Anger Management – A Buddhist

Perspective

Presented by: Maithili Tagare

St. Xavier’s College –
Autonomous
M.A. (AIC) – Part 1
 कोधं जहे विप्पजहेय्य मानं, संयोजनं सब्बमतिक्‍कमेय्य।

तं नामरूपस्मिमसज्‍जमानं, अकिञ्‍चनं नानुपतन्ति दुक्खा॥

— Dhp., v. 221

LET A MAN REMOVE HIS ANGER. LET HIM

ROOT OUT HIS PRIDE. LET HIM OVERCOME
ALL FETTERS OF PASSIONS. NO
SUFFERINGS OVERTAKE HIM WHO NEITHER
CLINGS TO MIND-AND-BODY NOR CLAIMS
ANYTHING OF THE WORLD.
• Anger (as per Oxford English
Dictionary)
a strong feeling of annoyance,
displeasure, or hostility.

• Anger (psychological definition)

an emotion which is characterized by
antagonism towards something or
someone we feel has deliberately done
us wrong
 According to Sigmund Freud
• Emotion is a flow of energy
• Emotions are transmitters of meaning and
purpose
• Emotions are rather implicit, i.e. they are
innate in every human being
• Freud emphasized on these emotions being
there in the unconscious mind from the
very beginning
• The reaction to the various emotions or the
manner in which the emotions manifest in
a human being is termed as feeling
 According to Buddhism
• An emotion is a construction, an interactive complex
or a construct emerging within a causal network
• The best way to analyze this complex is to consider
the five elements that an individual is made up of,
namely, nāma and rupa
• Rupa is matter or the physical form. Nāma is the
mind and has 4 parts.
 The four minds are: vedanā (feeling), sannā
(perception), sankhāra (mental formations) and
vinannā (consciousness).
 According to Buddhism
• Feeling or vedanā is used to refer to a bare sensation - pleasant,
unpleasant or neutral.
• Emotions develop or arise from the feeling and add to it other
dimensions of varying intensity such as like and dislike.
• Deep-rooted psychological proclivities remain dormant within an
individual – anusaya
• External stimuli or internal thoughts cause turbulence in the mind
which the mind understands as feelings

--> Mind perceives the feelings and it then forms a liking or

disliking – pariyutthāna
• Feelings and emotions are displayed either by words or actions -
vitikamma
Anger lies dormant at the unconscious
level
कोध – negative emotion
Emotions are balanced (as per Negative emotions can be
personality) at the sub-conscious level traced to ‘kilesas’ (defilements)
Emotions are conditioned and feelings
are displayed at the conscious level
 How to control anger?
• Never respond to anger by anger.

 ‘‘एवमेव खो, ब्राह्मण, यं त्वं अम्हे अनक्‍कोसन्ते अक्‍कोससि, अरोसेन्ते रोसेसि, अभण्डन्ते भण्डसि, तं ते मयं नप्पटिग्गण्हाम। तवेवेतं, ब्राह्मण, होति;
तवेवेतं, ब्राह्मण, होति’’।

• We need to focus on the teachings of the Buddha, that anger harms

ourselves because it causes much turmoil within our minds.

• Every person who harms us has also an innate good quality. We need to
keep in mind the positive aspects of his/her personality and consider the
negatives as a natural weakness

• Everything is momentary – anicca (अनिच्च)

• The harm caused to us is because of our previous kamma.

• Our relationships and acquaintances in this life were associated with us

even in our previous birth. When anger arises in our mind against a
person we need to have this thought in our mind and act appropriately. A
negative reaction pushed due to anger only adds negative kamma which
will reflect in our next birth.

• The person behaving in a certain manner is the owner of his deeds.

 Three types of individuals in the world

• An individual like an inscription in rock, an individual like

an inscription in soil, and an individual like an inscription
in water.

 पासाणलेखूपमो पुग्गलो, पथविलेखूपमो पुग्गलो, उदकलेखूपमो पुग्गलो।

1. There is the case where a certain individual is often

angered, and his anger stays with him a long time.

2. There is the case where a certain individual is often

angered, but his anger doesn’t stay with him a long time.
3. There is the case where a certain individual—when
spoken to roughly, spoken to harshly, spoken to in an
unpleasing way—is nevertheless congenial,
 यो वे उप्पतितं कोधं, रथं भन्तंव वारये।
तमहं सारथिं ब्रूमि, रस्मिग्गाहो इतरो जनो॥

He who checks rising anger as a

charioteer checks a rolling chariot,
him I call a true charioteer. Others
only hold the reins.
Thank you!