How to Overcome Anger?

* This post is mainly intended for married folks. 

People, especially, married folks, attribute the outbursts of anger to the minor differences in opinion, which arise between them. Anger, they feel, mushrooms out of trifle events or incidents, in their lives. After the outbursts of anger, they settle down the differences and apologize to each other. They feel the need to understand each other in a better way. But as soon they settle down for a while, there comes another event or an incident, which triggers the anger again. They again trace out the root of anger to the differences in opinion, arising out of petty issues. They reconcile themselves again only to find the cycle repeating itself - the cycle of anger and reconciliation.

People, deceive themselves in this way, by attributing the outbursts of anger to the general differences in opinion. Some educated ‘kids’, try to show off their maturity. They often say, ‘We need to sit down and talk to each other, and iron out the differences’. They make promises again, never to quarrel, but only to break. This ‘matured-talk’, then becomes a laughing-stock. This matured-talk is again a deception.

Anger.

Anger, in general, matures out of lust. Anger and lust are the obverse and the reverse side of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. This truth is exemplified in the following verse in the Bhagavad Gita.

“While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.”  (2.62)

The real nature of men and women, in general, is the Atman. Atman is eternally pure. Anything which brings down from the level of the Atman is a degeneration. This degeneration, from the level of the Atman, makes men and women angry. They fight over each other because they find themselves in a state of degeneration, in the bodily plane. In the state of degeneration, any trifle incident can serve as a trigger for this anger.

How does anger work?

Men and women, have in them a so-called ‘spiritual-force’, which comes out of the conservation of the ‘life-force’ in the body. In the spiritual anatomy of the human body, there are seven spheres or seven planes of consciousness, on which the spiritual-force linger. The highest being the plane of the Atman, and the lowest being the plane of the body.

Generally, this force lingers in a lower plane, most of the time. In this plane, men and women often remain prone to anger and other animalistic tendencies. There are several reasons why this spiritual-force linger in this lower plane.

      It (spiritual-force) remains in a lower plane if one remains in the company of the opposite gender all the time. Because the idea of the body brings them down to a lower plane. So, it is highly improbable for married men and women to raise themselves into a higher plane until they shed the idea of the body completely. People may mimic being spiritual, but it doesn’t come without a perfect detachment.

Also, it is highly recommended for meditative folks not to look upon the opposite gender, for it brings down the spiritual-force down to the lowest plane. Men and women remain prone to anger when they are on a lower plane.

It (spiritual-force) remains in a lower plane, because of the loss of life-force in the body. The aftermath of the loss of life-force in the body is the extreme revulsion towards the body. The beauty, which a short while ago appeared in their eyes, in the form of a prince or a princess, now seem like a pig. As a result of this revulsion, people loath the company of the opposite gender, and try to run away from them. Out of this loathing comes the anger. In that state, even a small incident may serve as a spark to trigger the anger.

Anger is like that. 

When the life-force builds up after the loss, they seek the company of the opposite gender again. Thus, the cycle of attraction and loathing continue, as long as they remain in the lower plane or until the body wears them down. In this way, men and women find themselves in a lower plane all the time.

It (spiritual-force) remains in a lower plane if one is attracted towards sense-objects or objects of enjoyment. Attraction towards certain food stuff (food which intends enjoyment), excessive sleep (for it is a kind of bodily attachment), the too much external orientation of the mind, and restlessness of the mind can bring the spiritual force down to a lower plane. Again, men and women, are prone to anger when they find themselves in a lower plane.

The best way to overcome anger is to know the real nature of our being and to progress towards it. Our real nature is the Atman, which is never touched by bodily defilements.

In order to overcome anger, one has to overcome the idea of the body completely. One should overcome all ideas of attraction arising out of this identity. One should refrain from all sense objects completely, to overcome anger.

Therefore, know yourself to be the Atman, and be free from all bodily defilements.

Thank You.

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How to Overcome Lust?

Lust is like a hydra-headed monster, with its several heads spraying poisonous venom on the prey, to kill it. Lust, with its several heads, devours everything. In the past, it has devoured many kingdoms. Lust results in death, the death of the higher being in man, being entangled in lower animalistic pleasures. Lust bring us to the level of the animals, and people often commit gruesome crimes when they are taken over by lust.

Hydra headed Lust. 

'Atman' is the real nature of our being. All struggle against nature is to attain this state. In fact, man cannot remain entangled in lust forever, as lust is the material condition of life; whereas, man is the pure infinite being. Therefore, the struggle is the natural course of action to overcome lust. All beings struggle to overcome it.

To overcome lust one has to know its origins. Fighting lust, without knowing its origins, is like fighting an invisible enemy. So one has to know clearly of what lust is, and where its origins are.

The general perception of lust is that it originates from the picturization of the opposite gender in an obscene manner. But this is only a tip of the iceberg. But lust originates even from a very simple and trivial things as well, which we generally ignore. Slowly the trivial thing snowballs into an avalanche and appears in the form of lust. There are hundreds and thousands of such trivial things around us which trigger lust.

For example, excessive sleep can trigger lust, excessive food can trigger lust, spicy food can trigger lust, an impure food can trigger lust, excessive talk can trigger lust, excessive surfing in the net can trigger lust, not taking bath can trigger lust, restlessness of the mind can trigger lust, too much of external engagement can trigger lust, a climate change can trigger lust, travel can trigger lust, roaming can trigger lust, uncleanliness can trigger lust, a trivial sense pleasure can trigger lust. Likewise, there are hundreds of factors around us that triggers lust.

So how does it work?

For example, an excessive sleep can generate a kind of residual heat in the body and this heat alters the heat and cold patterns prevailing in the body. This alteration of the heat and cold patterns in the body has a direct relation in maintaining the life fluid in the body.

When the residual heat acts upon the life fluid, it triggers a kind of picturization of the opposite gender. And here the gender part comes into play. The mind is made to take up forcibly certain picturization to alter the status quo of the life fluid. If the thing doesn't happen in the waking state, then the mind takes up the picturization in the dream state. If it doesn't happen in the dream state, it wears down in a natural way.

So the habits in us can trigger lust and not the gender in reality. Though the gender has a direct role, all other factors too count in an equal measure. People who are prone to lust don't have clean habits in general.

The first major thing to overcome lust is to overhaul our habits completely. The first thing would be cutting down our sense pleasures which has a direct relation to the lust. Cutting down all sensory enjoyments and desires had to be done based on the individual impressions.

One has to take care of the food, sleep, and recreation and orient them properly in a measured way to conquer lust. It's just like a bowler finding a right line and length to take the wicket. The best way to overcome lust is to progress towards higher spiritual goals. Meditation and chanting the name of the Lord directly takes away one from the plane of lust.

These are the three simple tips for overcoming lust.

1.  Do not look upon a gender, and if you happen to look  at them look them in the attitude of brother, sister,  and so on.

2. Overhaul your habits completely. Find out the source  of triggers and get rid of them.

3. Know that you are the atman and meditate upon it.  Avoid all sense impressions and sense enjoyments.

Thank You.

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Everything that is wrong in the portrayal of the life of Buddha.

Many scholars, authors, and philosophers failed to portray the accurate picture of Buddha, the man who laid the foundation of a new religion, that was deemed revolutionary in those days. They either portray his life in the pattern of other religious faiths or in a fictitious way or in an esoteric poetic way or sometimes with too much philosophical content. They fail to understand the real import behind the life of Buddha, and amplify simple things into a complex maze of passages. One has to cut down this complex maze of things to arrive at his real life. One has to crop the fictitious stuff to appreciate the real beauty of his life. We will examine the elements that did not help to make up the real life of Buddha.

One of the most famous scholars, Paul Carus, the author of the celebrated 'Gospel of Buddha', adopted the pattern of New Testament to portray the life of Buddha. Although, he made comparisons with the teachings of Christ to the teachings of Buddha, yet, adopted many Christian elements from the New Testament, and incorporated it into the life of Buddha. For example, the concept of a devil is completely absent in the life and teachings of Buddha, yet it was introduced in the form of 'Mara', the devil, who tempted Buddha prior to his enlightenment. Mara is not a devil, as commonly understood, but desires or 'Vrittis', that hinder the liberation process. This Mara, then comes again and again, like a villain in a movie plot, and utterly ruins the beauty of the life of Buddha.

'Mara' attacking Buddha with his host of armies.

Buddha was born as Siddhartha and passed away into Nirvana, as an enlightened person. Buddha never paid heed to the idea of a personal God, yet, many of his followers elevated Buddha to the status of God and placed him in the highest among the pantheons of numerous Gods and Goddesses. There was a scene, in some books, where Brahma and other Gods, fold their hands in front of the enlightened Buddha and listen to his sermons. This is completely absurd, and contrary to the teachings of Buddha. Buddha condemned cult-worship, and himself become the subject of cult-worship in later days. Buddha condemned idol worship, and, yet, his idol was one of the most worshiped ones across the world.

Buddha's life was completely rooted in intense reality. Reality and fiction cannot go together. Yet, many poets, from the west, romanticized his life in a fictitious way. Even some famous manga artists from the east, massacred his life, in the form of fiction. 'Buddha', by Osamu Tezuka, was one such horrible depiction. The portrayal of the life of Buddha, in a fictitious way, is only a failure, for the man lived a life, rooted in intense reality. One must remember that religion is not fiction.

Manga massacre.

There are some books by philosophers, which take up the philosophical standpoint, in depicting the life of Buddha. Buddha, in his life, paid little heed to philosophical constructs, he, in fact, remained silent to many of the philosophical arguments, focusing only on practice rather than vague theories. It does not mean that Buddha was not philosophical at all. Philosophical speculations are good as long as it is applicable in the pragmatic form.

What we need is the unbiased life of Buddha, rooted in his teachings, free from elements of other religions, devoid of fiction, and too much of philosophical endorsements.

Thank You.

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