger-causing
situations.
• When people around you do not behave according to your
expectations, especially your juniors and subordinates.
• When someone stands in your way in the fulfillment of your
desires and goals.
• When someone does not agree to your views and opposes and
criticizes them.
• When someone misbehaves with you, insults you, or speaks ill of
you, either in your presence or absence.
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• When people with whom you interact do not bother about your
convenience, your needs and problems.
• When people do not stand by the commitments and promises they
made to you.
• When you are cheated by somebody in respect of money, supply of
goods quality of goods, repair of something done by someone.
• When your juniors/ subordinates foil to give you the results which
you expect and desire.
• When some obstacles, either natural or man-made, come in your
path for which no individual is responsible. In such conditions also
you become angry with your self. For example, suppose you give
an important assignment to an employee to be finished in a time-
bound schedule. That employee fells sick suddenly because of
which your schedule gets upset. Now it is not the mistake of the
employee but you still feel angry, tense and irritated as to why he
fell sick at this particular time.125
To illustrate it with another example, suppose you are carrying out
an important construction project with each day’s activity planned and
work is being done on holidays and even at nights because of the
importance and urgency of the project Suddenly unexpected heavy rains
continuously pour for a week turning your whole schedule and planning
to become topsy-turvy. This is no fault of anybody. It is nature which has
caused this. But still you feel highly irritated, angry and tense.
But remember that behind all these gross causes of anger are a
hidden ‘one root cause’ and that is the lack of mental strength. People
whose mind is weak, get easily irritated and angry when faced with anger
producing situations, while a mentally strong person may still maintain
125 How to control anger—the deadly enemy by Er. MJLGupta. Page, 3.

Ill
his cool under the same situations as mentioned above. Because of the
lack of mental strength, one easily loses control of one’s mind and easily
become overwhelmed and carried away by a particular situation, when
you will become its slave and then the external situation controls your
mind and arouses it (mind) as it (the external situation) demands.
Besides, there are ten reasons that anger can arise, in the mind of a
weak person. They are—
• Whenever he sees undesirable or unwanted things.
• Whenever he is thinking about people who had contributed towards
his success and failures in life including his wealth in the past time
his success and failures in life including his wealth in the present
time.
his success and failures in life including his wealth in the future
time.
his beloved one’s success and failures in life including their wealth
in the past time.
in the present time.
in the future time.
his enemy’s success and failures in life including their wealth in
the past time
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the present time
the future time.126
Persons, who keep their mind constantly under their control, can
not become angry even in the face of anger producing situations.
Technically, it can be understood, that once the higher mind (intellect or
buddhi) loses its control over the lower mind, the lower mind reacts
without understanding and reason just like animals whose reactions are
based only on impulses, habits emotions and instincts. Therefore, if one
can , increase the power of one’s higher mind so that it does not give
way, or lose the control over lower mind, when an anger causing situation
appears then, one can prevent oneself from getting angry. The power of
one’s higher mind increases and one’s mind will become stable and
peaceful.
Actually, a calm and peaceful state of mind is conducive to both
mental and physical well-being. One will be healthier, happier and live
more fulfilling lives. Some of the chronic ailments, such as indigestion,
that may be troubling us, may clear up. Other illnesses may also be
averted. The serenity and radiance of a tranquil mind will be reflected in
our physical features and complexion. Wherever we go we will be liked
and loved by all. Ashin Visuddhacara said: “Nobody likes to mix with an
angry person or with one who gets angry easily. To give an example, a
boss who is always frowning or shouting at his employees, is shunned
and disliked. His workers will not think twice of leaving when an
X'lft
Khuddakanikaya, MahSniddesa Pali KalahavivSda SuttanidBsa, AtthakatM, 58. Netti Pali 126,
Atthakatha 136.
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opportunity arises. But in the case of the boss who is always smiling, kind
and helpful, who never or rarely loses his temper, that boss is loved and
cherished. For such a boss, some employees would not leave, even for a
better salary elsewhere"121.
Indeed, our virtues will have an influence on all who come into
contact with us. We will be an example for others to follow. What better
and sincere way can we change the world than by this way of setting an
example? Yes, by changing ourselves and setting an example, we are
actually contributing positively to a better world. Ashin Visuddhacara
referred this point also “For just consider: the world is made up of people.
People make up the world. If you change the people you are changing the
world. And you start with yourself. After all, are you also not one of the
people in the world? Thus, when you change yourself, you have changed
the world in the sense that there is one less anger-prone person in the
world. If more people change themselves, then the world will be changed
to the extent of the number of people who have been changed. With more
peace-loving people around, the strife and turmoil in the world will
decrease”.128
(b) Remote or Subtle Cause of Anger
In addition to the direct or gross causes of anger as mentioned
earlier, there are also remote or subtle remote subtle causes of anger.
Some of these causes do not induce anger directly but they increase one’s
vulnerability for becoming angry under the same anger causing situations.
The remote causes may cover the whole spectrum of one’s lifestyle. For
example, what you eat, how you eat, when you eat, what you read and
even your sex life all subtly influence your level of anger.
w Curbing anger and spreading love by Ashin Visuddhacara, page 7.

123
Curbing anger and spreading love, page, 10, by Ashin Visuddhacara.
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A person who has an unregulated sex life and wastes a lot of his
vital energy becomes easily irritated, while a person who has a regulated
sex life and who preserves his vitality can easily keep his mind balanced
and cool. In fact, anything which reduces the vitality of the body tends to
make the person easily irritable and angry. This is why weak persons get
easily irritated and angry.
There are other situations also when you can become easily angry.
For example, if you are hungry, or if you suffer from any disease, you
generally become easily irritable. Similarly, when you have some
problems, difficulties or losses, you get irritated over little things.
Extreme noise, extreme cold or heat, excessive humidity, too much of
smoke or pollution in the air—all these act as catalysts to arouse your
anger over trifles. It is also to be noted that after you have gained
sufficient mental control and strength to conquer and overcome anger, it
will not mean that you will become like a stone and will have no feelings.
Rather you will still feel good and bad and take note of everything. The
only difference will be that now your mind will not be carried away
impulsively by emotions, but it will behave according to the dictates of
the higher or reasoning mind.
(c) Manifestation of anger
There are various ways in which individuals manifest their anger.
This can be easily understood by the following example:
Suppose you were sitting with a formal guest at your house. You
asked your maidservant to serve water for the guest, but she reported that
“there was no water in the house because she forgot to store water that
day ”. In this situation you may react in many ways described below:
• You may feel very angry but keep the feeling to yourself and let it
loose as soon as the guest has left
115
• You may start scolding your maidservant in the presence of the

guest with such remarks as, “Can’t you do even this small routine
job of filling water properly? You have no sense of respect in front
of a guest”.
• And worst of all if your control is too weak, you may get up from
your seat and physically push your servant to the other room
shouting all the way, “Is this the way to answer before a guest?
You don’t even have the manners as to how to behave before a
guest”. And then you might even slap her.
• So you can say that the grip of anger has successively increased
from the first form of manifestation of anger to the third form in
which you were fully overpowered by anger. This can result in a
very unpleasant situation. Not only for the guest, but for you also.
On the other hand if you have the ability to control anger, you may
take this incident in a sensible way and your thoughts may ran as follows:
“She is an illiterate immature person. We can not expect her to
behave like an educated and mature lady. I will ask her to bring water
right now from the neighbor’s house. After the guest departs, I will try to
teach her proper manners to deal in front of the guests. I will also warn
her to be more careful about filling water in future”.
Naturally, any bad person may possess some good quality. Some
men are evil in mind but speak in deceptive language or slyly perform
their deeds in an unsuspecting manner. Some men are coarse only in their
language but not in their mind or deeds. Some men are coarse and cruel
in their deeds but neither in their speech nor in their mind. Some are soft
and kind in mind, speech and deed as well. When we feel angry with any
person, we should try to find out some good in him, either in his way of
thinking, or in his way of speaking or in his way of acting. If we find
some redeeming quality in him, we should ponder its value and ignore his
116
bad qualities as natural weaknesses that are to be found in everyone.

Whilst we think thus, our mind will soften and we may even feel kindly
towards that person. If we develop tins way of thinking we will be able to
curb or eliminate our anger towards him.
At times, this method may not be successful and we shall then have
to try the next method, basically, this entails reflecting thus:
“He has done some wrong to me and in so doing has spoiled his
mind. Then why should I spoil or impair my own mind because of his
foolishness? Sometimes I ignore support or help offered by my relatives;
sometimes their tears even shed because of my activities. Being a person
of such type myself, why should I not therefore ignore that foolish man’s
deed?
He has done that wrong, being subject to anger, should I too follow
him, making my mind subject to anger? Is it not foolish to imitate him?
The Buddha said in the Vinavapitaka Patimokkha Pali, the disciplines for
the Buddhist monks “He who harbors his hatred destroys himself first
then others since the delights, satisfactions, pleasurable interests and
pleasant sensations do not appear to his mind”.129 In the meditation
manual, Visuddhimagga. it is stated: “By being angry with one another,
you may or may not make him suffer, but you are certainly suffering
now. And by getting angry you are like a man who wants to hit another
and picks up a burning ember or excrement and had so first burnt yourself
or made yourself stink”130.
Indeed, Ashin Visuddhacara said, “we may or may not harm the
other by our anger but we are certainly harming our self. How? Firstly,
we are already poisoning our mind by becoming angry, for anger is an
unwholesome state of mind, and by being angry, we are hurting and
1*70
The Vinaya Patimokkha 10, page 19. Vinayapitaka Sfilavagga Pali 191, Atthakatha 36, ThgragStha
VoL 1,52, 54.
130 The visuddbimagga page 115.
117
polluting our mind. As we are Buddhists, we should know that any

unwholesome state of mind must lead to unwholesome effects. So if we
do not wish to reap bad kammic effects, then we would be wise to steer
away from anger and all unwholesome states of mind”.131 All things are
momentary. Both the mind and body are momentary too. The thoughts
and the body with which the wrong was done to an individual do not now
exist What I call the “same man now” consists of the thoughts and
physical parts which are different from the earlier ones that had harmed
me although belonging to the same psycho-physical process.
Thus, “one thought” together with “one mass of physical parts” did
me some wrong and vanished there and then, giving place to “succeeding
thoughts and material parts” to appear. So with which am I getting angry?
With the vanished and disappeared thoughts and physical parts or with
the thoughts and material parts which has not done me any wrong now?
Should I get angry with one thing which is innocent whereas another
thing that had done me wrong have now vanished and is now no longer
privy to be addressed to or can be referred to? The so-called “I” is not
the same for two consecutive moments. At the moment, when the wrong
was done there was ‘a’ thought and ‘a’ mass of molecules which were
regarded as “P, whereas what is regarded as‘T’ at the present moment is
a different thought and consist of a collection of molecules, though
belonging to the same process. Thus it is as if, some other being did
wrong to someone else and that other being gets angry with a totally
another being. Is this not a ridiculous situation? The Buddha said, “The
Bhikkhus who get angry should admonish himself in this way:
‘To repay angry men in kind
‘Is worse than to be angry first;
‘Repay not angry men in kind
131 The curbing anger, spreading love by Rev. VisuddhScSra. Page 22.
118
‘And win a battle hard to win.

‘The weal of both he does promote,
‘His own and then the other’s too,
‘Who shall another’s anger know,
‘And mindfully maintain his peace’132
If we scrutinize the exact nature of our life and its happening in this
manner, our anger might subside or vanish there and then. If one’s anger
subsides when one strives and makes effort in this way, it is good. If not,
then one should remove irritation by remembering some controlled and
purified state in that person, which inspires confidence when
remembered. For one person may be in total control in his bodily
behavior in doing an extensive course of duty known to all, though his
verbal and mental behavior may not be in total control. Then the latter
should be ignored and the control in his bodily behavior remembered.
Another person, may be controlled in his verbal behavior, and his control
known to all—he may naturally be clever at greeting kindly, easy to talk
with, congenial, open-countenanced, deferential in speech and he may
expound the Dhamma with well—rounded phrases and details—, though
his bodily and mental behavior are not controlled. Then the latter should
be ignored and the control in his verbal behavior remembered.
Another person may be controlled in his mental behavior, and his
control in worshipping at shrines, etc., evident to all. For when one who
is uncontrolled in mind pays homage at a shrine or at an Enlightenment
Tree or to Elders, he does not do it carefully, and he sits in the Dhamma-
preaching pavilion with mind astray or nodding, while one whose mind is
controlled pays homage carefully and intently, listens to the Dhamma
attentively, remembering it, and evincing the confidence in his mind
SamyuttanlkSya Pali, VoL 1.164, AtthakathS, 209. SuttanipSta AttbakathS Vol 1, Page, 10.
Visuddhimagga Page 97.
119
through his body or his speech. So another may be only controlled in his
mental behavior, though his bodily and verbal behavior are not
controlled. Then the latter should be ignored and the control in his mental
behavior remembered.
But there may be another in whom not even one of these things is
controlled. Then compassion for that person should be aroused thus:
Though he is going about in the human world now, nevertheless after a
certain number of days he will find himself in (one of) the eight great
hells or the sixteen prominent hells. For irritation subsides too through
compassion.133 In yet in another person all three may be controlled. Then
he can remember any of the three in that person, whichever he likes; for
the development of loving-kindness towards such a person is easy.
And still, if by reflection as stated, feeling of anger cannot as yet be
subdued, reflect upon what is going to be stated now, and put out this
fiery anger which has arisen. The manner of reflection is only mentioned
in the Visuddhimagga and is not to be found in other Pali Atthakathas.
The relevant verses are exactly ten in number which are as follows:
(1) In the case of an enemy wishing to cause misery and
suffering, injury can only be inflicted by him on your physical body. No
harm can be done against the mind. In spite of this why do you want to do
things to the liking of the enemy and be responsible for causing mental
distress, which the enemy himself is incapable of doing?
(2) Why cant you discard or reject the anger which is likely to
bring disastrous effects and no beneficial results, despite the fact that you
have donned the yellow robes and have become a Bhikkhu after
133
The eight great hells beginning with that of Sanjrva. At each of the four doors of foe Great
Unmitigated (Avici) Hell there are the four beginning with foe Ember (Kukula) Hell, which makes up
foe sixteen prominent hells. See JStaka Atthakathfi, Majjimanikfiya Vol.3, 185. Paramatfoa
manjQsa.115.
120
abandoning all your friends capable of giving you a lot of benefits and
advantages?
(3) Why do you entertain and caress the spiteful anger which is
capable of wiping or chucking out fear and shame, patience, loving
kindness and compassion, which are the basic fundamentals of morality
(sila), which you have personally observed? Where can such a fool as
you are, to be found? It means to say that you are the silliest person since
you have entertained the anger which can destroy and root out your own
morality.
(4) You are angry against another person for having done wrong to
you. Is it not true then, that you, who have become so angry, is plotting to
offend him in the same manner as has been done to you, in retaliation?
(5) It is most likely that any disagreeable act done to you by another
is to stir up your anger, or rather, to make you angry. Such being the case,
is it not true that by yielding to your anger, it would amount to fulfilling
the desire of another person?
(6) It is not quite sure that you, who are angry, will definitely make
your enemy miserable. Hence, is it not true that even now, at present, you
are ill-treating yourself by stirring up anger and causing misery to
yourself?
(7) As the enemies are foolishly following the path of vice which is
unprofitable, as provoked by anger, will there be any justification for you
to commit wrongful acts, out of anger following the footsteps of your
enemies?
(8) If any detestable and disagreeable deed is done to you by your
enemy based upon anger, you should dispel or overcome this anger. As a
matter of fact, why do you unnecessarily cause strain to yourself with an
angry feeling towards an individual human being who is not deserving of
spite and hatred. (It means that you have done something wrong only at
121
the dictates of "anger" to which you have become a slave.) Hence, this
anger itself needs to be rejected".
(9) Rupa and Nama, matter and mind, are transient by nature and
are occurring only for a moment, followed by dissolution instantaneously.
Such Rupa and Nama which are seemingly thought as having done wrong
to you, have already dissolved into thin air in an instant. These Rupa and
Nama are no longer there. They have disappeared altogether. Thus, at the
present could you pinpoint that 'matter and mind' in the person of the
enemy with which you are angry? New Rupa and Nama which have
subsequently occurred are not doing any wrongful act or harm to you.
Those which are considered as having done harm to you have vanished.
Hence, there is no meaning in being angry with Rupa and Nama. (It
means to say that Rupa and Nama with which you are quarrelling no
longer exist).
(10) If one is causing misery to the other, both the doer himself and
the one who suffers are the prime factors, which bring about or produce
the effect of misery. In other words, both of them are responsible for the
causation of misery. If that is so, since you yourself are not free from
blame for the cause of misery, why are you angry with the 'doer* only?
The above is the summarized statement of the ten verses - gathered
and translated in plain language, as mentioned in the Visuddhimagga. The
manner of reflection laid down therein is extremely profound. Reflection
1 TA
may therefore be made as stated to extinguish the flame of anger.
In the Sutta the Buddha preached to eradicate anger as follows:
“O Bikkhus the strategies for elimination of hostility consist of
five components. The root causes of hostility being manifested in all
134 The Visuddhimagga Vol 1, page 97. Myanmar version.

122
Bikkhus must be eliminated by utilizing these 5 components or

strategies”.135
So what are these FTVE strategies?
“O Bikkhus, if at any time, hostility is encountered, you must
cultivate Metta “loving-kindness”. In this way, the hostility in an
individual can be eliminatecLO Bikkhus, if at any time, hostility is
encountered, you must cultivate karuna. “Compassion In this way, the
hostility in an individual can be eliminated. O Bikkhus, if at any time,
hostility is encountered, you must cultivate Upekha “Equanimity”. In this
way, the hostility in an individual can be eliminated. O Bikkhus, if at any
time, hostility is encountered, you must cultivate Amanithikara “Non
registration and not taking to heart”. In this way, the hostility in an
individual can be eliminated. O Bikkhus, if at any time, hostility is
encountered, you must cultivate kamma “whatever good or bad that will
be encountered is the outcome of your previous doings- good or bad”. In
this way, the hostility in an individual can be eliminated.So, Bhikkhus,
these are the 5 strategies to eliminate hostility. So whenever you Bikkhus
encounter “hostility” you must employ these 5 strategies to eliminate the
hostility”.
Regarding kamma and in order to curb up-surging anger, suppose
we think of someone who has done wrong to us. On such occasions we
should remember that we suffer harm or loss as a result of our previous
Kamma Even if others were angry with us, they could not harm us if
there were no latent force of past unwholesome Kamma committed by us
which took advantage of this opportunity to arouse our adversary. So it is
I who am responsible for this harm or loss and not anybody else. And at
the same time now while I am suffering the result of past Kamma if I, on
135 The Aflguttaranikaya, Paficakanip&a, AgMtavagga, first AghStapativinaya Sutta.Page 163-164

Atthakathfi 54.
123
account of this, should get angry and do some harm to him, by that I will
accumulate more unwholesome Kamma which would, later on, bring me
a correspondingly unwholesome result.
If we recall minding this law of Kamma. our anger may subside
immediately. We can consider such a situation in another way too. We as
the followers of Buddha believe that our Bodhisatta passed through
incalculable numbers of lives practicing virtues before he attained
Buddhahood. The Buddha related the history of some of his past
existences as illustrations to teach us how he practiced these virtues. The
“lives” of the prince Dhammapala and the ascetic Khantivadi are most
illustrative and draw our attention to take lesson from his modes of
practices in previous existences on, how to curb anger. These episodes
will be discussed later. Er. M.K. Gupta had said “In short, there are three
stages in the development of anger in many individuals”
1. Thought stage. 2. Speech stage. 3. Action stage
It is best to control the anger at the thought stage itself, by nipping

it in the bud before it has chance to enter the speech stage and action
stage. However, if anger has already crossed over into the thought stage,
then the second best attempt is to curb it at the speech stage, by remaining
silent and not uttering a word and using your will power.136
He continues saying that “We have two minds—the lower mind
and the higher mind. The lower mind is also called the sensory-motor
mind or animal mind, while the higher mind is our intellectual mind. The
lower mind acts mechanically or automatically based on instincts and
habits. Without intervention from the higher mind, its actions are similar
to those of animals, based on impulses. All negative emotions, including
anger, are the manifestations of the working of this mind. When your
136 How to control anger, the deadly enemy by Er. M.K. Gupta, page, 16.
124
lower mind is under Ml control of the higher mind it is hardly possible to

get angry. A state comes when your lower mind is folly transcended and
you get permanently established in your high mind. In this state, you are
effortlessly peaceful. No extra control is required. This stage can be
reached through various practices”.137
If retaliation is made in anger on provocation against a person in
whom anger has first arisen or started, the raging anger which
subsequently takes place in another as a reaction is worse than the anger
that had first occurred. (It is because the person who had secondarily
succumbed to anger had knowingly followed the wrong footsteps of the
first man who had succumbed to anger in the first place.) Is it not true, as
admonished by the Buddha, that a person who can tolerate an angry
man and refrain himself from getting angry, is a victor in battle which is
not easily to be won?”
And then, it has also been preached that if a Bhikkhu, who can
remain calm or in mental peace without being angry although Mly aware
of the feet that the other (who provokes) is in an angry mood, may be said
to be a disciplined person, for the benefit of himself as well as for the
benefit of the other. Furthermore, putting it in a nutshell, out of the seven
kinds (of behavior) which the enemy would be pleased to see, the first is:
(1) A change in the facial expression of an angry person whose
looks suddenly become ugly. This is one which the enemy would find it
agreeable. (2) A person who is inflamed with anger will not have a sound
and peaceful sleep. This is also one of the likings of the enemy.(3) A
person heated with anger is likely to lose his business deal which might
be adversely affected. This is one which an enemy will find it amusing.
(4) A person who is dominated by anger may be lacking in riches, or
137 How to control anger, the deadly enemy by Er. M. K. Gupta.

138 DosaniddSsa VoL2 Pall, Atthakathi 399
125
rather, may not have enough of wealth and possessions. This too is one
which an enemy likes to see. (5) A person who is of a fiery nature and is
prone to vehement anger is likely to have a shortage in the number of
personal attendants or retinue. An enemy is rejoiced to find such a state of
condition. (6) A person of anger will not have a wide circle of friends.
(7) A person who is sensitive to anger and is furious cannot possibly be
reborn in sugati (an existence where happy conditions prevail) after his
death. The gist of this admonition is the advice given to nurture the spirit
of patience by repelling the force of anger so that the liking or the wishes
of the enemy may not be fulfilled.139
Next, is it not also true that teachings has been made thus: "Just as
the firewood which is used in. disposing of corpses by burning at the time
of cremation, is worthless for use in both the rural and urban areas, a
Bhikkhu who is avaricious and committing vices with anger and malice
being deprived of both the benefits of enjoying sensual pleasures
(kamaguga), and of the accomplishment of morality, will not be worthy
of respect and will serve no useful purpose in the role of a Bhikkhu both
in towns and villages, i.e. in urban and rural areas.”
In view of the above facts, if you, a Yogi, is in anger, you will be
regarded as a person who is disobedient to the noble instructions given by
the Exalted One. You will be like a person vanquished, in a battle which
is difficult of winning a victory, and will also be more vicious than the
person who initially became angry with iniquity. One should therefore
reflect and think over seriously, by teaching and reforming oneself, and
then, to exercise the result over his anger.140 If by reflecting as such,
anger cannot as yet be suppressed or extinguished, do not think of and
ponder upon the bad behaviors of the enemy, but instead, let your anger
139 Aflguttaranikaya, SattakanipSta, AvySkatavagga, KOdhasutta

140 The Brahmavihflradhamma, byVen. MahSsI SaySdaw.
126
subside by reflecting on the good points in Ms physical, mental and

verbal behaviors.
All human beings have mind and sometime we may get angry with
someone over some matters but we should not express it like animals. We
should decrease our anger as much as possible. In order to decrease our
anger, the environment, places and foods etc are playing an important
role. Indeed, regarding the suitable places, environments and foods etc.
for the monks who are meditating to decrease their anger, the following
have been stated in the Visudhimagga:
“A suitable place for a person of a ‘ hating’ temperament is not
too high or too low; provided with shade and water; with well-
proportioned walls, posts and steps; with well-prepared frieze work and
lattice work; brightened with various kinds of painting; with an even,
smooth, soft floor, adorned with festoons of flowers and a canopy of
many colored cloth like a Brahma-god’s divine palace; with bed and chair
covered with well-spread clean pretty covers; smelling sweetly of flowers
and perfumes and scents set about for homely comfort, wMch makes one
happy and glad at the mere sight of it
The right kind of road to his lodging is: free from any sort of
danger, traverses clean, even ground, and has been properly prepared.
And here, it is best that the lodging’s furnishings are not too many in
order to avoid Mding-places for insects, bugs, snakes and rats, thus even a
single bed and chair only. The right kind of inner and outer garments for
him are of: any superior stuff such as China cloth, Somara cloth, silk, fine
cotton, fine linen; of either single or double tMckness; quite light, and
well dyed; quite pure in color to befit an ascetic.
The right kind of bowl is made of: iron; as well shaped as a water
bubble; as polished as a gem; spotless, and of quite pure color to befit an
<
127
ascetic. The right kind of road on which to wander for alms is: free from
dangers; level; agreeable; with the village neither too far nor too near.
The right kind of village in which to wander for alms is where
people are thinking that ‘Now our lord is coming’ prepare a seat in a
sprinkled, swept place, and going out to meet him; take his bowl; lead
him to the house; seat him on a prepared seat and serve him carefully
with their own hands. Suitable people to serve him are those who are:
handsome, pleasing; well bathed; well anointed; scented with the perfume
of incense and the smell of flowers; adorned with the apparel made of
variously-dyed clean pretty cloth, who do their work carefully. The right
kind of gruel, rice, and hard food has color, smell and taste; possesses
nutritive essence and is inviting; superior in every way, and enough for
his wants. The right kind of posture for him is lying down or sitting. The
object of his contemplation should be any one of the colored Kasinas.
beginning with the blue, whose color is quite pure. This is what is
suitable for one of hating temperament’.141
The most effective long-term strategies for the eradication of anger
consist of developing the following methods that are given by Noble
Ones such as Buddha and his disciples in the Pali literature.The
mindfulness (Sati) is the best guard against anger and all unwholesome
states of mind. What is mindfulness? It is the presence of mind,
awareness, knowing clearly what is happening right at the very moment
of occurrence. Thus, the moment anger arises, one must apply
mindfulness. One must quickly take cognizance of the arising of anger in
one. One must note, acknowledge or say mentally to oneself: “Ah! There
is anger in me. Anger is arising in me”. Or, one can just be aware of the
presence of anger without labeling it.
141 The Visuddhimagga, Vol. 1. Page. 110. Myanmar version.
5
128
Noting the above, one can imply that the anger has been spotted
and its presence acknowledged. Just this mere act of knowing is helpful
in checking the anger. Why? Because whenever anger arises, it usually
overwhelms us even before we know it! It clouds our mind. At that time,
we are actually not aware, if at all, of the mental state of anger in us.
Instead, we are already consumed by it, responding and reacting to it. Our
facial expression changes and we start to snap, gesticulate or even yell at
somebody. Mindfulness checks all this. It prevents the anger from
overwhelming us. It institutes a much needed presence of mind. Just the
act of knowing helps to cool down the turbulent feeling. Instead of
responding or reacting to the anger, we will be made aware of it. We will
be aware of the turbulent feeling. During this period of being made aware
of the presence of anger, it can subside. First it will weaken and then it
might fizzle out
Furthermore, when we are made aware of the presence of anger,
we are not paying attention to the person, object or condition that is
causing us the anger. Instead, we are looking within ourselves, at our own
state of mind, at the presence of the feeling or emotion of anger.
Logically, when our focus of attention shifts from the object (i.e. the
cause) of our anger to the pure awareness of anger itself, as an emotion,
the anger will weaken. For if we had continued to focus on the object
(such as the person) we are angry with, we will naturally be likely to get
more angry. But under the glare of mindfulness, anger cannot develop
further. It is checked, and with continued awareness, it weakens further
and finally subsides.
Ashin Visuddhacara said, “The wonderful thing too is that the
subsidence of the anger comes about without any suppression or force.
You need not grit your teeth, clench your fist or use sheer mental force to
overcome the anger. Instead, as you are made aware of the presence of
129
anger, the anger just weakens and dissolves. This is the miracle of
mindfulness. It can be especially clear in an intensive meditation retreat
when the meditator’s mindfulness is particularly sharp and can, so to
speak, knock out the anger or any unwholesome state of mind by the
mere act of “noting after being made aware of anger”.142
Another benefit of mindfulness is that it allows us to pause and
make the right decision or response. When we note and take cognizance
of the anger, we will not be carried away by the emotion. It gives us time
to reflect and decide on a wise course of action. In that pause, we have an
opportunity to exercise what the Buddha often emphasized as
Ydnisomanasikara. which is ‘thorough attention’ or wise consideration.
So if the anger do not subside completely from our initial noting, then we
can exercise Yonisomanasikjra, by judicious consideration in various
ways, on the evils and disadvantages of anger. In the course of reflection,
our anger will naturally weaken, and as we become more and more
convinced of the undesirability of anger, the anger will subside. A desire
not to be angry or to continue being angry will arise. And consequently,
the anger will dissolve.
Thus, the mindfulness should be exercised to decrease anger. If
you make it a habit to be mindful of significant changes in your mental
states, you can become so good that you may be able to “catch” the anger
the moment it arises. You can feel and know that your anger is
developing, and because of that knowledge, you can nip it in the bud,
eliminate it well before it can show on your face or in your actions.
That’s the magic of mindfulness—it can promptly knock out an
unwholesome state of mind.
The question is—how can we reflect on the various ways to
eliminate anger if we are unable to completely evict it through
142 Curbing anger and spreading love by Ashin Visuddhficfira, Page 12.
130
mindfulness. There is no shortage of ways by which one can reflect Here

we will examine a variety of them and we believe that if you would read
on, you would by the time you reach the last page, be fully convinced of
W die undesirability and futility of anger. You would never ever want to get
angry again. This conviction alone will stand you in good stead, in that
you are already mentally predisposed towards amity, towards not getting
angry, towards keeping calm and cool. With this wholesome desire and
determination, it would now be less likely for you to give in to anger as
you may have done previously. Furthermore, should anger arise from
time to time, as it still inevitably would, it would not be so strong and you
would also be able to recollect and apply all the various “antidotes” that
we will be discussing here?
One thing to take note of is that in the application of mindfulness
and wise reflection, no suppression is being involved in the checking of
the anger. Rather the anger subsides naturally in the course of the
mindfulness or reflection. In the West, it is sometimes thought that if we
suppress our anger, it can be unhealthy. So according to this school of
thought, it might be a good thing to express our anger in order to release
tension. On the other hand, there are also studies in the West which
showed that expressing anger overtly (i.e. openly) would also be harmful.
In any case, allowing oneself to “explode” as a release of tension would
not be compatible at all with the Buddhist approach. The Buddha had
never made such a proposition or allowance but had, on the contrary,
asked us to return anger with love. In giving free rein to our anger, we are
opening our mind to stronger defilement and creating worse Kamma
while at the same time we are very liable to harm or hurt another. In
extreme cases, people have killed simply out of anger and victims are
sometimes innocent members of the public.
131
The Buddhist techniques under discussion here do not, anyway,

involve the suppression of anger. Mindfulness, as has already been
pointed out, involves no suppression but is mere acknowledgment of the
mental state as it occurs in us. Acknowledging and observing the anger
cools it down in a natural way. And applying wise reflection also checks
the anger without forceful suppression.Whenever we are able to control
or eliminate our anger that is arising in our mind, our physical demeanor
will become calm and cool more than ever before. Actually, the art of
keeping calm and tranquil is something quite scarce, in this world we are
living in. The hectic pace of life, impatience, the emphasis on material
acquisition, indiscriminate production and consumption, the all pervasive
influence of the advertising media, and many other aspects of modem
living, have contributed to an erosion of moral integrity and spiritual
values. They have also caused the mind to be more easily, susceptible to
restlessness, agitation, anxiety, fear and anger.
It is truly high time that we institute a balance of spiritual
development, simplicity, calmness and tranquility. To develop this
calmness, the discipline of meditation is invaluable. Taking up
mindfulness meditation is a solution. It is, however, not within the scope
of this chapter to go into details of mindfulness meditation. That can be
gleaned from other books on the subject The meditation of loving
kindness that would be mentioned in the fourth chapter of this
dissertation is also an excellent practice, which is especially effective
against all forms of anger, hatred and ill-will. It is ideal for those of an
angry or hateful temperament
In the meanwhile, what is important is that we strive to cultivate
and maintain an attitude of calmness and equanimity at all times. If we
make a consistent and purposeful effort to do so, it is less likely that we
will be carried away by turbulent emotions such as anger. Thus, we
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should, from now on try to maintain calmness and steadiness in all that
we do. We should try to speak calmly and mindfully, not excitedly. We
should apply mindfulness to check agitation and excitement whenever
they arise. We should keep our bodily composure serene and calm. If we
go about our daily activities calmly, mindfully and purposefully, we will
come to experience a certain delightful kind of peace and tranquility. In
that calm and stillness, you will find a lot of power and energy to
accomplish your tasks and goals.
Thus, the next best guard against anger that is arising in our heart
and mind whenever it gets proper reason to be angry is “consider that we
all must die one day”. In the Dhammapada the Buddha said, “The others,
other than the wise, do not know that all of us, in this world must die at
one point in time. Those who know of this, have their quarrels calmed
thereby”143. The saying of the Buddha mentioned above, is a timely
reminder to us, on the ever pervasive presence of death that is dogging
our every step. Yes, isn’t it true that we, while in the heat of moment;
tend to forget that all of us must die one day? But when we reflect on
death, we can tell ourselves: “Ah! What is the use of getting angry? Life
is short Soon we will all, be dead. Getting angry or agitated will get me
nowhere but just upset me all the more. Therefore let me do, what I can
without getting upset I shall live at peace with myself and the world.
After all, I seek to quarrel with nobody” and so on. Thinking in such a
wise manner, one can cool down and decide against getting angry.
Ven. Narada Thera said, “While contemplating death, one may
think, that life is like a flame or that all so-called beings are the outward
temporary manifestations of the invisible Kammic energy, just as an
143 The Dhammapada, Yamakavagga, Verse No.6. AtthakathS VoL 1.139.

133
electric light is the outward manifestation of the invisible electric

energy”.144
In fact, it is good to reflect on death at least once a day. The
Buddha taught us marananussati (Contemplating on Death) so that we
could develop a sense of urgency in meditating and in cultivating
wisdom. Reflecting on death, will also stir us to make effort to live a
meaningful and fulfilling life, and not fritter our time away in
unprofitable pursuits. If we take death as our advisor, we will live, each
moment, with the power and fullness, we would give to our last
endeavour on earth. “So it is good to always remember: Life is uncertain
but death is certain”.145 In other words, short alas, is the life of man,
limited and fleeting, frill of pain and torment. One should wisely
understand this, do good deeds and lead a holy life, for no mortal ever
escapes death.
Whenever we are angry, we should not act or say anything. For in
that frame of mind, what we do or say is likely to be not under control.
We might do or say something hurtful for which we will regret later.
Then even when we say “sorry” latter on, it will be too late, for the harm
had already been done. The person who is hurt might not be able to
change his attitude or feeling towards us.
Thus, whenever anger arises, we should freeze and be like a block
of wood. Only after we have quelled the anger, should we say or do
anything. So we fall back on the principle of acting only from a cool and
calm mind. In that way, what we do, will be done well, and there will be
no cause for remorse or regret later.
Rev. K. Sri Dhammananda said, “Some persons are like letters
carved on a rock; they easily give way to anger and retain their angry
144 The way to NibbSna by Rev. Nflrada Thera, published by Buddhist Missionary Society, Malaysia,
1997. Pg.46.
145 Uttara Suita, Sagathavagga Samyutta Pali 53. AtthakathS 104.
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thoughts for a long time. Some men are like letters written in sand; they
give way to anger also, but the angry thoughts quickly pass away. Some
men are like letters written in the water; they do not retain their passing
thoughts, but the perfect ones am like letters written in the wind; they let
an abuse and uncomfortable gossip pass by unnoticed. Their minds are
always pure and undisturbed. Even if we feel angry at any injustice done
to others, we should contain our anger because we are not in a position to
arrive at a correct course of action in a disturbed state of mind. When we
are angry, we must be aware of our own anger. Observe the anger as a
mental state, without directing it to the object that causes the anger. We
must train ourselves to observe and analyze our emotions when we are
angry”.146
Naturally, sometimes we are used to becoming angry when others
blame us. The Buddha once told a monk, Atula147, “This is a thing of old,
Atula, not only of today; they blame the one who remains silent, they
blame the one who talks much, they blame the one who speaks in
moderation; none in the world is exempted”. If we were to observe for
ourselves we can see that it is quite true: Nobody in this world can be free
from blame. No matter what we do, someone somewhere might still find
fault with us. Understanding the nature of existence thus, we should not
get upset or angry when we are blamed.
What we can do, however, is to examine the grounds for the blame.
If it is true that we are wrong, then we can calmly take steps to rectify the
mistake. But if we have been unjustly blamed, we need not be mentally
perturbed. We can explain the reasons behind our action and why the
blame is unjustified. After doing all that we possibly can, we should not
146 How to live without fear and worry by K. Sri Dhammflnanda, Page 67.
147 Dhammapada AtthakathS VoL 1.399. Vol. 2.211.

135
be concerned about undue blame. We should exercise equanimity, and

reflect on the fact that even the Buddha was not spared from blame. For
example, during his time, the Buddha was criticized for eating meat,148
» falsely accused of having an affair with Cinca,149 and of murdering a
woman wanderer.150
What is important is that we have done the right thing, or we have
done all that we could. When we have done thus, we will be blameless in
that, no wise person, or those who understand our position and die
reasons behind our action, will ever blame us. Only those who are foolish
or those who may not understand the reason and conditions behind our
action, might blame us. That is all right That is something unavoidable in
life; for no matter what we do, we might still be blamed or criticized.
What we can do is to try to do whatever we have to do appropriately to
minimize the incidence of getting the blame. After that, if we are still
blamed, there is little we can do or need to do about it
The next best way to decrease our anger is patience. As Buddhists,
we should consider the Buddha’s advice and example. The Buddha had
many a time exhibited great patience in the face of provocation. He never
got angry but instead radiated loving-kindness even towards his
oppressors. He never got angry when Devadatta tried to kill him, when
Cinca falsely accused him of causing her “alleged” pregnancy, or when
he was again falsely charged with “killing a female wanderer from
another sect”
Not only in his last life but also his previous lives as a Bodhisatta
(i.e. a Buddha-to-be), the Buddha had shown great patience and
endurance. The Khantlvadljataka (Birth story of the Profession of
148 Suttanipfita Pall, Amagandha Sutta 315, Atthakathfi 167. DTghanikfiya, Mahivagga Pali, 195,
Atthakathfi 259.
149 Dhammapada Atthakathfi Vol.2.116. JStaka Atthakathfi Vol. 4.188. Itvuttaka Pali, 207.
150 Dhammapada Atthakathfi VoL 2.296. Udfinapfili 128. Atthakathfi 232.
j
136
Forbearance) demonstrates the Bodhisatta’s remarkable patience. The

story is running as follows:
At one time in the ancient days, during the reign of King Kalabu
in the city of BaranasT, the Bodhisatta, bom of a high caste Brahmin was
a multi-millionaire possessing eighty crores of rupees. When his parents
died leaving behind all their wealth and properties, it had occurred to him
that his parents were unable to take along with them ,what they physically
owned on their demise, though they were able to accumulate immense
wealth. On his part, considering that he could not take any of his wealth
with him on his death, he generously gave away all his possessions to
those deserving persons in the spirit of charity. Thereafter, he went into a
retreat in one of the forested areas of the Himalayas assuming the role of
a hermit
He lived only on fruits which were available in the forest. There
was however, no salt for consumption. In order, therefore, to have proper
and adequate nourishment, he made his way to villages where there were
people, to procure salt and sour fruits for his own personal consumption.
Eventually, he reached the city of BaranasT. When going round for alms
in the city, the Commander-in-Chief found him to be a person, worthy of
reverence, and had respectfully invited him to his residence to accept the
offer of meals. Later, he was requested to reside in the pleasance of the
king's royal garden. This request was accepted by him. He had continued
to stay in that royal garden as his place of retreat
One day, while he was in residence, King Kalabu visited the royal
garden in the company of his queen and maids-of-honor, together with a
large retinue,to hold a ceremonious function. The ceremony was held
including a series of performances of music, ballet, etc., on a magnificent
and spacious marble slab, placed within the precincts of the royal garden.
The king enjoyed the festivities, watching the display of music, songs and
137
dances, after taking a lying posture with his head resting on the thigh of a
damsel whom he adored. Merry-making, including the dance with
accompanying music formed part of the celebrations, performed by
professional artistes and maids-of-honor from the royal palace.
While listening to the soft music, the sweet melody had lulled the
king to sleep. Finding the king in deep slumber, the troupe of female
singers and dancers stopped playing music for a moment and roamed
about the garden, sight-seeing. While thus making a rambling excursion,
they came across the great hermit, the Bodhisatta. They then approached
him, wishing to listen to the preaching which he might be inclined to
give. At their request, the great hermit delivered a sermon appropriate to
the occasion.
At that time the maid-of-honor on whose thigh the king had rested
his royal head, maneuvered her limbs to wake up the king. The king when
aroused from his sleep found none of his retinue and maids near him.
When inquired as to where they had gone to, the maid whose thigh had
served as a cushion for the king's head answered that the whole crowd
had gone to the great hermit On hearing the news, the royal monarch
became furious with jealousy. He then picked up his sword and hurried
his way to the hermit, uttering with an uncontrollable anger, that he
would give the hermit a good lesson.
Seeing the king raging with anger, one of the maids-of-honor close
to him caught hold of his sword and tried to calm him down. However,
King Kalabu's anger remained uncontrollable, he asked the hermit what
was the Doctrine which he, the hermit, professed. The great hermit
replied that his tenet was the Doctrine of khanti (patience), saying that
tolerance, exercised by one without feeling angry, against those who
provoked, railed and raved, is called "patience". The king then telling the
hermit that he would put him to a crucial test to find out if he was really
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accomplished with patience, ordered his servant, the Executioner, in this

manner. "You better pull down this villainous thief, the hermit, lay him
prostrate on the ground and punish him with two-thousand lashes by
whipping with a twisted cane fixed with sharp-pointed pins, on all four
sides of his body."
The executioner gave the hermit two-thousand lashes as ordered
by the king. Ordinarily, a person would surely succumb to the injuries
received if he has to undergo a penalty of 2,000 lashes. Curiously, the
great hermit was found still alive, possibly because of his noble qualities
of khantf or of relaxed or slack force put in at the time of whipping—no
one can say. However, the thick outer and inner thin layer of skin
covering the flesh of the entire body of the hermit was grievously tom.
Flesh was also tom to bits. Blood flowed out profusely.
Just imagine how severe the pain and suffering would be that the
said hermit had to undergo. In spite of this ferocious ill-treatment, the
great noble hermit harbored no anger, ill-will or grudge either against the
king or the executioner. This is the cruel punishment imposed without
rhyme or reason or fault whatsoever. Ordinarily, such a treatment would
induce anger and malicious feeling. This kind of patience indeed calls for
the spirit of emulation from Yogis who are developing Metta
Finding the great hermit still alive, the king asked him what
doctrine he was practicing. Thereupon, the Reverend Hermit replied, "I
firmly hold the Doctrine of Patience O, King; do you think that this
'patience' (khantf) can be traced in the skin of my body? It is not
underneath the layers of the skin. 'Patience' resides in my heart of hearts
and never runs out Infuriated by this mental attitude, King Kalabu
ordered that two hands of the hermit be cut off and also that the lower
extremities - the two feet, the ears, and the nose be sliced off.
139
The Executioner strictly complied with the king's orders and

cruelly cut off those bodily limbs with an axe. Every time a limb was
severed, a question was put as to what was the kind of Doctrine accepted
by the hermit The reply given by the great hermit repeatedly to the
questions, was the same as before, that he had held firmly to the doctrine
of patience which found its abode in his heart. Eventually, the king after
uttering in disgust as: "You cunning hermit Better live on invoking or
hoisting your own khantl. foully kicked the hermit in the breast with his
foot and then departed After his departure, when he reached the gate of
the royal garden, this King Kalabu was swallowed down by the earth. It
has been mentioned in the Atthakafha (Commentary) that this wicked
king was dragged down to Avici - hell, enveloped in burning flames.
Thereafter, the Commander-in-Chief of the army came over to the
great hermit and tendered his apology, not to feel angry and bear malice
against the State (country). Thereupon, the Reverend Hermit gave his
reply as follows:
Senanati - Oh, Commander-in-Chief! Yo - He who is King Kalabu,
(has caused), me - my, hatthe ca - hands and Pade ca feet, Kannanasafica
- the ears and the nose, cheddavi to be cut off. Soraia - This King Kalabu,
Cirarn ilvatu - may live long. He—For being able to develop Metta
without getting angry, Madisa - noble and virtuous persons like me, Na
Kuiihanti - are not used to getting angry; nay, are able to develop Metta
with best wishes and goodwill and not being accustomed to getting angry.
The Yogi who is developing Metta through meditation in
accordance with the teachings of the Lord Buddha! Your enemy who has
done wrong to you will not be as bad as King Kalabu. Isn't it then proper
for you to be patient, without getting angry, just as the great KhantlvadT
hermit was able to endure, with patience and with no anger, the afflictions
140
of the heinous crime committed by King Kalabu?151 If we study the story

mentioned above carefully, we will come to know that the opponent to
anger is patient acceptance, and if we are seriously interested in
progressing along the spiritual path there in no practice more important
than this. If we are also continuing to study over the patience of the
Buddha in the Culadhammaoala Jataka152 we will gain further knowledge.
The story runs thus:
At one time in the past old days, Mahapatana was the ruling
monarch in the country of Baranasi. At that time Bodhisatta entered the
womb of the chief queen CandadevI who later gave birth to a son.
Bodhisatta. the newly bom baby was given the name of Dhammapala.
When this young prince Dhammapala was seven months old, his mother,
the queen, after bathing her child and dressing him with fine costumes,
was caressing and jovially playing with the infant, full of love.
At that moment, the queen whose joyous thoughts were momentarily
riveted on her bonny son, being so delighted that she failed to get up and
pay respect to her husband, the king, who had by then come over to the
place, where the mother was molly-coddling the child.
The king on seeing the mother fondling her son, imagined, "Even
now this woman is becoming swell headed and conceited, relying on her
son. When the child become grown-up, it is almost certain that she will
surely neglect me. Perhaps, it would be better to get rid of the son now."
With a feeling of disappointment which had reflected on his fecial
expression, he left the place and proceeded to his royal chamber where
the throne had stood. He immediately sent for the Executioner and gave
orders that the infant child be brought before his presence. Judging from
his looks from the very outset, the queen knew that her husband, the king,
151 The Khantlvadljataka, jataka PSli, 99. AtthakatfaS VoL3,37.

152 The CGladhammapSla Jataka, Jataka Pali, 125. AtthakathS VoL3,165.
141
had entertained his resentment against her. Realizing this unhappy state
of affairs, the queen was shedding team while cuddling the baby to her
breasts.
While she was thus weeping, the Executioner appeared and
snatched away the child Dhammapala from her. She followed from
behind the Executioner with a pensive mood. On their arrival before the
king, the child was put on a wooden slab. Orders were immediately given
by the king to chop off the hands of the poor little unfortunate child. The
queen CandadevT entreated the king that the child was innocent and that
only she had the fault She pleaded repeatedly that her hands be cut off
instead of the hands of her innocent son but to no avail. The Executioner
had to obey and execute the orders of the king. The hands of the seven
months’ old infant Dhammapala were therefore cruelly chopped off with
an axe. The two small tender hands were dismembered as if a delicate
sprout of a bamboo plant is severed. The young infant, Bodhisatta.
however, did not flinch or cry but remained still with patience. Hence, the
commentary goes to say:
So - This young child Dhammapala, Hatthesuchii 1 amanesu - when
cut off his hands, i.e. while his hands were chopped off, Nevarodi -
neither uttered a cry, Naparidevavi - nor wailed or lamented, Khantiflca -
exercising the spirit of patience, and, Mettifica - wishing happiness to the
other, purecarikam katva - guided by the thoughts of loving-kindness,
Adhivasesi endured the pain and suffering by resigning himself to the
situation (fate).
The mother - Queen Candadevi after picking up the soft tiny hands
that had been severed, folded them close to her bosom and was bitterly
sobbing. Thereafter, the father Mahapatapa king again ordered the
Executioner to cut off the two feet and then, the head of the child. The
queen went on entreating her husband to pardon the innocent child but to
142
no avail. The Executioner then severed the child’s head, as ordered by the
king and even tossed up the little delicate body of the child in the air and
on falling down, caught it up with the sharp-pointed sword and played
with it as if it were a wreath of flowers.
It is almost unbelievable that there was such kind of foolish, wicked
and heartless father without a tinge of mercy in him. However, there is
every possibility of finding such a merciless man from among the worldly
people when one becomes a slave to "Anger". Because of this possibility,
the case of this wicked King Mahapatapa, father of Dhammapala, has
been cited as an example. The queen died of a broken-heart on the spot
while weeping and wailing. By a curious coincidence, King Mahapatapa
also fell down from his throne and dropped on to the floor first and
eventually reached the level of the earth below where he was swallowed
down to death. It was stated that he had gone down to Avici hell, one of
the eight Narakas.
As for the young child Dhammapala, it was stated that he passed
away peacefully while exercising patience without any anger which had
not arisen till the time of his death. Considering this episode, it might be
possible for a Yogi who is developing Metta to endure pain and suffering
without being angry, just as the young child Dhammapala had practiced
forbearance. In many Sutta the Buddha said the advantages of the
patience as follows:
“No higher rule, the Buddha says, than patience, and no Nibbana
higher than forbearance”.153 “Him I call a Brahmana. who without anger
endures abuse, beating and being bound, to whom the strength of patience
is like the strength of an army”.154
153 The DlghanMya, Mahfivagga Pali 49. Dhammapada verse No. 184.
154 The Dhammpada verse No.399.
143
“No greater thing exists than patience”.155

When our master was a Bodhisatta before discovering full
enlightenment, he did not allow hate to corrupt his mind even when his
enemies tried to murder him on various occasions. For example, in the
Silavanta stoiy when his friends rose to prevent his kingdom of three
hundred leagues being seized by an enemy king who had been incited by
a wicked minister in whose mind his own queen had sown hate for him,
he did not allow them to lift a weapon. Again when he was buried, along
with a thousand companions, up to the neck in a hole dug in the earth in a
charnel ground, he had no thought of hate. And when, after saving his life
by a heroic effort helped by jackals scrapping away soil when they had
come to devour the corpses, he went with the aid of a spirit to his own
bedroom and saw his enemy lying on his own bed, he was not angry but
treated him as a friend, undertaking a mutual pledge, and he then
exclaimed:
“The brave aspire, the wise will not lose heart; I see myself as I had
wished to be”.156
It is perhaps not so wonderful that, one who had become a human
being should have acted in that way; but also as an animal he did so. For
while the Bodhisatta was the elephant called Chaddanta he was pierced in
the navel by a poisoned shaft. But even then he allowed no hate towards
the hunter who had wounded him to corrupt his mind, according as it is
said: “The elephant, when struck by the stout shaft,
“Addressed the hunter with no hate in mind:
“What is your aim? What is the reason?
“Why you call me thus? What can your purpose be?
153 Samyuttanik8ya VoL 1.222.

156 Silavanta JTtaka, JStaka Pali VoL 1,261-267. Visuddhimagga by MahSsi SaySdaw VoL 1.218.
157 The Chaddanta JStaka, JStaka Pali VoL 5.51.
144
And when the elephant had spoken thus and was told ‘Sir, I have
been sent by the king of Kasi’s queen to get your tusks’, in order to fulfill
her wish, he cut off his own tusks whose gorgeous radiance glittered with
the flashes of the six-colored rays and gave them to him. And when he
was the great monkey, the man whom he had pulled out of a rocky chasm
thought: “Now this is food for human kind, like other forest animals,
“So why then should a hungry man, not kill the ape to eat? (I ask.)
“I shall travel independently, taking his meat as a provision;
“Thus I shall cross the waste, and that will finish my
Viaticum’.158 Then he took up a stone and dashed it on his head. But the
monkey looked at him with eyes full of tears and said,
“Oh act not so, good sir, or else
“The fete you reap will long deter
“All others from such deeds as this
“That you would do to me today.159
And with no hate in his mind and regardless of his own pain he
saw to it that the man reached his journey’s end in safety.
And while he was the Royal Naga Bhuridatta when he had
undertaken the Unosatha precepts and was lying on the top of an ant-hill,
though he was caught and sprinkled with medicinal charms resembling
the fire that ushers in the end of an a eon, and was put into a box and
treated as a play-thing throughout the whole of Jambudma. yet, he had no
trace of hate for that Brahman, according as it is said,
“While being put into the coffer, and being crushed down with his hand;
“I had no hate for Alambana. lest I Should break my precept vow”.160
158 The JStaka Pali 165, AtthakatfaS Vol. 3.348.

139 MahSkapijStaka, JStaka Pali 165. AtthakathS VoL 3.349.
160 Bhuridatta JStaka, Cariyfipitaka Pali 400, AtthakathSl 16. JStaka Pali Vol 2.221, AtthakathS VoL 4.
459.
t
145
And when he was the Royal Naga Campeyya he let no hate spring
up in his mind while he was being cruelly treated by a snake charmer, in
accordance with this record: “While I was living in the Law, observing
the Unosatha (eight precepts) “A snake charmer took me away, to play
with at the royal gate. “Whatever hue he might conceive, blue and
yellow, and red as well. “So in accordance with his thought, I would
become what he had wished; “I would turn dry land into water, and water
into land likewise. “Now had I given way to wrath, I could have seared
him into ash, “Had I relaxed mind-mastery, I should have let my virtue
lapse; “And one who lets his virtue lapse, cannot attain the highest
goal.161
And when he was the Royal Naga Sankhapala, while he was being
carried along on a carrying pole by the sixteen village boys after they had
wounded him in eight places with sharp spears and inserted thorn
creepers into the wounds’ orifices, and while, after threading a strong
rope through his nose, they were causing him great agony by dragging
him along, bumping his body on the surface of the ground, though he was
capable of turning those village boys to cinders with a mere glance, yet he
did not even show the least trace of hate on opening his eyes, according
as it is said: “On the Fourteenth and the Fifteenth too, Aiara. “I regularly
kept the Holy Day, until there came those sixteen village boys, bearing a
rope and a stout spear as well. “The hunters cleft my nose, and through
the slitlhey passed a rope and dragged me off like that But though I felt
■t^y
such poignant, I let no hate disturb my Holy Day”.
And he performed not only these wonders but also many others too
such as those told in the Matuposaka Birth story163. Now it is in the
highest degree improper and unbecoming to you to arouse thoughts of
161 The Campeyya JStaka, CariySpitaka Pfili 85.

162 The JStaka Pali VoL 5.172.
163 The MatupOsaka JStaka, JStaka Pali VoL 4.90.
146
resentment, since you are emulating as your Master that Blessed One who
reached omniscience and who has in the special quality of patience no
equal in the world with its deities. We are, even though, reviewing the
special qualities of the Blessed One’s great patience in his many previous
lives, our resentment or anger still does not subside in our mind and heart
we should review the Suttas that deal with the round of rebirths which is
originless.
Here is what is said: Bhikkhus, it is not easy to find a being who
has not formerly been your mother...your farther... your brother...your
sister...your son and daughter. Consequently we should think about that
person with whom we are getting angry as follows:
“This person, it seems, as my mother in the previous life, carried
me in her womb for ten months and had removed from me, without
disgust, as if it were yellow sandalwood, my urine, excrement, spittle,
snot, etc., and played with me in her lap, and nourished me, carrying me
about at her hip. And this person with whom I am getting angry, it seems,
as my father, went by goat paths and paths set on piles, etc., to pursue the
trade of merchant, and he risked his life for me by going into battle in
double array, by sailing on the great ocean in ships and doing other
difficult things and he nourished me by bringing back wealth by one
means or another, thinking to feed his children”.164
And as my brother, sister, son, daughter, this person gave me such
and such help. So it is unbecoming for me to harbor hate for him in my
mind and heart This thinking about the “beginninglessness rounds of
rebirths” is an attempt to decrease the anger. But if he or she is still
unable to decrease his or her anger thought in this way mentioned above,
then he or she should contemplate the benefits of loving thoughts.
164 The Anamataggsamyutta, MStu Suita, Pitu Sulla etc. Samyuttanikaya, Vol. 2. 189-190. Atthakathg
145-249. Visuddhimagga Myanmar translation by MahMSaySdaw, Vol. 2.481-482.
147
the air element you are angry with? Or among the five aggregates or the
twelve bases or the eighteen elements with respect to which this
venerable one is called by such and such a name, which then, is it the
materiality aggregate you are angry with? Or the feeling aggregate, the
perception aggregate, the formations aggregate, the consciousness
aggregate you are angry with? Or is it the eye base you are angry with?
Or the visible-object base you are angry with? Or the mind base you are
angry with? Or mental-object base you are angry with? Or is it the eye
element you are angry with? Or the visible-object element? Or the eye-
consciousness element? Or the mind element? Or the mental-object
element? Or the mind-consciousness element you are angry with? For
when he tries the resolution into elements, his anger finds no foothold,
like a mustard seed on the point of an awl or a painting on the air.
1
The most venerable MahasI Sayadaw had said,
“If a person is incapable of making an analytical observation of the
Dhatus (elements), charity or alms-giving should be made. One's own
personal property or any other thing should be offered in donation to the
person whom one resents or hates. Property or goods be also accepted in
return from that hateful person. However, if the person whom you hate
has no propriety of conduct in making his livelihood, you should only
offer your property. If such a "give and take" policy is adopted, feeling of
animosity or vengeance will surely be eradicated. Even resentment or
hatred borne by an enemy in his past existence that has resuscitated in
this present life existence, will, it is stated, be extinguished”.
The said Sayadaw, in this regard continues as saying an instance
mentioned bellow:
166 The Visuddhamagga Pali, VoL 1 133, Its Myanmar translation by MahSsI SaySdaw, Vol. 2. 485-
486.
148
On a mountain known as Cittala where Pindapatika Thera resided,

an old Thera who bore an inveterate hatred against the former, made three
attempts to oust him from his place of residence. In a Sanshika
monastery, i.e. a monastery which has been bestowed on the Sangha as a
gift, the Bhikkhu who is younger in status is responsible to offer the place
or make room for the senior Bhikkhu to reside. Contrary to this rule of
discipline, the attitude of the old Thera amounted to causing annoyance to
Pindapatika Thera. With a view to expel the feeling of vengeance borne
by the other, Pindapatika Them offered the other a bowl stating: "Sir, this
is the begging bowl worth eight kyats which my mother had donated to
me. You may please accept it and make use of it so that my mother, the
donor, will derive merits." Since the time of acceptance of the gift of the
said bowl, feeling of animosity and vengeance had totally subsided in the
old Thera. Hence, the Commentators have stated:
"Adantadamanam danam, daman sabbatthasadhakam, Danena

piyavacaya, unnamanti namanti ca”.167
Danam - charity or act of alms-giving, adantadamanam - can make a

rude person become civilized, or in other words, can tame an unruly
person, danam - the act of donating gifts, sabbatthasadhakam - will
accomplish all the advantages, or rather, will carry with it Ml benefits.
(In the Silakkhanda Commentary,168 it is stated as "adanam
dantadusakam'1 which, in fact, conveys the meaning that if a person
worthy of receiving the offer of donation is not given a gift, it could -
bring about estrangement between him and a refined person who is
friendly to him and has earned his respect.) It continues to say that by
offering gifts with a feeling of generosity and by speaking sweetly in a
167 The Visuddhimagga Pali Myanmar version, Vol. 1. 134. Its Myanmar translation by MahSsT
SaySdaw, Vol. 2.486. The Brabmavihgradhanima by MahisT Sayfidaw, 94.
168 Sflakkhandavagga AtthakathS 197.
149
gentle manner, the person who makes offerings with a sweet tongue will
be enhanced in his prestige. And also, the relationship between the
receiver of gifts who hears the talk and the giver who speaks, will be
cordial and in harmony.
The MahasI Say§daw mentioned the following story of Puppa for
those who are seeking the method of patience to decrease anger that is
rising in their mind and heart The story runs thus: At one time,
Venerable Puppa,169 a native of Sunaparanta country, entreated the
Exalted One to deliver a teaching to him in a concise way. The Buddha,
therefore, taught him as below:
"Oh, my son Puppa! There are pleasurable and agreeable sights and
scenes, or sense-objects which can be perceived and known by the eyes.
These pleasurable sense-objects are also concerned with one’s own
desires. They are also prone to sensuous attachments. If the sense-objects
or Rupa that come into your view, are accepted with pleasure and looked
upon as being agreeable with admiration, or are embraced and grasped or
retained in your possession, it would cause rejoicing in you, called
"Nandi". 0, my son Puppa! I say that misery will take place because of
this delight and pleasure." (Similarly, teachings were given in respect of
the sensations of sound, smell, taste, touch and thoughts.)
"Oh, my son PuppaS The way to end misery, or rather, to make
misery come to a cessation is not to accept or entertain the different
sensations arising from different sense-objects which will cause to
generate a feeling of delight and pleasure. If it is done so, there will be no
opportunity for Nandi to occur. 0, my son Poppa! Because of the
cessation of pleasurable conditions and feelings, misery and suffering will
entirely cease." "Oh, my son Puppa! I have already given due admonition
to you in a brief manner. You, who have heard and received this
169 UparipaggSsa Pali 312, The Brahmavih8ra Dhamma by MahfisT SaySdaw. Page, 92.
150
admonition, May now let me know the place where you are going to
reside." To this query, Ven. Puppa replied: "My Lord, Fm residing in
Sunaparanta state in the westernmost part of the Continent of India,
which is called JambudIpa."Oh, my son Puppa! The citizens of
Sunaparanta are rude, rough and petulant If they scold you land utter
abusive words at you, how would you feel.
"My Lord, if they abuse and rail at me, I would bear in mind in this
manner: 0, these citizens of Sunaparanta are not at all bad. They only
utter abusive words and rebuke, and have not yet made any physical
assault on me," answered Ven. Puppa.
Buddha further interrogated him as: "If they give you a beating and
attack you physically, how would you feel?" He then replied, "I would
forbear it with a feeling of tolerance that Sunaparanta citizens are only
doing harm to me with their hands. Since they have not caused injury to
me by throwing stones at me, they will be considered as having
conducted themselves fairly well."
Questions then followed as to how Ven. Puppa would react or
respond if he were assaulted physically with stones, sticks, and swords
idahs) not to the extent of causing him death. The reply given to every
question put was that he would tolerate and consider them as not
behaving badly. Then the question arose as to how he would bear in mind
and feel if he were killed by being cut with a dah. The response given
was that having heard of an incident, where some of the Bhikkhus from
among the disciples of the Lord Buddha had even got to find for a lethal
weapon such as a dah to commit suicide for being disgusted with their
own material body and life existence, he would reflect on the said
incident and consider himself lucky enough to be killed by another person
without the need to look for a lethal weapon - a dah - which can cause
death.
"V
7
151
This Venerable Pugpa later made his way to Sunaparanta country

and carried on practicing meditation. He was said to have become an
Arahat even before the end of his first Vassa. As such, there is every
livelihood of a Yogi to be able to extinguish his anger by reflecting on the
manner in which Venerable Punna had borne in mind or his mental
attitude, as cited in this Sutta. Next, in the matter of reflecting on the
merits or fruits of 'patience*, khantl. Patience or forbearance is basically
the Dhamma contrary to anger, which, in other words, is Adosa—absence
of anger. It is similar to the essence of Metta. loving-kindness. In
particular, what is said to have patience is to be able to endure any kind of
provocation and to remain calm without anger and doing evil. Metta or
loving-kindness is more significant or rather, far-reaching in meaning
than patience. It imbibes the quality of goodwill, rejoicing with other
people's happiness. The advantages of patience have been described in
the Theravada Pali literature in the manner stated below.
"Patience is the highest or best devotion; it is the noblest and pious
practice of virtue”.170 'Khantlbalam balanikam".777 It connotes that since
patience has its own strength; it should be understood as preached by the
Buddha that the beneficial fruits of patience by symbolizing the attributes
of a noble person - Brahmana, have the force of strength which is but
patience. What is actually meant by this Dhamma is that the strength or
vigor of patience capable of preventing anger resembles a force of army
which is able to defeat the enemy. Buddha has therefore preached that a
person who is equipped with this strength of patience is a Brahmana, a
Noble One.
"Sadatthaparama attha, khantya bhiyyo na vijjati."172
170 The DfghanikSya, Mahavagga Pali 49, The Dhammapada 184.

171 The Dhammapada Verse No, 399. Atthakathi 461.
172 The Vepacitti Sutta, Sagathhvagga Samyutta Pali 222, AtthakathS 314.
152
The gist of this Pali phrase is that of all the advantages, one's own
benefits or interests, is the noblest. Among the best advantages, nothing
excels the beneficial results of forbearance or endurance. The advantages
of patience should be realized as had been stated by the King of Devas -
Sakka, cited above. As stated in the foregoing Desana, patience is the
noblest and the best practice. It is most noble and admirable because one
who has patience will be able to tolerate all criticisms or irritating
remarks which would ordinarily incite retort or refutation; and by virtue
of this noble attribute, he will earn respect and approbation from others.
He will also receive help and assistance when occasion arises and can
bring about closer intimacy between him and other friends. Nobody
would hate him. These advantages or benefits are quite conspicuous.
If retaliation is made against any verbal attacks, hot controversy
will ensue between the two parties and quarrel will break out. Feeling of
hatred and animosity will creep in and the parties may become
antagonistic to one another with malice and also become enemies for life.
If no tolerance or patience is practiced, one will be inclined to cause harm
to another, maybe, throughout the entire lifetime. If, however, patience is
cherished or nursed, it would bring about a world of advantages. This can
be clearly known by retrospection. Hence, the Exalted One had
prescribed in the form of Patimokkha, the Code of Conduct for monks.
In the Anguttaranikaya173 it is said that If we are endowed with
patience then:
• We will be loved by many people.
• We will be free from dangers
• We will be free from faults.
• We will not die with a confused mind
173 The Afiguttaranikaya, Paflcakanipata, AkkSsasutta.

153
• After death, we will reborn in the Deva realm.

Sayadaw U Indaka in his book writes the beautiful passage about
patience as mentioned bellow:174
“There is no benefit that excels patience or tolerance. Patience is
the weapon of the virtuous person. Patience is one of the blessings and
also one of the perfections or Paraml. Patience leads to the noblest
conduct Patience leads to Nibbana. and only with patience can we have
peace of mind. When we are endowed with patience, the world will
always appear pleasant and have a healthy glow. The power of patience is
like the power of an army that can resist the enemy. There are so many
positive aspects of patience. If we reflect in this way on the qualities of
patience will become very strong. When Metta sutta starts to flow like the
water from a spring, then the heart will also become very soft and
smooth”.
Similarly, in the many Suttas, especially in the Suttantapitaka, the
method of patience and its benefits were taught as such by the Lord
Buddha simply because all practices for the derivation of merits can be
carried out successfully only if there is patience. When donation is
offered on a magnificent scale with the greatest generosity, it shall be
performed with great patience. In practicing slla. moral precepts, spirit of
tolerance required to be borne by a person becomes more prominent
In practicing and cultivating meditation, i.e., bhavana. it becomes
predominant All bodily sufferings and miserable conditions will have to
be tolerated, and only by contemplating and noting with patience,
concentration and wisdom or knowledge can be gained. If changes in the
bodily postures are frequently made on account of minor discomforts,
such as, stiffness, hotness and pain, it will be difficult to enhance one's
own power of concentration - Samadhi. This will make it harder to
174 Metta, the practice of loving-kindness by Sayadaw U Indaka, Page 21.
154
achieve Vipassana insight knowledge. Only when one contemplates and

notes with patience and endurance, Jhanasamadhi can be attained. Then
only, special knowledge of Vipassana or the higher awakening
consciousness of the Dhamma along with Maggaphalafiana. i.e.,
Knowledge of the path and fruition, can be realised. As such, it may be
stated that patience is the noblest and highest practice.
A wise old saying, "Patience will cany one to Nibbana" is most
appropriate. In practicing for the fulfillment of ten forms of Paramitas. or
ten perfections, it can be fully achieved if KhantI or patience is applied.
Among these Paramittas. determination, exertion and knowledge fPafina)
are proximate to the attainment of Nibbana. Only if relentless and
persistent effort is made as originally intended to reach Nibbana with a
firm determination, Vipassana knowledge and Arivamagganana will be
fully accomplished. If so diligently practiced with patience Arahatship
will be attained. Such an Arahat is said to be a noble Brahmana who is
fully endowed with the strength of patience. That is what Buddha has
said. It is indeed a noble practice which can lead to Nibbana. When
cultivating Metta, practice of patience is essentially fundamental. Only in
the absence of anger, and by practicing patience, mindfulness and Metta
will become cultivated. This is the reason why it has been instructed to
reflect upon the advantages of patience prior to cultivating loving
kindness or Metta.
We should take the example in respect of patience that has been
mentioned in the Vepacitti Sutta176 how the king of the JDevas practices
the patience. In this Sutta we have knowledge by reading the following
passage spoken by the king of gods and his personal assistant, Matali:
175 The old Myanmar saying. It is mentioned in “ Myanmar sakarbone Paungkyuk” by Lu du U Hla.
176 Vepacitti Sutta, SagathSvaggasamyutta 222, Atthakatha 313
155
Matali asked the king of gods—could it be you are afraid of

VepacM or weak that you forbear like this though you axe hearing such
insulting words from the mouth of him?
“I am neither afraid nor weak. Yet I forbear, VepacittL How is it
one who knows (the consequence of anger), like me, would get provoked
by such a fool?” the king of gods replied. The king of gods continues
saying as—it is indeed a fault for one who returns anger for anger. One
who does not give anger for anger wins a double victory. Knowing well
the other’s anger, he who behaves for the good of both himself and other
persons will be mindful and will remain calm.
Here also there was a story regarding to patience of one of the
Buddha’s disciple. After gaining spiritual liberation, Pindola. a Noble
One returned to his native place, Kosambl. to repay the people three for
the kindness they had shown him. It had been a hot summer day, and on
reaching the outskirts of Kosambl. Pindola sat in meditation under the
cool shade of a tree in a park on the bank of the Ganges River.
At that time, King Udena came to the park with his consorts for
recreation and, after music and pleasure; he took a nap in the shade of
another tree. While their King was asleep, his wives and ladies-in-waiting
took a walk and suddenly came upon Pindola in meditation. They
recognized him as a holy man and asked him to teach them. When the
king awoke from his nap, he went in search of his ladies and found them
surrounding this holy man and listening to his teaching. Being of a
jealous and lascivious mind, the King became angry and abused Pindola.
saying: ‘It is inexcusable that you, a holy man, should be in the midst of
women and enjoy idle talk with them. Pindla quietly closed his eyes and
remained silent’.
The angry King drew his sword and threatened Pindola. but the
holy man remained silent and was firm as a rock. This made the King
156
angrier and he broke open an anthill and threw some of the ant-filled dirt
upon him. Still Pindola remained sitting in meditation and quietly
endured the insult and pain. Thereupon, the King became ashamed of his
bad conduct and begged Pindola’s pardon. As a result of this incident, the
Buddha’s teaching found its way into the King’s castle and from there it
spread all over the country. Be patient. Anger leads on to a pathless
jungle. While anger irritates and annoys others, it also hurts oneself,
weakens the physical frame and disturbs the mind. A harsh word, like an
arrow discharged from a bow, can never be taken back even after a
thousand apologies. Never use harsh words in a heated argument It is
always the retort that starts the trouble.
By cultivating and developing patience, the destructive emotional
energy within us will not have the chance to surface to take control and
direct us to commit evil,177 Once Venerable Sariputta. the chief disciple
of the Buddha, was confronted by a Brahmin who abused him with angry
words. When these words did not affect Venerable Sariputta. the Brahmin
became even more furious. ‘Didn’t you hear what I have just said? The
angry Brahman had shouted. Do you have nothing to say to all my
insults?, Venerable Sariputta. smiled gently at the Brahmin, and replied,
‘well, my friend, I do hear you loud and clear. But since I know that you
have nothing useful to say, I hear only sound vibrations’.178
The next way to decrease our anger whenever it arises in our mind
and heart is to forgiveness to all bad actions which has been done by
someone against us. Indeed, those who want to have the higher mind
should forgive to every bad deed that has been treated against them taking
the ideal to the Noble Ones.
117 The Story of Pindola, UdSnapSli 127, atthakatM 228

178 The Dhammapada Atthakatha VoL 2.398.
157
From the perspective of Love and Spirit, forgiveness is the

willingness to let go of the hurtful past. It is the decision to no longer
suffer, to heal your heart and soul. It is the choice to no longer find value
in hatred or anger. And it is letting go of the desire to hurt others or
ourselves because of something that is already in the past It is the
willingness to open our eyes to the light in other people rather than to
judge or condemn them. To forgive is to feel the compassion, gentleness,
tenderness, and caring that is always within our hearts, no matter how die
world may seem at the moment. Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D said:
“Forgiveness is the way to a place of inner peace and happiness,
the way to our soul. That place of peace is always available to us, always
ready to welcome us in. If, for the moment, we do not see the welcome
sign, it is because it is hidden by our own attachment to anger. Somehow,
there is a part of us that believes we can get the peace of mind we seek by
holding on to hatred, or anger, or pain. There is a part which says that we
must protect ourselves and that we can achieve happiness and peace of
mind by being attached to hatred and seeking revenge. There is a part of
us that says we must withdraw and withhold our love and our joy because
we have been hurt in the past”.179
We, of course, are able to look upon forgiveness as a journey
across an imaginary bridge from a world where we are always recycling
our anger to a place of peace. That journey takes us into our own spiritual
essence. It takes into a new world of expanding, unconditional love.
Through forgiveness, we receive all that our hearts could ever want We
are released from our fear, anger, and pain to experience oneness with
each other and our spiritual source.
Forgiveness is the way out of darkness and into the light It is our
function here on earth, allowing us to recognize ourselves as the light of
179 “ Forgiveness” by Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D. Page, 18.

158
the world. It allows us to escape the shadow of the past, whether that
shadow is our own or another person’s. Forgiveness can free us from the
imprisonment of fear and anger that we have occupied in our mind and
heart It releases us from our need and hope to change the past. When we
\
forgive, our wounds of past grievances are cleansed and healed. Suddenly
we experience the true love of others. G. G. Jampolsky, MJD. continues
saying as follows:
“What could you want that forgiveness cannot give? Do you want
peace? Forgiveness offers it Do you want happiness, a quiet mind, a
certainty of purpose, and a sense of worth and beauty that transcends the
world? Do you want care and safely, and the warmth of pure protection
always? Do you want a quietness that cannot be disturbed, a gentleness
that never can e hurt, a deep abiding comfort, and a rest so perfect it can
never be upset? All this forgiveness offers you, and more. It sparkles on
your eyes as you awake, and gives you joy with which to meet the day. It
soothes your forehead while you sleep, and rests upon your eyelids so
you see no dreams of fear and evil, malice and attack. And when you
wake again, it offers you another day of happiness and peace. All this
forgiveness offers you and more”180
Actually, forgiveness has the power to heal both our inner and
outer lives. It can change how we see ourselves and others. It can change
how we experience the world. It can bring an end, once and for all, to the
inner conflicts that so many of us carry around with us every moment of
every day. Imagine the peace that could come to our planet if all the
people of the world let go of old grievances with their neighbors. Imagine
what could happen if we would all let go or centuries-old battles over
racial differences, religious differences, and past injuries to one another.
The process of forgiving has no set structure or form. The person you are
180 Forgiveness by Gearld G. Jampolsky, M.D. Page, 20.

159
forgiving need not change at all. For that matter, they may never change!
The only requirement is your willingness to change the thoughts in your
own mind.
% There are many places in the scriptures about where the dangers of
Dosa. angers are explained. In his book called Metta. the practice of
loving-kindness as the foundation for insight meditation practice,
Sayadaw U Indaka had said: “When Dosa. anger exists in the mind, we
are not able to distinguish between cause and effect or between good and
bad actions. If there is anger, we do not know anymore what is lawful or
what is against the law. Because of anger, many people may hate us, and
we will have many enemies. We are liable to make many mistakes and at
the time of death, our minds will be confused and tormented. Dying in
such a state, we will be reborn in hell. In the world, there is no greater
danger than anger, and in the mind, there is no other mental state that can
bewitch the mind in the way anger can. Anger is able to destroy our
dignity and other people’s dignity”.181
It is right If a person gets angry in response to another person’s
anger, then he/she becomes even more contemptible than the first person.
An angry person ages faster and may die sooner. He/she will easily lose
his/her beauty or attractiveness. If he/she has a lot of anger, then he/she
will have an ugly appearance in his/her future existences. These are
dangers that are explained in the scriptures.
Furthermore, in our daily life we may not be able to eat and sleep
because of anger. Because of anger, we may fall into utter disgrace.
Because of anger, we may have many enemies and suffer greatly.
Because of anger, we are separated from our wife or husband or relatives.
Because of anger, our friendships are ruined and friendly ties are broken.
Because of anger, our wealth is lost Because of anger we may have to
181
Metta by Sayfldaw U Indaka, page 20.
160
pay fines or undergo punishment, or we may be held in custody or thrown

into prison. Because of anger we can develop high blood pressure, heart
disease, or have a stroke. There is no end to the dangers of anger because
v they are so numerous. We should reflect on the dangers of anger in this
way. If we often reflect on the dangers of anger, then the anger in our
mind and hearts will subside and gradually disappear.
The most famous MahasT Sayadaw gave example about anger as
follow:
“Take the case of person sweeping and cleaning a room in a house
or a monastery, with a broomstick. He would pick up and throw away
scraps of paper, cloth or broken pieces of stick if they are considered by
him as mere trash or worthless stuff to be discarded. If such trash or
waste matter are kept or put aside in this or that place inside the room, the
room cannot possibly by free from rubbish. In die same way, if the fault
of anger is not perceived one is likely to accept that ‘anger’ without
rejecting. There is every possibility that such a state of affairs condition
would prevail”.182
Nowadays people who bear anger against someone or have
grievance against others for having done something wrong to their
detriment, may be said to have been harboring the hatred or malice. An
aggrieved person, who has so become angry, may feel bad or sour even if
others would appease his anger by comforting him with nice words. And
then, he might even consider it pleasurable to entertain this blooming
anger, or even become infuriated or flared up when someone tries to
sober him down. Moreover, viper in his pouch tucked up at his waist
accepting the anger not realizing the disastrous consequence or the fault
of it Hence, to be able to reject the anger, one should reflect upon the
faulty nature of this anger or the spiteful feeling.
182 The MettSbhivana by the MahasT Sayadaw, page 124.

161
The Buddha’s missionary work of forty five yearn, with little rest,
was an exemplification of compassion and loving kindness. The notable
examples being, the episodes with the Nalagari elephant; Alavaka Balu;
^ Cinca the wicked woman; and many more in the books revered by devout
Buddhists - whereby the Metta (Loving-Kindness) had served as an
antidote, in the face of anger provoking occurrences.

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CHAPTER H.

Anger (Dosa)and Metta as its antidote

ANGER (Dosa) and Metta as its antidote

In this world we are surrounded by a lot of bad influences and

fear, anxiety, worries, doubts, apprehensions, impatience, lust for money

107 Itivuttaka Pali, EkakanipSta, Fourth Vagga, Kfldhasutta. DdsapriflSsutta, KOdhapriflfisutta.

One of the most harmful effects of anger is that it robs us of our

112 The Visoddhimagga 85.

Constitution too, it is stated: “Since war begins in the minds of men, it is

1U Bodhicaryavatara by Santideva, Page, 37, Myanmar version.

On another occasion he exhorted: “Conquer the angry man by

116 The Dhammapada, KOdhavagga, Verse No. 223

U Curbing anger and spreading love,by VisuddhScara, page 7.

cancer. Considering the dangerous effects of anger and other

122 An article on Buddhist meditation and bioscience, by Dr. Aung Them.

• Digestion is shut down and blood is diverted from stomach

All these changes mentioned as above happen to provide increased

“description of a person with ‘hating’ temperament includes the

It continues saying of the temperament of the angry person as

m The Visuddhimagga, Page, 106. by Bhikkhu Nyfinamoli, Secod Edition

125 How to control anger—the deadly enemy by Er. MJLGupta. Page, 3.

• Whenever he is thinking about people who had contributed towards

w Curbing anger and spreading love by Ashin Visuddhacara, page 7.

• You may start scolding your maidservant in the presence of the

bad qualities as natural weaknesses that are to be found in everyone.

polluting our mind. As we are Buddhists, we should know that any

‘And win a battle hard to win.

134 The Visuddhimagga Vol 1, page 97. Myanmar version.

Bikkhus must be eliminated by utilizing these 5 components or

135 The Aflguttaranikaya, Paficakanip&a, AgMtavagga, first AghStapativinaya Sutta.Page 163-164

1. Thought stage. 2. Speech stage. 3. Action stage

It is best to control the anger at the thought stage itself, by nipping

lower mind is under Ml control of the higher mind it is hardly possible to

137 How to control anger, the deadly enemy by Er. M. K. Gupta.

139 Aflguttaranikaya, SattakanipSta, AvySkatavagga, KOdhasutta

subside by reflecting on the good points in Ms physical, mental and

141 The Visuddhimagga, Vol. 1. Page. 110. Myanmar version.

mindfulness. There is no shortage of ways by which one can reflect Here

The Buddhist techniques under discussion here do not, anyway,

143 The Dhammapada, Yamakavagga, Verse No.6. AtthakathS VoL 1.139.

electric light is the outward manifestation of the invisible electric

147 Dhammapada AtthakathS VoL 1.399. Vol. 2.211.

be concerned about undue blame. We should exercise equanimity, and

Forbearance) demonstrates the Bodhisatta’s remarkable patience. The

accomplished with patience, ordered his servant, the Executioner, in this

The Executioner strictly complied with the king's orders and

of the heinous crime committed by King Kalabu?151 If we study the story

151 The Khantlvadljataka, jataka PSli, 99. AtthakatfaS VoL3,37.

“No greater thing exists than patience”.155

153 Samyuttanik8ya VoL 1.222.

158 The JStaka Pali 165, AtthakatfaS Vol. 3.348.

161 The Campeyya JStaka, CariySpitaka Pfili 85.

On a mountain known as Cittala where Pindapatika Thera resided,

"Adantadamanam danam, daman sabbatthasadhakam, Danena

Danam - charity or act of alms-giving, adantadamanam - can make a

This Venerable Pugpa later made his way to Sunaparanta country

170 The DfghanikSya, Mahavagga Pali 49, The Dhammapada 184.

173 The Afiguttaranikaya, Paflcakanipata, AkkSsasutta.

• After death, we will reborn in the Deva realm.

achieve Vipassana insight knowledge. Only when one contemplates and

Matali asked the king of gods—could it be you are afraid of

117 The Story of Pindola, UdSnapSli 127, atthakatM 228