Worldly Passions - Anger

               In the previous blog post, we learned about the nature of desire. When our desires get blocked in ways we don't like, we experience the worldly passion of anger. 

Original Photo by dickuhne available on Flickr.com

                If someone or something stands defiantly in the way of our heart’s wishes, we become indignant and our blood begins to boil. Not getting our way for an extended period of time results in a full-blown fury. 

                When we're ticked off, we lose so many important things because of our own anger. For example, getting mad at relatives, loved ones, coworkers, or friends can result in the loss of a valued relationship, support, or contact. 

                On a grander scale, when countries get angry at each other it can escalate into war or military conflict. Even religious groups can clash ferociously, despite a mutual aim toward greater good. 

               When our deepest desires become disrupted, it can lead even people with the best intentions to argue and turn to violence.

               It’s all because as humans we are constantly pulled, twisted, and spun around by our worldly passions. As these desires become increasingly denied, our rage mounts all the more.  Even though this anger is destructive, poisonous -- even toxic to us -- we persist with furrowed brows and clenched fists as if it were the only way.

                There’s a short story on the nature of anger I'd like to paraphrase from the book Unshakable Spirit (pg. 20-21). 

                Once there was a very rich household. The owner had a servant who would take care of all the meals, laundry, and other various domestic affairs. On his estate, there was a farm with various kinds of livestock including a large number of sheep.

Original Photo by goingslo available on Flickr.com

                In the afternoon, one of the sheep managed to sneak its way into the kitchen and eat all the foods that the servant had prepared for the evening’s meal. 

                  Upon hearing the bad news, the owner yelled at the servant, blamed him for not securing the kitchen, and insulted him for failing at performing his duties. 

                   Feeling humiliated, the servant began looking around for a place to now take out his anger. His eyes landed on the offending animal who had been wandering around outside. Without thinking, he ran to the fireplace, got out hot coals, and hurled them onto the poor sheep.

 

Original Photo by Robert S. Donovan available on Flickr.com

                In a state of anger, we feel strongly justified within ourselves to do anything we want and begin to lose all sight of our own faults. During this time, all we can see is the wrong that others have done to us. 

                   Now taking out your rage on an animal is certainly morally wrong, but we still perform similar actions in fits of anger in our daily life. Examples include throwing the cell phone down after hearing bad news, slamming our car door, or throwing a stack of papers up in the air. Although these acts may seem harmless to us at first glance, any kind of uncontrollable anger can become like a spreading wildfire that leads us to do more outrageous and reckless things later on. 

Original Photo by Jo Naylor available on Flickr.com

 

                        Getting back to the story, wool is known to be very flammable. So in the case of this poor sheep, its coat immediately caught fire once it came into contact with those hot coals. 

 

                        In times of great stress, humans and animals alike have a desire to run back home for comfort. So the sheep, naturally, went fleeing back into the barn where all the other sheep were resting. 

                         As soon as that unfortunate sheep made its way in flames into that barn, all the other sheep began to catch fire one by one. Within a short time, the entire barn caught fire. 

 

Original Photo by Chuck Grimmett available on Flickr.com

                         The sparking flames fanned out toward the owner’s house, and gradually everything began to smolder into just ash.

Original Photo by Chuck Grimmett available on Flickr.com

Anger begins in thoughtlessness and ends in regret. 

                  The seeds that we choose to plant in our own mind are what manifests into our own misfortune. At the very source of our mind we can find greed, and this greed flows directly out of our worldly passion of desire. As our greed continues to thrive but becomes blocked for some reason, the resulting conflict lights the fuse for our worldly passion of anger.

                   "One person's anger spreads out in waves without end. Know that anger is the enemy, and patience is the foundation of long-lasting peace. He who expresses anger with his mouth is an inferior man. He who grits his teeth and does not express his anger is a middling man. He who shows no sign of anger even when he is boiling with rage is a superior man."

(Excerpt from Unshakable Spirit, pg. 21)

                        Our thoughts will still cleverly try to spin us into thinking that if we don't get more upset, we’ll end up losing more. But this useless way of thinking doesn't serve us. In fact, it can only bring us more harm. 

The opposite of anger is patience. 

                        We gain so much more with a calm, enduring mindset during turbulent times. As we will see in the next story, it's actually in your best interest to keep your cool.

                   

                    "A certain Swiss philosopher was famous for his even temper. A woman who worked as his housekeeper for 10 years swore that she never saw him so much as frown in anger. 

                    One time a prankster offered to pay her if she could make her employer, a friend of his, lose his temper. The housekeeper thought and thought, and decided what to do. Her master liked his bed neatly made, so she deliberately left it unmade. The next morning she fully expected a reprimand, but he only commented, smiling, 'Say, last night when I went upstairs, the bed wasn't made.'

                    One night wasn't enough, she thought. The next night she left the bed unmade again. In the morning he said, 'You know the bed wasn't made last night either. You must have been busy. Make it tonight, will you?' But she didn't.

                    On the third morning the philosopher summoned her to his study and said, 'I see you didn't make the bed again. You must have your reasons for not doing it. Anyway, I've gotten used to making it myself, so from now on I'll take care of it.'

                    The housekeeper had expected a thorough dressing-down. At this show of generosity, she broke down, fell at her employer's knees, and sobbed out the whole story, begging his forgiveness. The philosopher never left off smiling. He bore this undeserved ill treatment with admirable patience."        

 (Excerpt from Unshakable Spirit, pg. 19-20)

  

                     Patience is a very good deed to practice. It benefits not only you, but those around you greatly. In Buddhism, this is known as the concept of "Benefiting Others Benefits the Self." The gain in giving to others becomes more evident once we understand the universal truth taught within the Law of Cause and Effect. 

Good deeds bring good results. 

Bad deeds bring bad results. 

Our own deeds bring our own results. 

 

                      Even when we know this wisdom from the sutras, defiance of the Law of Cause and Effect still remains at the deepest part of who we are. In the next post, we will discuss further the next worldly passion of ignorance.

Worldly Passions - Desire

                         Very soon at December's end, countries from all around the world will celebrate the coming of a new year.  The exact date may vary for some nations, but it’s still an occasion where people will mark the passing of 365 days of time with creative and quite unusual customs.

                      In Latin countries, twelve grapes are eaten, one for each month in the year. It is meant to bring good luck and fortune.

                      Thai people throw water on each other in hopes that it will bring rain for their crops. They also release birds from their cages and return fish back into streams for good luck.

                      In Japan, the bells in temples are rung 108 times. This is because Buddhism teaches that we have 108 worldly passions. These passions are said to be blind because we are entirely driven by them, causing us constant trouble and torment. So a New Year's tradition arose that striking the bell 108 times banishes all the worldly passions that caused us suffering from the passing year.

                     However, we know from the Law of Cause and Effect, little rituals that promise luck are not true. In order to receive good fortune, we must first plant the good seeds ourselves.

                      In the case of a bell dissolving all our worldly passions, this is also untrue -- no matter how many people still practice it. It may be fun to ring in the New Year, but believing anything will follow your action besides a loud "GONG!" noise is surrendering yourself to a false superstition.

Original Photo by MIKI Yoshihito available on Flickr.com

                      What is true is that we are made up of worldly passions and nothing else. Buddhism explains that worldly passions never vanish within us as long as we're living, and attempts to remove them don't even leave a dent.

                      You can think about it like a snowman.

Original Photo by islandjoe available on Flickr.com

                      If you take away all the snow from out of the snowman, what do you have?

Original Photo by mrsdkrebs available on Flickr.com

                      You don't have anything. Without snow, a snowman loses form and ceases to be what it is supposed to be. 

                       It's the same with us. If you remove all of our worldly passions, there is nothing left.

                      Sakyamuni Buddha used the number 108 to represent the idea that our worldly passions are seemingly countless. 

                      Yet within this large number of passions, there are Three Poisonous Passions which are the most dreadful of all. These passions reflect the very nature of all the other 105 worldly passions. They are DESIRE, ANGER, and IGNORANCE. 

The Three Poisonous Passions

DESIRE -   

It's the constant longing we have to get something. 

If we don't have it, we really want it. If we have it, we want more of it. 

And no matter how much we are satisfied, we will still have new cravings arise within us.

There is no end to our limitless desire.

Original Photo by Ani Carrington available on Flickr.com

Our desire can be compared to the deep, blue sea. 

Our wants come to us like waves, one after another.

The deeper the water, the deeper the blue becomes in color.

If we always get what we want, we can endlessly drown in our own greed.

ANGER -  

It's the fury within you of being denied anything you think you deserve. 

We can yell at people we love or curse strangers over the slightest offense.

Our anger can spread uncontrollably and become unpredictable.

The more we feel betrayed, the angrier we become. 

Original Photo by wwarby avaialble on Flickr.com

Anger can be likened to a fire, because it burns at high heat.

Flames span outwardly scorching everything it touches quickly.

We turn red when we're mad because our blood is boiling.

 Left unchecked, it can torch everything in our life like a wildfire.

IGNORANCE -

It's the venomous feeling we harbor deep within us.

We secretly envy our superiors, curse those who cross us, and delight in others' misfortune.

Everyone else is to be blamed for our misfortune, and we resent them for it in our minds.

Not taking responsibility for our own fate is defiance of the Law of Cause and Effect.

Original Photo by Darco TT available on Flickr.com

Ignorance leaves us totally blind to the truth, and so it can be said to be pitch black.

These ugly feelings are dirty and filthy and spread like a disease or pollution. 

We distort the world with our own private, warped views.

The nature of ignorance is dark and ugly, because it is so hard to see clearly within ourselves.

               Now, let's take a look at the first worldly passion.

Desire

               Buddhism teaches that Desire can be further broken down into five categories. 

               They are Food, Wealth, Love, Fame, and Sleep. 

                They are known as the Five Desires.

The Five Desires

FOOD -

Original Photo by elsie.hui available on Flickr.com

 It's the pleasure we get from eating a delicious meal.

We love to eat at restaurants and have home-cooked meals.

People enjoy fad health diets or binge on holidays like Thanksgiving.

Even with dessert, we'll still be hungry for more.

WEALTH -

Original Photo by epSos.de available on Flickr.com

It's the urge to stockpile money and not pay people back.
We want to brag about our new smart phones and cruise in our new cars.
Whether we're rich or poor, we revel when funds rise within our bank accounts.
There is no amount of cents that decreases our desire for more money.

LOVE -

Original Photo by kainr available on Flickr.com

It's the wanting intimacy from another man or woman physically and emotionally.
We watch attractive people on the street and get excited when we get to talk to them.
There's an intense feeling that burns to be near the person we love.
Our heart beats expectantly for the next burst of romance and passion.

FAME -

Original Photo by Gareth.D.Jones available on Flickr.com

 It's the thrill of being praised and honored by someone special or a large group of strangers.

We want to have fans like a movie star or be held in high regard like a president.
Deep down we secretly just want everyone to think we're cool.
No man is an island; we always have the desire to be liked.

 

    SLEEP -

Original Photo by Matt Erasmus available on Flickr.com

It's that yearning to sleep in, relax on the sofa, and just be plain lazy.
We hit snooze to escape going to school briefly or take a sick day just to stay in bed.
All we want to do is just chill out and take it easy.
The longer we are awake, the stronger our need for sleep.

                      At the mercy of these five desires, we slave to them in some form or another. We will to go to such great lengths just to get satisfaction, even if it causes to pain those around us.

                       Now of course we should do serious soul-searching if we sense that we are greatly troubling others with our desires. Self-reflection can sometimes catch when we are being too lazy in our studies or when we've been taken over by the luring idea of an illicit affair. We may even overcome the temptation of stealing the last bite on the plate at the family dinner, but our worldly passions will keep flaring up despite our best efforts. They remain as a filter by which we perceive all of our experiences for every moment we're alive... up until our very last breath.

                        In the next post, we will take a look at the second poisonous passion, Anger.

The Reality of Mankind -- Meaning behind the Story

                So what happens when one dies? Some people say, "When someone dies, that is the end." This is a terrible misconception.

                Sakyamuni Buddha declared that all human beings are destined to fall into the bottomless blue ocean when they die. This bottomless ocean is compared to the realm of incessant suffering or jigoku in Japanese.

                Sakyamuni asserts throughout the sutras that all beings are destined to this jigoku once their breathing stops. The most critical matter in Buddhism is this question of what happens to us after we die. This is known as the term gosho no ichidaiji in Japanese. The purpose of listening to Buddhism is to solve this pressing question.

                What kind of a world is this realm of incessant suffering?

                As to the intensity of torture in this world, Sakyamuni said that it was beyond explanation.

                For this reason, gosho no ichidaiji has been considered a serious matter to us for an immeasurably long period of time. There is nothing of greater importance to human beings than this, and Sakyamuni Buddha emphasized its importance greatly.

                If asked, "Who created the world of suffering?", the answer is the three dragons that appeared in the parable. Those three dragons represent the three poisonous passions of our hearts: greed, anger, and ignorance.

                The blue dragon represents greed. If money and wealth are insufficient, we desire to have them. If we all ready have them, we desire more. Wants create more wants, and in order to fulfill our limitless desires, we perform all sorts of evil. The deeper the ocean, the richer and darker the color of blue. This is why it is represented as the the blue dragon.

                The red dragon represents anger. When our desire is interfered with and we can't get our way, we start blaming others. We cut down in our hearts anyone who obstructs our desires. The flame of anger blazes red. This is why it represented as the red dragon.

                The black dragon represents foolishness, manifested by grudge, hatred, jealousy, and resentment. We hold those feelings due to our ignorance of the Law of Cause and Effect. Because of our despicable hearts, we get jealous of other people's happiness and secretly enjoy their misfortunes. The darkness of these feelings is expressed through the black dragon.

                Because of the three major evil passions, we are constantly performing evil acts from morning to night.

                Buddhism teaches that the lives of all beings are equally precious. Therefore, the killing of a single cow or pig is the equivalent of killing a single person. Eating the fish we bought at the market is considered as the sin of killing because we are asking the fisherman to kill fish for our food.

                Just by estimating the killings we perform for food, we realize how many sins we are committing every day. Even if we don't kill with our hands, when we wish with our minds, "I wish that jerk would just die," it is just as sinful as killing with our hands. This is because Buddhism places more emphasis on the deeds within our minds as they are the source for the deeds of the mouth and body.

                In the Larger Sutra of Infinite Life (Larger Sutra), Sakyamuni Buddha reveals the true image of human beings as follows:

Our mind is constantly thinking evil.

Our mouth is constantly speaking evil.

Our body is constantly practicing evil.

Not a single good deed has ever been performed.

                The more we listen to Buddhism, the more we become aware of ourselves as such. According to the Law of Cause and Effect, we are creating our future world of suffering right now.

                Once our breathing stops, the gosho no ichidaiji (grave problem of what happens after death) begins. Still, we ignore this fact and keep on licking the honey, known also as the five pleasures. We only wish to fulfill these five desires of food, wealth, sex, fame, and sleep.

                Day after day, from morning to night, our minds are preoccupied with satisfying these desires. Our lives are dragged around by them constantly, and one day it will end in ruin for us.

                Like the traveler licking honey, we humans give no thought to the purpose of being born into human life. Nor do we take into account that death is stalking us minute by minute and shortening our lives day and night.

                Below the traveler's feet exists the gosho no ichidaiji, and the traveler will have to fall into this eventually. Yet he persists to clinging on to the fine wisteria vine, just enjoying the honey of his endless desires and forgetting all else.

                Sakyamuni taught this parable to warn us that we are hanging in a dangerous place. Listening to Buddhism provides us with the solution to this dreadful situation. The next blog post will introduce how discovering our true purpose of life is the answer.