4 ms·
I think there's another way to attack the problem. I assume that the anger is arising for good reason, that it is (or at least was) helpful to human creatures.
by b6 10y ago
I think there's another way to attack the problem. I assume that the anger is arising for good reason, that it is (or at least was) helpful to human creatures. So it may be really difficult or impossible to prevent the anger from arising.
But when you meditate, one thing you slowly but deeply learn is that your thoughts are not you. Thoughts that bring you happiness arise even when you didn't ask them to, and you want them to stay forever, but they don't. Thoughts that make you feel bad arise even though you obviously didn't want them to, and you try to make them go away, but they stay as long as they want. But they eventually go.
So over time, as meditation practice develops, it can be as if you build a second mind behind the first mind, and you live in that more quiet mind, watching the first mind, seeing, e.g., wow, OK, there is anger in the mind. But there's a distance because you know it's not you. It's there but it doesn't move you so much.
- bitexploder 10y agoThat is quite eloquently put. I am reminded of Minsky and his color to this. It is a useful view. To characterize emotions and feelings as subroutines that input to your higher consciousness. Having that distance to say "ok, anger is activating, what is it trying to tell "me"?" Happy and sad are the same. These feelings arent "you". They are inputs to your "you". When you can observe these feeling you can at times become powerfully separated. But I also like to embrace the holistic integration at times. To be "human" and let it all jumble together. It is quite beautiful and tragic at times. (Minsky, society of the mind).