Next, anger. First of all it is very commendable that you have
care even for little insects... real compassion starts when we are
able to be compassionate even for the small animals.
Anger needs a lot of patience and forgiveness, and also
understanding.
What are the benefits of learning and practising
Buddhism?
The benefit of learning and practising Buddhism is described in the
sutras as: Parting from suffering and gaining happiness". This kind
of happiness can only be gotten if we are able to be
liberated.
To think that liberation is to be reborn in the Western Pure Land
of Amitabha Buddha after a person has died is neither correct nor
incorrect. Actually, while people are alive they need to be
liberated at every moment. Only then can they also be liberated
when they die.
It is very simple to cultivate the method of liberation. For
example, if someone scolds you, your respond by saying, "Thank
you". This way, you are liberated. But if someone scolds you and
you respond with wide glaring eyes and scold him in retaliation,
then that is not being liberated. At this moment, you should
surpass it, and be positive and understanding, thinking, "When
someone scolds me, I'll see him as my parent who scolds me only out
of concern for me." Alternatively, viewing him as a child making a
nuisance of himself, you ignore the remarks. If you don't know
about having a positive perspective to surpass the situation, and
you take him to be your enemy, then a fight would erupt. Everyday,
no matter what situations we encounter, if we could always maintain
a positive outlook and transcend them, then we would be able to be
liberated."
~ Awakening the Sleeping Mind, Venerable Master Shen Kai
It also needs a lot of awareness. You said your actions arrived
before your mind. This is due to the lack of awareness. Actually
being repentant is a kind of awareness, and is excellent and
praiseworthy. Lots of people commit wrongdoings and they continue
to be unrepentant, and do not even know when they committed many
evil or unwholesome deeds. So this is a beginning, if you are aware
of your mistakes, then gradually you will be able to correct and
conduct yourself accordingly.
What is the wisdom of the Buddha? How can we unfold our
Buddha-wisdom?
In order for our Buddha-wisdom to unfold, we need pure awareness;
to awaken ourselves, and also to awaken others. One is Buddha when
one's pure awareness, enlightened and cultivation of the
Bodhisattva Way have reached a rounded perfection. But pure
awareness is no simple matter. There is advanced awareness (i.e.
knowing the consequence before the event), retrospective awareness
(i.e. knowing the consequence after the event) and unawareness
(i.e. being ignorant of the event and the consequence). Advanced
awareness refers to knowing ahead of time, before the action is
committed, whether suffering or happiness will result.
Thus, the saying goes: "Bodhisattvas are wary of causes, sentient
beings are wary of consequences" For any situation, a Bodhisattva
knows whether the cause is a virtuous or a wicked one. Knowing this
cause, he makes the necessary amendments within this cause itself.
He does not wait until he is suffering the bitter consequences and
is full of complaints, and only then make the changes. that would
be too late.
Sentient beings are wary of the consequences rather than the
causes. Before an incident, some people like to behave like heroes
and taunt others, "Who do you think you are? You think you're
great? What do you want?!" Then, they pull out knives and murder
people, or beat them up, or quarrel with people... until the law
catches up with them and throws them into prison. Oh! They will
wail their laments then! Why didn't you know better right from the
start? If you had known in advance, and you didn't behave as such,
then wouldn't everything be fine?
~ Awakening the Sleeping Mind, Venerable Master Shen Kai
When we become angry, we must practice patience. Just now we
discussed about the paramita (virtue) of generosity. Patience is
another paramita that a Buddhist practitioner, a Bodhisattva, must
perfect in their lives.
Dealing with Anger
I lose my temper easily, how shall I cultivate?
How Shall I Cultivate
You need to cultivate endurance. But, when you have reached the
stage where you cannot endure anymore, your temper will still
explode. Thus, the need to achieve the endurance of non-endurance.
The power of endurance is the greatest in this world. For example,
an object may be indestructible when soaked in water or burned with
fire, but it can be crushed on impact. However, Sarira or relics
can never be crushed. One who cultivates the non-origination of the
mind, and the endurance of non-endurance, will upon death produces
Sarira. Thus, the capacity of endurance is indeed great!
I get angry over trivial matters, what should I do?
Get angry over trivial matters
Very simple. Just do not be angry. If you are not able to do that,
prepare yourself a mirror. Whenever you become angry, have a look
at yourself in the mirror. When you see your angry face, you will
probably cool down. In this way, you are less likely to be angry
again in future.
If the anger is suppressed and though it has been endured
the anger still exists, what shall I do when it is beyond
endurance?
What to do if the anger is beyond endurance
When it is beyond endurance, the best thing to do is to let it
explode. After the explosion, then you will understand that you
need to endure.
Therefore we can see patience is a very important virtue and we
must practice in everyday life situations and also when dealing
with people. There is however, one kind of patience called
transcendental patience in the sutras. If we can remain awareness
then we will begin to see that all phenomena simply self-liberates
and is empty. In this we will not be affected by our situations, we
do not give rise to mental attachment, we do not give rise to
sentient thoughts. Even if negative emotions were to arise at
first, they are too seen to be self-liberating and empty. This is
effortless patience, because there is 'nothing' to be patient
about. Originally already empty, the problems and situations is
self-created. 'Ren wu ke ren' means this, not what we think.
Completely empty! If we practise this way we will notice that our
reactivity to people and situation will reduce very quickly and
soon disappear. Reactivity is simple our sentient thoughts and
contractions, attachment. The moment there is seeing, there is
liberation. Sentient thoughts and contractions pass and leave no
trace. Nothing leaves any trace.
My taiwanese teacher would talk about his encounter with my Master,
and one of his disciple had much ignorance going on in his mind at
his moment... and was scolding my Master for a very long time. My
taiwanese teacher was standing at one side looking at them, my
Master looked attentive and respectful while the disciple continued
his scolding. After a while, the disciple left. My taiwanese
teacher asked what is that person scolding you for? My Master
simply replied innocently "I don't know!" and continued doing his
own work completely unaffected.
So this is an example of 'transcendental patience'.
