Anger: Buddhist Wisdom for Cooling the Flames

You will say and do mean and cruel things when you believe that you are the only one who suffers and that the other person does not suffer at all.

If you know how to practice mindful breathing, smiling, and walking meditation, it is certain that you will find relief in five, ten, or fifteen minutes.

Like craving, jealousy, and all afflictions, anger needs time to die down.

We hold our baby of anger in mindfulness so that we get relief. We continue the practice of mindful breathing and mindful walking, as a lullaby for our anger.

So promise each other that every time you get angry, you will not say or do anything out of anger. Instead, you will take care of your anger by going back to yourselves—practicing mindful breathing and mindful walking.

Your capacity for loving another person depends entirely on your capacity for loving yourself, for taking care of yourself.

The dharma is in you, but it also needs to be watered, in order to manifest and become a reality.

One hour of watering the flower in the other person can make him or her begin to bloom. It is not so difficult to do.

You only need to recognize that anger is a negative energy and that mindfulness is a positive one.