IMAGE BY: IAN STANLEY
“When anger manifests in us, we must recognize and accept that anger is there and that it needs to be tended to…”
“At this moment we are advised not to say anything, not to do anything out of anger. We immediately return to ourselves and invite the energy of mindfulness to manifest also, in order to embrace, recognize and take good care of our anger…”
“Anger is like a howling baby, suffering and crying. Your anger is your baby. The baby needs his mother to embrace him. You are the mother. Embrace your baby…”
“When the mother embraces her baby, her energy penetrates him and soothes him. That is exactly what you have to begin to do when anger begins to surface.
“You have to abandon everything that you are doing, because your most important task is to go back to yourself and take care of your baby, your anger. Nothing is more important than taking good care of your baby…”
“Just embracing your anger, just breathing in and breathing out, that is good enough. The baby will feel relief right away…”
“In the beginning you may not understand the nature of your anger, or why it has come to be. But you know how to embrace it with the energy of mindfulness, it will begin to become clear to you…”
“Mindfulness means to be present, to be aware of what is going on. This energy is very crucial…”
“Every mental formation-anger, jealousy, despair, etc- is sensitive to mindfulness the way all vegetation is sensitive to sunshine. By cultivating the energy of mindfulness, you can heal your body and your consciousness…”
“Mindfulness helps us look deeply in order to gain insight. Insight is the liberating factor. It is what frees us and allows transformation to happen…”
“Practice looking deeply into the nature of your anger. The practice has two phases. The first in embracing and recognizing; ‘My dear anger, I know you are there, I am taking good care of you.’ The second phase is to look deeply into the nature of your anger to see how it has come about…”
“When we embrace anger and take good care of our anger, we obtain relief. We can look deeply into it and gain many insights. One of the first insights might be that the seed of anger in us has grown too big, and is the main cause of our misery.
“As we begin to see this reality, we realize that the other person, whom our anger is directed at, is only a secondary cause. The other person is not the real cause of our anger…”
“Inside every one of us is a garden and very practitioner has to go back to their garden, and take care of it. Maybe in the past, you left it untended for a long time.
“You should know exactly what is going on in your own garden, and try to put everything in order. Restore the beauty; restore the harmony in your garden. If it is well tended, many people will enjoy your garden.”
~Thich Nhat Hanh from Taming the Tiger Within
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14 comments
Chez says:
Oct 6, 2011
I love this way of looking at anger. I am sure it is hard to take care of it like this when you are in the moment. But, I feel now that I have read this, perhaps I will look at my anger a little more closely and be more nurturing to myself which in turn will stop me projecting this anger on to others. Thank you for sharing. namaste.
Tess Charbonneau says:
Jun 26, 2015
This makes so much sense and is so helpful! Thank you for posting Thich Nhat Hanh’s beautiful philosophy!
seriously? says:
Jun 29, 2015
…and it’s okay to make grand generalizations that even within this site, are accepted as truth, not spirituality elitist platitudes of superiority. Very understanding.
louise says:
Nov 9, 2015
gratitude
kathleen says:
Nov 9, 2015
I needed this so much right now. Just bought the book.
June says:
Nov 10, 2015
Thank you for sharing this. I have struggled with my anger and now I am understanding how to love that aspect of myself. Blessings and Namaste’
Steph says:
Apr 14, 2016
This message was right on time for me. Thank you MM🐯
mm says:
Apr 15, 2016
∴❤︎∴
Sarah says:
Apr 14, 2016
This has been coming up for me lately as well. I am amazed at the energy behind it and wish I could summon that kind of force just for getting through my day! Thank you MM. As always I am comforted by your posts.
mm says:
Apr 15, 2016
♡
Kelsey says:
Apr 15, 2016
I love you Mystical Mamacita
Thank you for all that you do
mm says:
Apr 15, 2016
∞♥∞
Glenn says:
Apr 8, 2018
For me it has been despair … probably a relative of anger. This passage left me weeping, I was so touched. My old trauma have come up for me to see yet again. This garden is taking a lot of attention!
Jahnavi says:
Nov 22, 2018
I would love to read your thoughts on anger arising during pregnancy. It’s a completely new emotional experience for me that I’m having challenges with navigating. I want to process the deep things coming up. And I see the things that are triggering them. What I feel is a complete intolerance to anything unjust or not right in my environment—a powerful emotion that I’m sure is necessary in becoming a mother and protecting my child. But it is also overwhelming… thoughts or experiences on this?