Anger

By Dhammacaro

Anger is an obstacle in our lives.  Anger is regarded as fire which destroys or burns up life. It is said that angry people die fast. Is this true? I will leave you to think about that. Right now, I want to share a story with you all. It contains a good example that reminds us of how to deal with anger. Here is the story:

There once was a lady who was overwhelmed by anger. She got angry over everything; either small or large matters. She thought, said and did bad things against others when she was angry. Her family advised her to go to a certain temple and learn from a Zen master how to control her anger. She was told that the master was very good and she should go to see him.

One day she went to see the master and told him that she had been taken over by anger for years. She asked him to help her. The master gave her a Dhamma talk: how anger destroys or burns life. She listened to the talk and said to the master, “Now I know that anger is bad, I will be patient and won’t react to it.” The master wanted to check her understanding of this. He asked her, “Are you sure you can stop your anger now?” She replied, “Master, I am absolutely sure.” The master asked the second time, “I’m sure, master”.  For the last time, he asked her, “Are you sure, you old crab?” When she heard this, she was so angry that she exploded with bad words at the master. The master said to her calmly, “You see! You need time to control your anger. Consider where it comes from!” She apologized to the master and said, “Sir it comes from ego and ignorance.” The master said, “Right, if there is neither ego, nor ignorance, there is no anger.”