“Then it cannot be your own true nature,” said the teacher, “if it were, you would be able to show it to me at any time. Why are you allowing something that is not yours to trouble your life?” A Zen approach to overcoming anger.
Releasing-Anger: A Brahma Guided Meditation (4:00)
While reflecting on your own fourth step discoveries, what triggers your temper to rise, lately?
Let us enjoy reading this Zen Tale of Overcoming Anger.
A Zen student said to his teacher, “Master, I have an ungovernable temper. Help me get rid of it.”
“You have something very strange,” said the teacher.
“Show it to me.”
“Right now I cannot show it to you.”
“Why not?”
“It arises suddenly.”
“Then it cannot be your own true nature,” said the teacher, “if it were, you would be able to show it to me at any time. Why are you allowing something that is not yours to trouble your life?”
Thereafter whenever the student felt his temper rising he remembered his teacher’s words and checked his anger.
In time, he developed a calm and placid temperament.
Comments
6 responses to ““Holding onto Anger is like Grasping onto a Hot Coal … ” – Step 4”
Its a nature feeling. Letting it control is another thing. Learning to cope can be difficult but time will tell.
When someone is being human, ala looking at a situation only from there point of view and not considering mine. I know that I love communicate either too much or nothing at all. I’m still learning how to find a middle ground
Well, IMHE (in my humble experience), I am the only one who can make me angry. It is my interpretation of what someone did or said (or, God help us, didn’t say…) that makes me angry. People are usually in their own world doing whatever they are able to do at the moment. I check my own values and beliefs about an event and can see whether I am coming from fear or from love. If it is fear (anger), I get to look at what made me feel threatened, vulnerable or unworthy. I learn more about myself. I can figure out what I need. I can communicate that need. I have power – over my own life. Namaste.
What I really can’t stand is what anger does to me. It takes waaaaay too much space in my head. And it also ends up leaving horrible scars. Not pretty at all.
This is perfectly in line with the Law of Attraction. What we focus on is what we get more of. The imagery here of getting burned is powerful. And in order to release it, we have to focus on it’s opposite, which is love. We release the person to their own karmic journey, but more importantly, we release ourselves back to ours.