The Dalai Lama is coming to Chicago to give a public talk on non-violence. From practicing Buddhists to devout Catholics, the words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama settle deep into any religious background. It is more of deep truths as oppose to having religious affiliation.
Here is an excerpt from his teachings on dealing with anger and hatred.
“So, even though under rare circumstances some kinds of anger can be positive, generally speaking, anger leads to ill feeling and hatred. And, as far as hatred is concerned, it is never positive. It has no benefit at all. It is always totally negative.
We cannot overcome anger and hatred simply by suppressing them. We need to actively cultivate the antidotes to hatred: patience and tolerance… In order for you to be able to successfully cultivate patience and tolerance you need to generate enthusiasm, a strong desire to seek it. The stronger your enthusiasm, the greater your ability to withstand the hardships that you encounter in the process. When you are engaged in the practice of patience and tolerance, in reality, what is happening is you are engaged in a combat with hatred and anger.
Since it is a situation of combat, you seek victory, but you also have to be prepared for the possibility of losing that battle. So while you are engaged in combat, you should not lose sight of the fact that in the process, you will confront many problems. You should have the ability to withstand these hardships. Someone who gains victory over hatred and anger through such an arduous process is a true hero.”
Excerpt from the Art of Happiness, His Holiness the Dalai Lama
If you are interested in learning more about meditation and calming the mind read more on pranayama and breathing exercises. We also featured a series called the 8 Weeks to Happiness, a mental and meditation approach to happiness.
