Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective

Snow Lion Publications is a landmark when it comes to Buddhist literature, up there with Wisdom Books and Shambhala Publications. The Dalai Lama faces the issues of our times in this book; for we live in times of so much violence and anger in various situations, not just "global." We encounter them in our family life, in our work life, et cetera. Everywhere we go, this matter seems to pop right up! As you might expect, the practice out of this the Dalai Lama prescribes is the cultivation of compassion; cultivating patience. Patience, His Holiness points out, permits us to mindfully and calmly accept hardship, thus enabling us to see things as they are unclouded.In here you find an old text from the 11th century which is quite important to Tibet known as the "Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life" by Shantideva. The Dalai Lama uses this text as his entire groundwork for explaining the practice and place of patience in our lives, if of course, we are aspiring and actualizing our life as a bodhisattva. Also a good book on this subject is "Anger: Wisdom For Cooling the Flames." Sure the books are dissimilar in style and format, while simultaneously they drive towards the same end point; realizing our life as a bodhisattva. Get this book right away, it's a must have!

This book is a recording of one of the Dalai Lama's seminars in the US. Looks hard to read at first, but the concepts are fascinating. The Q & A sections reveal alot of the more dogmatic views of Tibetan Buddhism. The premise is simple, anger is an unecessary cause of suffering. Alot of good advice, especially for Westerners attempting to convert to Buddhism or considering the path of the Bodhisatva. When you think about these things it can really make a difference. Stick with it. It's worth reading!

By exegeting the 8th century C.E. "Bodhisattvacharyavatara," His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama demonstrates the powers of acceptance and tolerance to overcome such negative emotions as anger, resentment and jealousy. This is not another one of those awful "self-help" books. Rather, His Holiness presents a cogent discussion about the self-destructive qualities of anger, etc..., and appeals to our intellect to refrain from those emotions. His Holiness' line of reasoning seems self-evident and simplistic until one observes normal, unpleasant, self-defeating human behavior in a typical traffic jam or family argument.If you sometimes get unexpectedly caught in your anger, or other negative emotions, read this book. It might just be the tonic that will help to heal your spirit.

As the President of Arizona Teachings (ATI), which hosted and sponsored these teachings on patience in 1993 in Tucson, Arizona, it may be said that I am not completely objective about the contents of the book. With that caveat in mind I still feel comfortable in saying that His Holiness' teachings on patience, tolerance and anger are brilliantly done. The depth of knowlege of and compassion towards the subject make these teachings an indespensible tool for the serious student and those who wish to move deeply into their own self-awareness and investigation of their shadows.