Sharing a beautiful story that will make us sense and acknowledge our inner feelings and help channelize its expression in a more evolved way with deeper understanding.

*The Empty Boat -A Story of Anger.*

A monk decides to meditate alone, away from his monastery. He takes his boat out to the middle of the lake, moors it there, closes his eyes and begins his meditation. After a few hours of undisturbed silence, he suddenly feels the bump of another boat colliding with his own.
With his eyes still closed, he senses his anger rising, and by the time he opens his eyes, he is ready to scream at the boatman who dared disturb his meditation. But when he opens his eyes, he sees it is an empty boat that had probably got untethered and floated to the middle of the lake.
At that moment, the monk achieves self-realization, and understands that the anger is within him; it merely needs the bump of an external object to provoke it out of him.

From then on, whenever he came across someone who irritated him or provoked him to anger, he reminded himself: ”The other person is merely an empty boat. The anger is within me……”
In reality, we all have the anger within us, all the time, All it needs is someone, like the empty boat, to provoke it.

This story makes us think on many levels especially so on anger management.

Is our anger innate?How deep does it delve?

How much is our responsibility in acknowledging our true selves.

 

Acknowledgement is a step towards a response than reaction .

Acceptance leads to  greater self-awareness.

Savvy

 

The question is not only why feel provoked with anger but how to manage it. How can it be circumvented? Is there a way to do so?

Every time we recognize where the anger resides we will learn to accept the source is the self than others. And then make an effort to not suppress or repress but channelize it in more productive ways.

In our wheel of human behaviour and emotions, Anger sits in the opposite spectrum of joyousness. It is a negative emotion that propels further negative thoughts. There arises the backlash of discontent and disorientation in various degrees depending on the level of anger that manifests.

Anger truly serves no purpose than destruction

For true peace, it can be a bone of  contention

So let go of all anger and false pretensions

And value the calm that you actually are.

Savvy

On a lighter note here are a few reflections towards channelling arising negative emotions in awareness

and some amazing quotes from the great souls  to go with it !:))

Think Humorously:’ If red is the colour of anger it is the colour of love too!’

Think Happy: ‘For every minute of anger you are losing 60 seconds of happiness ..’.Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Think Creatively:’The Greatest remedy for anger is delay!’

Think  Practically: ‘He who angers you conquers you’.

Think Logically: ‘You will not be punished for your anger but by your anger…’ Buddha

Think Peacefully: ‘Anger is the ultimate destroyer of your own peace of mind’. Dalai Lama

Think Kindly: ‘Bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you…’ Bible 

Think of changing the wavelengths:’ Anger  makes you smaller while forgiveness forces you to grow

 beyond what you are!’ 

Paying attention to your breath: Breath in the now…to  release resentment 

In the inhale and exhale.:  Pause to respond  and  delay a  reaction 

Express Positivism: Let your past make you better, not bitter

Express  Humility: ‘Angry people are not always wise…’ Jane Austen

Express Gratitude: ‘ Anger won’t make your problems easier but gratitude will make you stronger.’

Whenever you can …

Because you always can!