Ridding Ourselves of Anger, One Pause at a Time
The only way to rid yourself of anger once and for all is for you to find its cause. Then you should be able to find practical ways and tools to work with it at the very root of its manifestation. The universal law of causation (Law of Karma) teaches us that there is a seed behind every manifestation. Nothing happens without a cause.
Usually anger is triggered or caused by the ego’s thwarted desires or needs, such as its need for self-approval and the praise of others. The natural tendency of the mind is to control others and to seek approval. When this does not occur, the mind unconsciously creates situations where the hurt ego feels justified in taking revenge. Fueled by negative, judgmental thoughts, anger erupts. The effects can be toxic, poisonous to the mind and the body.
How are we to rid ourselves of these unconsciousness patterns of mind? If we are truly interested in a permanent solution, then no short-term fix is going to work. We need to lift our minds to a higher level where we are not slaves of our negative thoughts but can actually begin to choose our own positive thoughts. We have to change the very attitude of our life from being self-centered, shortsighted, and shallow to a life where we accept the principles of the universal laws that govern life in its holistic totality. These principles are timeless; seekers of enlightenment have experimented with them and found them true. They are lived and preached by the ageless masters from all faith traditions of the world.
The demonic power of anger is enormous; hence, there is a tremendous need for conviction, will power and continual practice to transform its hostile energy into Divine Force. You cannot kill anger; you can only transform the energy that is anger into energy that is compassion.
One of the greatest practices you can use is to try to postpone your anger. If you are successful in pausing for a few minutes, you can see an immediate change. This needs alertness! As soon as you notice that you are starting to feel irritated and you can no longer think clearly, try to pause before you burst. Take a few deep breaths and count to 90 or even 10, slowly watching your breath for a few moments. This will give you a new sense of peace in your life almost immediately. Experiment with being responsive rather than reactive. If, throughout the day, you can stop being reactive and awaken to this responsiveness, if you can look at the other person with understanding, forgiveness and compassion, you will find a tremendous sense of joy and empowerment surrounding you for the rest of the day. If in anger you write an e-mail, don’t mail it! Reconsider if you want to mail it after twenty-four hours!
