Generally, when we experience anger, there are two different types of remedies that we can use for anger and hatred. The first of these remedies is the wisdom that realizes selflessness. This might be realizing the selflessness of phenomena or it might be realizing Mahamudra through the methods of the secret Vajrayana. If we can do this – this comes from wonderful experience and realization -, it allows us to give up all the afflictions that need to be abandoned. This is a way to abandon them completely, to uproot and eradicate them completely. But it’s something that is difficult for us ordinary individuals to do. It’s hard for ordinary individuals to immediately eradicate all the afflictions.
In order to do so we need to develop the wisdom that sees the truth of the path of seeing. Upon seeing, we can give up what needs to be given up and then gradually develop the wisdom of the path of meditation and meditate upon that. But developing the wisdom of the path of seeing and then developing the wisdom of the path of meditation and meditating upon this is not all that easy for ordinary individuals to do. So, in The Way of the Bodhisattva, it teaches a way for ordinary individuals to deal with their afflictions, overcoming and stopping them. This way we can decrease our afflictions.
In particular, we need to decrease and overcome the afflictions of hatred and anger. What is the way to do this? Well, we have imprints from being in samsara since beginningless time, and because there are these imprints within our mind streams, occasionally we have hatred and anger that become manifest. When those become manifest, we will say nasty things and we will do bad and wrong things with our body. When this happens, is there anything we can do about it? Well, taking medicine won’t to help. There’s no other method that will help, but there is a way. If we realize the defects of anger and the problems that anger causes, then we find that we will be able to apply the antidotes.
The temporary antidote for hatred is to contemplate and practice patience. If we just say, “I’m going to be patient,” are we going to be patient? It’s not going to happen like that. First we need to think about the benefits of being patient, about the qualities of patience, and then we will develop interest in it. Through having interest, we will develop faith in the benefits and then we will think that we really need to develop patience in ourselves. With that pure and wonderful motivation, we will be able to realize the defects of hatred and anger and the benefits of patience. Then, gradually, this will help us; we won’t get angry as much and we won’t feel as much hatred. But if it does happen, if we do feel anger, then we will be able to apply the antidote. For that reason we think about and practice patience.
But thinking about patience will not eradicate our anger. It is having a real, pure motivation, seeing the faults of hatred and the afflictions, and thinking about the reasons why we need to not get angry, the benefits of that, and recognizing that, and then practicing that. Through gradually doing that we will be able to decrease the affliction of hatred. For this reason, in the short term it’s extremely beneficial.
Often we think to ourselves, “Anger is no good. Hatred is no good,” but we need to really think about just what are the defects of anger. We need to really know them in detail, to understand them thoroughly. We need to understand how it is that hatred and anger harm us, how it is that they cause us difficulties and problems. Actually, some people think, “Well, anger is not all that bad. It’s like a real hero, a brave person. I can really get things done with it.” They think of it as being like a quality, that the afflictions of hatred and anger are really good, that they help them get things done. They think that if they try to do things in a nice way, sometimes they don’t get anywhere, but if they just go in there and get angry and fight and struggle, then they can really get things done. So they think of hatred and anger as being a quality. But if we think of hatred and anger as being a quality, then that makes an obstacle to actually giving it up. For this reason, the faults of anger are taught here.
First it teaches the problems of anger in terms of the karmic results, So, here there are two different types of faults with anger. There are the unseen faults and there are the seen faults, the faults that are visible in this life. The unseen faults are how it is such bad karma, a bad action, how it is a very strong and bad misdeed. So, in this life, if we have a lot of anger, we will not have any happiness. But also we will not have any happiness in future lives. About the unseen faults of anger, the first verse of the chapter on patience in Shantideva’s text says:
"All the good works gathered in a thousand ages, Such as deeds of generosity And offerings to the Blissful Ones – A single flash of anger shatters them."
So, anger is a really strong misdeed and wrong-doing. If we have very strong anger, then it can destroy a lot of the good that we have done. For instance, if we have a very strong amount of hatred, such as the anger that would motivate us to draw blood from a Buddha, then this can have really strong karmic consequences. That’s a very big misdeed, a very big non-virtue. There are many different misdeeds other than anger, but there’s none that is similar to anger.
"No evil is there similar to anger, No austerity to be compared with patience.
Steep yourself therefore in patience, In various ways, insistently."
But does this mean that we have no chance to attain liberation and freedom for ourselves if we have no anger? No, it doesn’t mean that. There’s an antidote for anger, and that antidote is patience. There’s no austerity like patience. If we practice patience, then we won’t feel angry and then we’ll also not experience the karmic ripening of that anger. So it’s important that we don’t lose ourselves to anger and that we are able to practice patience. So, this is pointing out the karmic benefits and karmic results of contemplating and practicing patience. That is the unseen karmic result.
Then there are the results of anger that we see in this life. The stanza says:
"Those tormented by the pain of anger, Never know tranquillity of mind. Strangers they will be to every pleasure; They will neither sleep nor feel secure."
When we get angry, a lot of it is really like a sickness, like an illness and pain. So if we have anger in our lives, then we will have no happiness of mind, and because we have no happiness of mind, we will also have no comfort and health in our bodies. Also, when we get angry at night, we won’t be able to sleep at night. So this is showing how anger and hatred create problems and sufferings for ourselves; but they also create pain and suffering for others.
"Even those dependent on their lord For gracious gifts of honors and of wealth Will rise against and slay A master who is filled with wrath and hatred."
"His family and friends he grieves, And is not served by those his gifts attract. No one is there, all in all, Who, being angry, lives at ease."
If we are angry all the time, then we may have friends and family, but we are always fighting and getting into problems with them. As a result, we do bad things with our body, we give them a hard time, and we say harsh words. Finally, in the end, even our friends and family will be upset with us. They will be hurt by it – they will not like it at all. Also, “... and is not served by those whose gifts attract.” Most people give gifts and people like it. If you are always angry, even if you give gifts, people will take the gifts, but they won’t be happy about it; they won’t like you and they won’t enjoy it. There won’t be any happiness or joy at all. In general, there is just no joy or happiness to anger. It says, “No one is there, all in all, who, being angry, lives at ease.”
"All these ills are brought about by wrath, Our sorrow-bearing enemy. But those who seize and crush their anger down Will find their joy in this and future lives."
If we get angry, then we won’t be happy and we won’t make others happy. We will not bring ourselves temporary or ultimate happiness. If we know that because of anger and hatred we
will have no happiness, then when anger and hatred actually happen, we will realize, “Oh, this is going to cause problems. I’m not going to allow myself to get angry. I’m going to put this anger aside and not act upon it.” It will help us in this way. Also, if we keep the teachings in mind all the time and think, “I’m not going to allow myself to get angry. I’m not going to act on what usually causes me to get angry,” in this way, it will gradually help us not to get angry. So that is teaching the faults of anger and how we can diminish and overcome our anger by knowing this.
This Teaching extracted from "Patience – bZöd-pa Instructions on Chapter 6 from The Way of the Bodhisattva, by Shantideva." Published in Thar Lam - The International Journal of Palpung, New Zealand
Thrangu Rinpoche was born in 1933 in Kham, Tibet. He is a prominent tulku (reincarnate lama) in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, the ninth reincarnation in his particular line. In 1976, Rinpoche began teaching Buddhism in the West and throughout Asia. In the United States and Canada, he established centers in Crestone, Colorado, Maine and California, Vancouver and Edmonton, and has another fifteen centers in ten other countries. He is the Abbot of Gampo Abbey, a Karma Kagyu monastery in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia founded by his dharma brother Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, reflective of his close ties the Shambhala Buddhist community.
Thrangu Rinpoche has written many books and commentaries on the practice of Mahamudra meditation and is uniquely regarded for his open approach and exemplary knowledge of this profound method.
For more information please see: www.rinpoche.com
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