Hi Everybody,
I'm just about to fly off to sun and sand and sea and other good stuff in Antibes, so I thought I'd squeeze in another episode before I go. We're in the middle of the explanation of this central Buddhist analysis that is called the ten worlds, and we've landed on Anger. It's a life state we all readily recognise of course, which you could say powerfully underlines both the validity and the value of this analysis; it's real, and practical and can genuinely help us navigate our emotional state. Anger is a state that is dominated not simply by all the external ugly manifestations of shouting and threatening and the storms of temper, but by the constant overwhelming demands of one's own ego. At its heart is the sense of superiority over others, with all the gross distortions of perspective that brings with it. So there will be the sudden outbursts of blazing anger that may seem to blow up from nowhere, often surprising the owner of the anger as much as the hapless victim. But there will also be lots of other destructive behaviour, such as rampant intolerance and cynicism and sarcasm, lack of gratitude, and constant criticism of others.
It goes without saying that anger of this sort can be immensely destructive of personal relationships. At the wider level of society anger in this sense of superiority of self, clearly lies at the root of a whole range of widespread injustices from racism and religious intolerance, to the oppression of women and minority groups. So sitting in anger state is a very destructive place to be. No one wants to be there.
But once again, there is a positive side to anger because it is also a great achiever. It can be a powerful, highly energised driver towards change, in the fight against apathy for example, or situations that threaten the dignity of the individual.
The key to overcoming the destructive aspect of anger has to come from self-awareness. It can't just be switched off or re-directed from outside. Each of us has to take up a personal struggle to master our anger. It's entirely our responsibility.
So that's Anger state. Next time we're on to the state which Buddhism labels as Humanity, when we are kind of at peace with our lot. Hope to see you then.
Best wishes,
William
Just to remind you the book is available on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle as a download. it's doing well. Lots of generous things are being said about. The one I like most is that it not only helps with an understanding of Buddhism , but it helps people to live it on a daily basis. That's huge praise, for which I am immensely grateful.
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