The Cure for Anger

Anger is a form of energy. The most basic way to cure anger is to see it that way. Remove all labels from it and disentangle it from all stories or excuses about why it is there. Seen purely as energy, anger is more easily put in perspective and controlled. Another way to control anger is to consider times in the past when you were angry. What do they matter now ? Did they really matter then ? After enough time has past, recalling anger is like recalling the heat of a fire. There is a memory but no feeling.
The Mahaprajnaparamita Shastra says :
Overcoming anger brings peace to the mind. Overcoming
Anger leads to a mind without regrets. Anger is the source
Of the poisons that destroy goodness. All the Buddhas
praise one who has overcome anger. When anger has
been overcome, there no longer will be any anxiety.
The Saddharma Smriti Upasthana Sutra says that one who overcomes anger is loved by all and is delightful to see. His mind is calm, his face is pure and he is trusted by everyone. Once anger has been overcome, the sutra says, it follows naturally that one will be successful in upholding the precepts and in controlling fear, passion, criticism, harsh speech, and a tendency to complain or be bitter about one’s life. Overcoming anger is the source of much goodness. The merits which accrue to anyone who has overcome this vice lead to good circumstances in this life and a good rebirth after this life is over.
The Mahayana Samparigraha Shastra mentions five ways to overcome anger;
1) Contemplate that since beginning less time you have been connected with all sentient beings in the universe.
2) Contemplate the transience of life. Who is there to be harmed and who is doing the harming ?
3) Contemplate that only the Dharma is real and that there is no such thing as sentient beings. In this light, how can there be any such thing as harm ?
4) Contemplate that all sentient beings must suffer. In this light, why would anyone want to increase the suffering of another ?
5) Contemplate that all sentient beings are your children. Why would you want to harm any of them ?
When all is said and done, compassion is the single best method for overcoming anger. The bodhisattva must learn to “be compassionate for no reason and to see all beings as being of one body.”
If anger rises and you desire
to harm another being,
already you have harmed
yourself far more than him.
And that is why you must
often think on compassion;
for compassion keeps from rising
all thought of anger, evil and pain.

Why Body is Not Self

“Monks, if the boy were self, the core of our being, then it would not tend to affliction or distress, and one should be able to say of it, ‘Let my body be thus (in the best of conditions); let my body not be thus (in a bad condition); It should be possible to influence the body in this manner.”
Were the body the core of one’s being, or self, it would not cause of suffering, but actually the body does impose suffering in many ways. It does not remain youthful and vigorous, It grows old and decays, and it dies. Without the body, one would be free from the affliction of going grey, becoming toothless, hunchbacked, deaf, nearsighted, wrinkled and infirm. It is the body that inflicts these sufferings.
Again, because of the body, one is troubled with pain-eye diseases, ear diseases, toothache, backache, flatulence, feelings of heat, coldness, pain and itching-and with diseases of the blood, skin stomach or urine. These aliments arise because of the body. We suffer from hunger and thirst because of the body, and because of it we are subjected to attack by mosquitoes and other antagonists. Suffering in the miserable and woeful states is also due to the body. In short, one suffers from all in short, one suffers from all these aliments and affliction because of the body.
In addition, the body is responsible for the phenomenon of death in human existence. When the material qualities in the body undergo deterioration and decay, death occurs. It may be said, therefore, that the physical from inflicts suffering by causing death.
Thus we can reflect that if the physical from were self, it would not inflict on us the sufferings of old age, disease and death. One might cause suffering to others but not to oneself. If the body were self, it should not inflict suffering on itself by bringing about old age and so on.
Furthermore, even before the onset of old age, disease and death, the body is constantly subjecting us to many forms of distress. Even young people, who are relatively free from illness and enjoy good health, cannot remain long in any one of the body postures, such as sitting, standing or walking. They have to change postures very often. We have all experienced how hard it is to remain in any one body posture. We find it difficult to remain seated for half an hour or one hour without changing posture, or to lie down for two or three hours without moving. We are constantly having to change postures because of the feelings of heat or pain that arise in the limbs after a certain time in one position. All this distress arises because of the physical form; in other words, it is the body that is inflicting it.
Thus we may reflect that if the body were self, it would not impose these sufferings on us.
Furthermore, it is stated, “if the body were self it should be possible to say of it, ‘let my body be thus, let my body not be thus/” All beings would like to see their bodies always healthy and youthful in appearance, to keep them from old age, illness, decay and death. But the material body is never obliging; it refuses to be subject to one’s will. Its fresh youthfulness fades into aged debility, its robust health declines against one’s will into illness and disease and finally dissolution and death.
If the body were self it would not inflict sufferings on us, and it should be possible to subject it to our will. While others may not be amenable to one’s control, it should at least be possible to manage our own body as we desire. But the fact of the matter is that the body is not self. That is why sufferings on us and refuses to be controlled. The Blessed One continued to explain this fact.
Yasma ca kho, bhikkhave, rupam anatta, tasma rupam abadhaya samvattati, na ca labbhati rupe evam me rupam hotu, evam me rupam ma ahositi.
“Monks, in fact, the body is not self. Since it is not self, it tends to affliction and distress, and it is not possible to say of the body. ‘Let it be thus, let it not be thus.’ It is not possible to influence and manage the body in this manner.”

Buddha’s Independency

Various religions have been created in the world. The basis of

that many men considers are seen dependent but not independent.

Religion is not only the object of listening, telling or learning

but it is also object of fostering. When we are about to follow

religion, then we’ve to listen that it is suitable to be followed

by the religious audience rather than the religious preceptor. In

religious field, there are two communities of follower and

instructor. We have been following and let others follow the

things of religious scripture as true religion thinking that

things mentioned in it are created by god or god’s son and envoys.

While stating about this kind of religions, the Buddhism also

comes in front of us. To speak the reality, is a liberal and

different thing, which is pure, pious, non-racial and

non-communal. Even so, the names of religions appeared variously

according to its initiators names. The aim of religion, its

explanation, its influence and its result have been seen different

as the personal principles were established in such religions that

were named after different initiators. Although there are Buddhist

leaders who guide Buddhism as tribal religion, there is no founder

of it. Buddha has only counseled about such universal eternal

religion which he himself has understood and realized but he has

not founded the religion itself. Buddha has only shown the path of

liberation of mankind in the world that is filled with pain by

opening the four noble truths that were that in human globe nad

searching the depth of natural human behaviour. Buddha has never

acclaimed himself Buddhism to be his religion.
The authorized resource of Buddhism is Tripitaka. It is not

religious script that Buddha wrote and it is also not that text

which has appeared traditionally before Buddha. This has been

given the form of scripture after the decease of Buddha by his

disciples who have memorized the things that Buddha told and let

it proved to be fact from all. It won’t be the matter of the

wonder that some thing might have been added that is not suitable

to Buddha’s perception and something might have been left that

Buddha has said in tripitaka since it is a text. There might be

addition of supematural and superstition matters in this text due

to influence of trust in situational hearsay or over-faith.
Buddha has never said things like I’ve created this world. I’ve

expounded the religion everyone must listen my things, people will

liberate from this miser world only if they listen to me. I can

release all being by bestowing blessing. I’m the master of this

earth. I’m the creator of all things of this world etc. Buddha has

never given the hope and fare of heaven and hell. Buddha is a real

person full of characteristics born in human race but he isn’t

like a god who is described as person in the basis of imagination.

Buddha himself has never said to be god. He is called great

learned man because he is especial person amidst other people. It

is human virtue that enables us to understand vast nature, it is

human virtue that gains Buddhahood and it is again human virtue

that makes man a great learned man. Buddha is Tathagata (Lord) who

has characteristics of this type of qualities.
In most of religious opinion, the scripture of own

religion has been considered as evidence of itself. The religious

text of one’s own religion is the basis of works that should be

done compulsorily for the operation of people’s life; there are

religions that says it is the main source of all matters which is

necessary for release for people or even public well-being. The

religious conflict happens between people because the issue of one

religious text to another religious scripture doesn’t mach as it

is believed that people’s life run according to their own

religions. People suffer when they argue. If the things that

religious texts explains are to be universal acceptance then we

will have to say that earth is not oval was killed because he went

against the saying of ancient religious text. There happened huge

crime towards people because religious texts are considered a

self-proof is a reason of religious impatience. Because we follow

religions in this way, it strengthen the religious blindness,

false vision, superstition and mental servitude in mankind, also

it creates hindrances in widening the capacity of knowledge in

human being. The progress of knowledge and civilization is

happening between mankind because they put down to say that texts

are self-evidence. It is seen that so-called texts use to sink

people in swamp due to issues of conventional, suppositious and

ignorance that are in such texts. The so-called texts use to be

fosterer of time and condition along with religious, social and

political practice. We have to take support of knowledge if we are

to distinguish whether any religious text is self-evidence or not,

then it becomes obvious that only knowledge is self-proved and it

is seen automatically that religious text cannot be self-evidence.

People should be free in order to become pious and liberal. The

freedom of knowledge is necessary for the freedom to work. It is

known automatically that there should be no dependency of textism

for the freedom of knowledge.
When Buddha delivers his sermon, he uses to give it by observing

the capacity of understanding of people. He use to let people

understanding simplest way by providing the instructions to limit

of understanding of people examining their depth of understanding.

When Buddha delivers his teaching, he doesn’t tell it continually

but he tries to explain things clearly by not being lazy and

giving instances, examples if someone asks about the things they

didn’t understand some of Buddha’s someone’s method is of question

type whereas someone of answer type. Buddha use to tell it clearly

that everything that one listens which he has delivered should not

be granted as real matter. Buddha has said directly that it is not

necessary to follow the things one necessary to follow the things

one has heard because someone told it we’re not obliged to do

things because they are prevailing from traditions, it is not

necessary to regard any matter because it is logical, it is not

necessary to support things because they are suitable to law, we

need not follow things because it appears follow able at a glance

and it is not essential to trust because things appears

trustworthy. We’ve to think according to our experience it will be

of welfare or not, if others will criticize, whether we have to

undergo troubles later when we feel some things are acceptable to

us. Since Buddhism is the teaching of Buddha that we should

receive only the things that are correct according to our

perception. By using our intellect, this religion is called the

religion of liberation of perception for the mankind of this

earth. Religion is such issue which needs to be trusted and

practiced. The teaching of Buddha is not only about listening and

understanding but it is for practice into reality. This is the

independence of Buddhism that we’ve to use our intellect freely

and practice it. Buddha has never speak at any place that we’ve to

surrender ourselves into other’s dependency by being others

servant and only listening to things other said and saying as

others told.
It is the duty of discerning person to finely examine the true

matter by researching and enquiring. Buddhism has become a

religion that makes men patience and satisfied since it provides a

free perspective to mankind. Buddha’s teaching means the teaching

of free mind and sympathetic heart. This religion has been

illuminating the whole world by the combined ray of compassion and

knowledge that are inside it. People are trying to liberate

themselves from the ocean of birth and death by saying under the

patronage of compassionate Buddha’s teaching, Buddha had said that

neither anyone can liberate anybody nor destroy. It is their work

that spoils or makes people well. Buddha has provided full

autonomy to people to work by being independent. The Buddha’s

heart is fully nonintervention as he is who publicize faith by

saying that Buddha himself id nothing so much in front of people’s

freedom. The Buddha’s teaching is to initiate life by

understanding the reason of any issue for being independent; it is

his sermon; it is his religion. That is why Buddha’s realism is

reasonism. It is the summary of four noble truths.
If we are follow religion for wiping out the suffering, then

people should leave to abuse all living being beside human being.

The outcome of misconduct that man shows towards man is suffering

to human-being. Only to deliver sermon is not the duty of religion

but it is also duty that it should penetrate the feeling and

conception of becoming nighteous inside human heart. Buddha has

never become narrow for providing his teaching. Buddha has never

distinguished between smaller, bigger, women and men while

delivering his instruction. But he is to keep men’s dignity by

saying that their caliber by giving importance to education. The

earlier teaching of Buddhism is trying to take along man in man’s

track correctly. It is not enough only to gain achievement of any

thing for human being but we should also play our own role. The

Independence of Lord Buddha that let us work by using our own

intellect and knowledge as trustful to ourselves is of much

importance not only for present but for past and future too. The

dignified humanism obvious teaching of Buddhism in world is this

independence which is realized by the whole world and respecting

Buddha for it.

The Voice of the Buddha

More than 2500 years ago. A great Prince, dressed in the simplest
of saffron robes gained Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at
Buddha Gaya, India. His soft and melodious voice announced the
Ultimate Truth for the first time at Isiapatana Deer Park, Benaras.
On that momentous occasion there were only five disciples
privileged to listen to the voice of this Enlightened One. Yet,
today one fifth of the world’s population acknowledges the Truth
announced by this voice and many more admire and appreciate it.This was not the heavenly voice of a divine power, but a very human
voice which called on men to seek final emancipation through mental
purification and Enlightenment. Even Today, this voice echoes in
our ears and reminds us that we can understand the Truth revealed
by Him, if only we exercise our will and our concentration.The Voice of the Buddha is a message of hope, confidence and
courage. It tells us that hatred never ceases through hatred but
only by loving kindness. This Vibrant voice emanated from a great
personality, who was once a warrior, a royal prince, a yogi, a
mendicant and finally a Buddha.This holy man whose only possession was the bowl in this hand, was
designated the happiest and most contented person in the world. His
was the gentlest of all voices. Yet in the Truth that it
proclaimed, it was a lion’s roar, motivated by the confidence of
realizing the Absolute Truth. Kings, ministers and multimillionaires approached Him to pay their
homage and seek guidance. But He Himself used His persuasive voice
to enlighten sweepers, cobblers, thieves, gangster, murderers and
many others who were leading hard, wicked and immoral lives to mend
and lead noble lives.The Voice of the Buddha has comforted the bereaved and helped the
suffering poor. It has ennobled the lives of he deluded and
purified the corrupted lives of criminals. It has encouraged the
feeble, united the divided, enlightened the ignorant, elevated the
base and dignified the noble.Here is a voice that never tried to frighten people by taking about
hell fires to tempt them by promising everlasting heavenly bliss to
introduce a religion. It was a voice that never attempted to
convert people, but only to enlighten them to understand the facts
of life and the universal truth.Here was a radiant voice, calling on the weak and the desperate not
to run away from the battle of life but to face facts in a
realistic way.It was the Buddha’s voice that gave the world a new concept or
wider explanation of the universe. It gave a new vision of eternal
happiness, the achievement of perfection in Buddhahood. It pointed
the way to a permanent state beyond all impermanency, the way to
Nibbana, the final deliverance from the misery of existence. The
message is basically simple and meaningful. “To put an end to evil;
to do good; to purify the mind.”It revealed to us the law of cause and effect to which every
component thing is subjected. The purpose of life is to seek ways
and means to be free from this endless cycle of birth and death,
cause and effect. The teachings of the Buddha are the richest spiritual
resources of mankind because they lift human effort to a higher
level than mere dedication to man’s insatiable needs and appetites,
owing to its completeness, the Buddha’s vision of life has
attracted the attention of intellectuals who may have otherwise
exhausted themselves by studying meaningless theories and concepts.
However, the fruit of the Buddha’s vision is something more than
intellectual gymnastics of solace for the intellectually effete.
Buddhism is practical and offers a realistic view of life. Through the Buddha is no, longer in this world, the gentle
vibration of his voice has spread far and wide. Its balmy,
diffusing effect has calmed and soothed millions, Its genial
persuasion has heartened and cheered listeners in every region
where it has penetrated. The reason that his message has captured
millions of hearts is because it was spread not by the force of
weapons or political power or any other kind of worldly power but
by love and compassion. Buddhism wins by the warm hand of love, not
by the cold threat of terror. The voice carried the message that the Four Truths are
eternal and absolute. It said that a realization of these noble
Truths will help resolve human problems and unsatisfactoriness.
This was the voice which preached the Eightfold Noble path. It
exhorted men to lead a harmless, respectable, honest, peaceful and
noble life and to find out the purpose of life or its final goal. The Buddha’s voice admonished people not to harm any living
creature. Just imagine this gentle voice, taught compassion even to
poor defenceless animals. The humblest of creatures crawling under
ground came within the compass of his boundless love and kindness. The Buddha was the greatest conqueror the world has ever
seen. He conquered the world with His infallible weapons of
compassion and wisdom. His teaching illuminates the way for mankind
to cross from a world of darkness, hatred and suffering, to a new
world of light, love, happiness and security. During the 25 centuries since the voice of the
compassionate one was first heared, many changes have taken place
in this world. Although kingdoms have risen and fallen; nations
have prospered and perished, and today the world has forgotten many
great civilization, the Voice of the Buddha remains clear in the
minds of millions of people. The Noble way of life that He
enunciated is still strong and steady. Many of the temples,
pagodas, images and other religious symbols erected in His honour
have been destroyed, or fallen victims to the law of change. Yet
his Noble Teachings and his pristine message remain untainted and
His voice continues to be heared in new lands and among new people. The Buddha’s noble example was a source of inspiration to
all. His iron will, profound wisdom, universal love, boundless
compassion, selfless service, historic renunciation, perfect
purity, and magnetic personality have inspired people to respect
Him as a world-honoured supreme Teacher. By every test of what He said and of what He did and what
He was, the Buddha demonstrated that He was the pre-eminent man of
His day. He declared a faith of service, a ministry of sacrifice
and achievement. To great philosophers and unblased thinkers. He is a
Teacher who understood worldly conditions in their proper
perspective. To moralists He has the highest code of discipline and
He symbolizes perfection. To rationalists, he is the most liberal
minded religious teacher who understood the vexed human problems.
To free-thinkers, he is religious teacher who encouraged people to
think freely without depending on religious dogmas. To agnostics,
He is a very intelligent, kind, understanding and peace loving man.
To Hindus, He is one of the incarnations of their God. To
socialists, He is a social reformer To religious devotees. He is
holy man. The benign Voice of the Buddha wafted gently over time and
space without any form of violence. Not a single drop of blood was
ever shed in its cause. He advised people to lead a gentle life in
order to be religious. The Voice of the compassionate One is still with us, and
will continue to be with us, consoling, enlightening, soothing and
calming the human heart. The Voice of the Buddha is the most powerful voice that has
been heard in human history in support of the dignity of man and of
the principle that man is the maker of his own destiny and that man
is not for religion but that religion must serve man. That means;
without becoming a slave to any religion, man must try to make use
of religion for his betterment and liberation. Instead of placing man’s destiny under the arbitrary
control of an unknown external agency and making him subservient to
such a supreme power, the Dhamma preached by this voice raised the
status of mankind and accorded man the credit due to him for his
intelligence. Alone among the many voices of other religious
teachers this voice taught man how to cultivate the hitherto
submerged human potential. Thanks to this voice, ordinary people are able to develop
their faith and confidence, educated people have food for thought,
and intellectuals have enriched their vision. Those who were
misguided had their views corrected. Those whi relied on blind
faith have received a clear vision of the Truth. Sceptics were
persuaded and won over by the voice of reason Devotees gained
confidence, understanding and liberation from suffering. This is the “Voice of Buddhism”.