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It seems that there is a great deal of anger everywhere I have been lately. Here where I live, at the stores, even at the doctor's office. It takes very little to turn people into nasty beings, full of venom. Everyone seems to have a hair trigger. Some people do not want to let go of the anger. They just keep feeding it. Anger has its place. This type of anger, however, is not healthy. I know most of you have heard my favorite quote "Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die." Well now I want to share something to help us deal with anger. It is called the Anger Mantra. Anger Mantra
Breathing in, I know that anger is here. Breathing out, I know that the anger is not me. Breathing in, I know that anger is unpleasant. Breathing out, I know this feeling will pass. Breathing in, I am calm. Breathing out, I am strong enough to take care of this anger. -- Thich Nhat Hahn
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I share the following story with you that has been an inspiration to me during challenging times:
An aging Hindu master grew tired of his apprentice complaining, and so, one morning, he sent him for some salt. When the apprentice returned, the master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a cup of water and then to drink it. "How does it taste?" the master asked. "Bitter," spit the apprentice. The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake, and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the old man said, "Now drink from the lake." As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the master asked, "How does it taste?" "Refreshing," remarked the apprentice. "Do you taste the salt?" asked the master. "No," said the young man. At this, the master sat beside the young man who so reminded him of himself and took his hands, offering, "The pain of life is pure salt, no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things. Stop being a cup. Become a lake.” Ven. Myohye Do'an |
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June 2022
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