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6 EASTERN HORIZON | LEAD ARTICLE

Healing Anger: The Power of If you look deeply into such things, possibility of someone hating
Patience from a Buddhist Perspective the blueprint for our actions can themselves, not cherishing oneself,
be found within the mind. Self- was quite unbelievable. From the
defeating attitudes arise not of their Buddhist point of view, self-hatred
own accord but out of ignorance. is very dangerous because even to
Success, too, is found within be in a discouraged state of mind
ourselves. Out of self-discipline, self- or depressed is seen as a kind of
awareness, and clear realization of extreme. Because self-hatred is
the defects of anger and the positive far more extreme than being in
effects of kindness will come peace. a depressed state, it is very, very
dangerous.
How to Expand Love: Widening the
Circle of Loving Relationships So the antidote is seen in our
natural Buddha-nature--the
acceptance or belief that every
Anger cannot be overcome by sentient being, particularly a human
anger. If a person shows anger being, has Buddha-nature. There
to you, and you show anger in is a potential to become a Buddha.
return, the result is a disaster. In fact, Shantideva emphasizes this
In contrast, if you control your point a great deal in the Guide to the
anger and show its opposite-- Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, where he
love, compassion, tolerance, and states that even such weak sentient
patience--then not only will you beings as flies, bees, and insects
remain in peace, but the anger of possess Buddha-nature, and if they
others also will gradually diminish. take the initiative and engage in
No one can argue with the fact that the path, they have the capacity to
in the presence of anger, peace is Can you discuss the problem of become fully enlightened. If that is
impossible. Only through kindness self-hatred, and the Buddhist the case, then why not I, who am a
and love can peace of mind be means to alleviate it? human being and possess human
achieved. intelligence and all the faculties,
In fact, when I first heard the word if I make the initiative, why can’t
...human beings can judge “self-hatred” and was first exposed I also become fully enlightened?
and reason; we understand to the concept of self-hatred, I was ...no matter how poor or weak or
consequences and think in the long quite surprised and taken aback. deprived one’s present situation
term. It is also true that human The reason why I found it quite may be, a sentient being never loses
beings can develop infinite love.... unbelievable is that, as practicing his or her Buddha-nature. The seed,
However, when humans become Buddhists, we are working very the potential for perfection and full
angry; all of this potential is lost. No hard to overcome our self-centered enlightenment, always remains.
enemy armed with mere weapons attitude, and selfish thoughts
can undo these qualities, but anger and motives. So to think of the
can. It is the destroyer.