The Dalai Lama is well known for the infinite happiness, inner
peace and tranquility he radiates. Yet he has experienced more pain
and suffering than we can imagine. One third of his people were killed; the rest
were driven from their homes and are struggling to survive in exile or
in the high, inhospitable regions of the Himalayas. Nearly all of Tibet’s 1,600
monasteries were destroyed and with them their libraries filled with
immeasurable treasures of knowledge, science and wisdom gathered during the
last thirty centuries.
Yet the Dalai Lama has neither shown anger, nor pointed a finger, nor accused his enemies. He simply radiates happiness. I’ve often wondered how he manages to overcome all sentiments of hate, anger, and pain until I came across a book written by his interpreter, Matthieu Ricard, a French intellectual and scientist turned monk. His book, Happiness, sheds light on the question.
Most of life’s pain and suffering, he explains, is caused by anger and hate. When those powerful emotions are aroused, they take control and make us want to lash out and act in ways we might later regret. Emotions of hate and anger cause pain and suffering not only to others, but also to ourselves.
Intense anger and hate are powerful motivators that drive us blindly into action. Dictators and religious fanatics are vivid examples.
What are the reasons for us to get angry?
Yet the Dalai Lama has neither shown anger, nor pointed a finger, nor accused his enemies. He simply radiates happiness. I’ve often wondered how he manages to overcome all sentiments of hate, anger, and pain until I came across a book written by his interpreter, Matthieu Ricard, a French intellectual and scientist turned monk. His book, Happiness, sheds light on the question.
Most of life’s pain and suffering, he explains, is caused by anger and hate. When those powerful emotions are aroused, they take control and make us want to lash out and act in ways we might later regret. Emotions of hate and anger cause pain and suffering not only to others, but also to ourselves.
Intense anger and hate are powerful motivators that drive us blindly into action. Dictators and religious fanatics are vivid examples.
What are the reasons for us to get angry?
Countless
causes can create anger. Often, something totally different lies at the bottom
of our anger, such as
financial worries, a
sleepless night, domestic or health problems, reasons we may be quite unaware of. The incident that called forth our
anger may have been just the last straw. Sadly, our resulting anger blinds us
to this reality and prevents us from looking coolly and impartially at the source
of our anger.
Can anger resolve a disturbing situation? Does it indicate our options? Our best path of action? Does anger bring us new friends or only allies against a supposedly common enemy? Do hate and anger contribute to our happiness or that of others? Have hate and anger ever brought about any good? The answer is no.
Yet moments of anger can assail all of us. The question is, how can we free ourselves from its destructive force. One way is by focusing on the concept of Thought itself, not on the incident or the persons involved. Then we realize that a thought is simply an empty shell with no substance or life of its own. The more we focus on its emptiness, the quicker it will disappear, like an ocean wave—it rises in stormy weather and quickly subsides back again into the sea. It is we who choose the substance of our thoughts.
The more we free ourselves of hate and anger, the better we are able to understand, to forgive, and to take sensible action, and as a consequence we’ll suffer less pain and frustration.
When you are offended at any man's faults, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger — Epictetus
Can anger resolve a disturbing situation? Does it indicate our options? Our best path of action? Does anger bring us new friends or only allies against a supposedly common enemy? Do hate and anger contribute to our happiness or that of others? Have hate and anger ever brought about any good? The answer is no.
Yet moments of anger can assail all of us. The question is, how can we free ourselves from its destructive force. One way is by focusing on the concept of Thought itself, not on the incident or the persons involved. Then we realize that a thought is simply an empty shell with no substance or life of its own. The more we focus on its emptiness, the quicker it will disappear, like an ocean wave—it rises in stormy weather and quickly subsides back again into the sea. It is we who choose the substance of our thoughts.
The more we free ourselves of hate and anger, the better we are able to understand, to forgive, and to take sensible action, and as a consequence we’ll suffer less pain and frustration.
When you are offended at any man's faults, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger — Epictetus
Until next time,
Rosi
No comments:
Post a Comment