Inhaling, I understand that anger makes me disgusting.
Exhaling, I do not wish for the anger to control me.
Inhaling, I understand that I should take care of myself.
Exhaling, I become conscious that the loving kindness is the sole answer.
If we are upset, then we should turn back to our conscious breathing, not allowing ourselves to listen to the person we consider the reason of our misfortunes. There is no need to say or do anything. We return to our breathing and inhale and exhale according to this quadruple and we should be conscious that the very anger makes us suffer and not anyone.
We see evil in someone. We say – “he is cruel”, or “he suppresses me”. In reality, our anger ruins us.
And thus, we should take care of our anger. When the house is on fire, we should first and foremost run to the house and try to extinguish the fire. It is still very soon to seek for the person who was the reason of the fire.
When we meditate, we are conscious that the essence of loving and forgiving is in understanding. Unhappy person will make deeds and pronounce words making other people unhappy as well. If we refresh our strength with the nectar of compassion, we will find a source of welfare in our inner selves. That happiness will bring benefit also to other people. The person, who we neglect, has a need of compassion and not hostility, inasmuch as he is very unhappy.
We should try to smile when we read the last line of this quadruple. That smile will loosen the muscles of our face. Afterwards we should go out to the yard trying to meditate walking. The fresh air, the beauty of the lawn will help us significantly.
Before coming back to home, we should be sure that we smile lightly and naturally. When we smile, we understand that the anger has turned into understanding and forgiveness.
Thich Nhat Hanh (1926)
Vietnamese Buddhist preacher
