Suttas for Moving Past Anger

When I woke up this morning, I realized that I have some residual disquiet from recent events. Aside from mettā practice, what suttas do you recommend for letting go of anger?

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Personally, this has always been a favorite: SuttaCentral

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Well one could reflect on the disadvantages of Anger and the advantages of being free of it…

DhpT210.25 & Dhp 221
He who is angry sees not the Dharma;
He who is angry knows not the Way.
He who can remove anger,
Merit and joy always follow him.

and one can understand Anger and see how it comes to be, and what will cause it to disappear in view of the nature we have.

:smiley: :four_leaf_clover:

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I like the description of anger in SN 1.71 of having a poisoned root and honeyed tip. It’s a good reminder of anger’s seductiveness:

“Having slain anger, one sleeps soundly;
Having slain anger, one does not sorrow;
The killing of anger, O devatā,
With its poisoned root and honeyed tip:
This is the killing the noble ones praise,
For having slain that, one does not sorrow.”

MN 21, famous for its simile of the saw, contains a sort of mantra to bear in mind when anger arises or threatens to arise:

You should train like this: ‘Our minds will remain unaffected. We will blurt out no bad words. We will remain full of compassion, with a heart of love and no secret hate. We will meditate spreading a heart of love to that person. And with them as a basis, we will meditate spreading a heart like the earth to everyone in the world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will.’ That’s how you should train.

AN 3.132 is more inspirational and can perhaps help put someone in the mindset of letting go of anger:

“Mendicants, these three people are found in the world. What three? A person like a line drawn in stone, a person like a line drawn in sand, and a person like a line drawn in water.

And who is the person like a line drawn in stone? It’s a person who is often angry, and their anger lingers for a long time. It’s like a line drawn in stone, which isn’t quickly worn away by wind and water, but lasts for a long time. In the same way, this person is often angry, and their anger lingers for a long time. This is called a person like a line drawn in stone.

And who is the person like a line drawn in sand? It’s a person who is often angry, but their anger doesn’t linger long. It’s like a line drawn in sand, which is quickly worn away by wind and water, and doesn’t last long. In the same way, this person is often angry, but their anger doesn’t linger long. This is called a person like a line drawn in sand.

And who is the person like a line drawn in water? It’s a person who, though spoken to by someone in a rough, harsh, and disagreeable manner, still stays in touch, interacts with, and greets them. It’s like a line drawn in water, which vanishes right away, and doesn’t last long. In the same way, this person, though spoken to by someone in a rough, harsh, and disagreeable manner, still stays in touch, interacts with, and greets them. This is called a person like a line drawn in water.

These are the three people found in the world.”

For resentment toward a person, AN 5.161 and AN 5.162 offer some very practical advice. I especially like Sāriputta’s advice in the latter to focus on the admirable qualities of the person.

And of course there’s SN 7.2, where the Buddha is abused by a brahmin and declines to accept the brahmin’s “gift”.

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My study group spoke about this maybe a year ago. How it feels good to get angry! It can make you feel righteous! But, in the end it is unskillful :slight_smile:

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Painful feelings can be constructive and may actually need to be cultivated. In the second foundation of mindfulness painful feelings not of the flesh should be recognized. It’s possible mental disquiet could be a stimulus for progress, so it’s a matter of clearly discerning the source of the feeling. Such emotions arise from views.

“There is the case where a monk considers, ‘O when will I enter & remain in the dimension that those who are noble now enter & remain in?’ And as he thus nurses this yearning for the unexcelled liberations, there arises within him sorrow based on that yearning. With that he abandons resistance. No resistance-obsession gets obsessed there.[5]”—MN 44

Resistance= ill-will, anger

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Indeed. As per SN12.23 we see that suffering is found at the “inflection point” of dependent origination, potentially flicking it from the suffering perpetuating mode to the transcending mode.
This is because, faith has in suffering a vital condition:

(…)‘Faith.’ I say that faith has a vital condition.
And what is it?
You should say: ‘Suffering.’ (…)

:anjal:

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