Overcoming Anger

Greetings Yogis and Yoginis,

This week in class we are considering the topic “Overcoming Anger”.

The method to diminish our afflictions is meditation. For example, if anger is our main problem, we need to engage in doing specific meditations that develop compassion and love. When we are angry we have the wish to harm, to beat, to hit, to insult. As a remedy we need to develop compassion and love, the main causes of our mental peace and relaxation.

Compassion is the attitude wishing that all sentient beings could be free from suffering. We meditate in order to make this attitude manifest, to transform our mind into the nature of compassion. Having accomplished this, we try to hold this attitude in our mind and focus upon it. However, it will probably quickly disappear and we find that we need to make an effort to develop it again. At first the compassion we generate will last only a minute, or maybe just second, but by developing it again and again it will come to last for five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes and so on, gradually becoming more and more stable. By making a constant effort day after day, some result will definitely come – the hatred and anger will lessen and we will gradually find ourselves becoming more patient and relaxed.

We can also meditate on love to overcome anger. In this context, love does not refer to the kind of love we mean when we say, “I love you.” Generally, when we say, “I love you,” we mean, “I am attached to you.” Real love is the mental attitude wishing that all sentient beings have happiness. Through meditation we make this kind of mind manifest, we transform our mind into the nature of love and then hold and focus on this attitude. This is what is known as meditation on love.

-Geshe Jampa Gyatso

The reflection from the quote is to observe how you can use your Yoga practice to cultivate a meditative state. Be broad in your definition of meditation. Let it include prayer, walking contemplation, and general quietness of the mind. Build upon this meditative state and work to bring Love and Compassion into your every day life.

Blessings,

paul cheek
Rushing Water Yoga
417 NE Birch St., Camas, WA 98607
360.834.5994

www.rushingwateryoga.com
info@rushingwateryoga.com

Serving Yoga to Camas, Washougal, and Vancouver Washington since 2003