"Anger never ceases with anger; Through love alone it ceases.
This, is an eternal law."
- The Buddha
To me, in this age and time, no one can give a discourse on the above teaching by The Buddha as eloquently as the late Venerable Ajahn Mun.
As such, I would like to share it with all of you.
It's taken from the book, "Venerable Acariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera - A Spiritual Biography", written by the Venerable Acariya Maha Boowa Nanasampanno.
Enjoy! :)
“Conquer anger with lack of anger, remember this. For anyone hoping to achieve victory, this is the most important Dhamma to practice. Consider it well – it is the main source of peace and happiness in the world. Love and kindness – these are an effective deterrence against an evil such as anger. By helping to reduce anger’s power to destroy human and devic societies alike, loving kindness fosters peace and prosperity everywhere. Thus, this loving attitude is a prerequisite for social harmony – one we should all strive to develop. In a world lacking this victory formula, dissatisfaction and unrest will arise at the very least. At the extreme, the world will be consumed by mortal strife. Anger and resentment can never defeat our enemies, for they are evils that succeed only in indiscriminately destroying us and everyone close to us. The more anger is used, the more the world we live in becomes a sea of flames, burning uncontrollably toward total annihilation.
“Anger is actually a type of fire that’s inherent in the nature of this world. Although it has no physical properties, it does succeed in creating havoc in its wake. So anyone desiring a stable, sensible world – a place worth living in – should realize the disastrous harm that the fires of anger and resentment can cause; and refrain from ever using them. Starting a fire like this merely causes oneself and everyone else to suffer. Mutual feelings of affection and loving kindness among all living beings maintain the world in its proper equilibrium. Oppressive forces of unrestrained anger and selfish pride should never be allowed to run rampant, causing a never-ending cycle of destruction.
“With his acute wisdom, the Lord Buddha realized the indisputable harm caused by anger. He saw the value of loving kindness as a gentle force that can spontaneously join all living beings in a sense of mutual harmony and goodwill, for all share a common desire for happiness and a common dislike of pain. For this reason, he taught that love and kindness were powerful means of maintaining peace and security in the world. So long as living beings still have loving kindness in their hearts, there’s every chance that their desire for happiness will be fulfilled. But should their hearts become estranged from thoughts of loving kindness, then even with all the material comforts, their lives will still be devoid of genuine peace and happiness. Angry, hateful people tend to encounter only trouble, feeling resentful and annoyed wherever they go.
“Once we know with certainty that Dhamma is something truly beneficial to us, we can clearly see that a heart full of brutality is like a blazing fire gradually destroying everything in its path. We must then urgently strive to overcome these dangers as best we can.
You may never again get such a good opportunity; so, take advantage of it now and avoid regrets in the future.
The world is in a constant state of change and that changing world is situated right here in the bodies and minds of us all.”
- Venerable Acariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera, A Spiritual Biography by Acariya Maha Boowa Nanasampanno, page 220-221)
http://www.what-buddha-taught.net/Books2/Acariya_Mun_Spiritual_Biography.pdf
"Anger can never dispel anger;
Hate can never dispel hate.
Only love can dispel anger.
Only love can dispel hate."
- The Buddha
"Conquer anger by love, evil by good;
Conquer the miser with generosity, and the liar with Truth."
- The Buddha
"Just as greed, selfishness and stinginess comes as a package,
So does anger, jealousy and sadness."
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"After anger, ill-will and hate,
What follows is sorrow, sadness and pain."
