Freedom from Anger: Understanding It, Overcoming It, and Finding Joy

by Alubomulle Sumanasara

Overview

Extinguish anger forever and find true happiness with this step-by-step guide.

Anger is a potent poison that ruins health and damages relationships. In today’s world of Twitter feuds, road rage, and internet trolls, it is all too easy for anger to grab hold of us.
This timely book offers practical advice on how to put aside anger and ego and embrace laughter and reason. Like a friendly family physician, Venerable Sumanasara helps you see what triggers your anger, what affect it has on you, and what you can do about it. Maybe you have trouble at work or at home, maybe you had a difficult childhood, or maybe you just get angry in traffic. In short, bite-sized chapters, he offers wisdom, along with a laugh, that you can use.
Drawing on easy-to-follow metaphors and parables from a variety of cultural traditions, in an accessible, conversational style free of dogma, Venerable Sumanasara shows us how to manage our emotions so that we can lead healthier, happier lives finally freed from anger.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781614292401
Publisher:	Wisdom Publications MA
Publication date:	06/09/2015
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Ven. Alubomulle Sumanasara, a Buddhist monk schooled in the Theravada tradition, has written more than one hundred books addressing the practical application of Buddhist thought and practice to daily life.
Born in Sri Lanka in 1945, he became a novice monk at the age of thirteen and was ordained in 1958. After teaching Buddhist philosophy at the University of Kelaniya, he first went to Japan in 1980 to study Japanese Buddhism on a fellowship from the Sri Lankan government, pursuing his doctoral studies at the graduate school of Komazawa University. In 1994 he established the Japan Theravada Buddhist Association, through which he continues to spread the Dharma and lead others in the practice of vipassana meditation.
Sumanasara’s sincerity and gentle manner, as well as his facility as a speaker in both English and Japanese, have earned him a broad following. Focusing on the fundamental teachings of Buddha, he explains how Buddhism offers down-to-earth wisdom that anyone can put into practice to better understand and manage the challenges of the here and now. He lives in Tokyo.

Table of Contents

I Understanding Anger

Don't Flatter Anger 3

The Urge to Get Angry Is Innate 4

Life Is Governed by Anger and Love 6

Different Forms of Anger 7

Anger and Love Come from Within 10

You Make Cockroaches Ugly 12

A Bug Is a Treat to a Bird 13

Perception 14

You Have the Power to Be Happy 16

We Get Angry Because We Think We Are Right 17

The "I Am Right" Attitude Is Concealed 18

You Won't Get Angry If You Know That You Might Be Wrong 19

Words Are Imperfect 21

Even the Kind May Be Disliked 22

Hard Work Does Not Guarantee Results 24

How Angry People Think 25

Abuse Leads to Anger 26

Harm Leads to Anger 27

Defeat Leads to Anger 28

Theft Leads to Anger 30

Adults Brood on Negatives and Aggravate Situations 31

The Ego Engenders Anger 32

Ego → Ignorance → Corruption → Anger 33

Anger Is Habit-Forming 34

II Anger Destroys Happiness

When Rejection Grows Too Strong 37

Is Anger Unavoidable? 38

Anger Eliminates the Happiness of Living 39

People Cannot Live without Happiness 40

There Is No Such Thing as Justifiable Anger 41

Killing Can Never Be Right 42

Forgive Everything 43

Anger Is a Consuming Fire 44

Anger Is Insidious in Its Harm 45

Angry People Can Be Slow to Recover from Sickness 46

Angry People Are Thieves of Joy 47

Anger Is Infectious 48

It's Dangerous for One Person to Be in Control of Others 49

A Winner Doesn't Actually Win 50

Becoming Angry Is Foolish 52

Stay Angry, and You Will Become Anger 53

Don't Throw Away Your Humanity 54

III Those Who Don't Get Angry

Responding to Angry People 57

The Driver Who Troubled the Buddha 58

Brahma Danda, the Buddha's Discipline 60

The Importance of Self-Reflection 63

Coming to Understand Your Wrongs 65

If Someone Strikes You… 66

Great People Are Humble 68

Self-Image Is Ugliness 69

Einstein's Humility 70

Shed Anger Like an Old Skin 72

Only Those Who Do Not Become Angry Prevail 73

Become Like a Cracked Bell 76

Anyone Can Seem Great if They Have No Cause of Anger 77

Remain Peaceful, No Matter How You're Treated 80

Make Your Heart Unmovable 81

IV The Solution to Anger

Recognize the Anger within Yourself 85

Do Not Repress or Tolerate 86

Anger Disappears When It's Watched 87

Anger Is a Losing Reaction 89

Angry Parents Aren't Effective 90

Not Becoming Angry with a Child Is Not the Same as Spoiling Him 91

Love and Confidence Are Well Regarded 92

Never Get Angry, No Matter What Happens 93

Understand True Equality 95

Don't Get Hung Up on "Reasons to Live" 97

The Ego Is the Shackle of the Self 99

Let Go of Self-importance 100

Let Go of Self-Loathing 101

Let Go of Competitiveness 102

Doing Your Best Is Enough 103

Don't Let Setbacks Make You Angry 104

Focus on Understanding, Not Anger 105

Defeat Anger with Wisdom 106

Become Like a Crystal Ball 107

Stern Lessons Are Not the Same as Anger 108

Show the Selfishly Willful a Mirror 109

Laugh, and Anger Disappears 110

The Wiser You Are, the More You Laugh 111

Wisdom and Understanding Lead to Laughter and Happiness 112

Wise Laughter, Foolish Laughter 113

Don't Make Laughter Your Goal 114

Learn to Laugh, and the World Is a Funnier Place 115

Funny Things Are Everywhere 116

Use Understanding Rather Than Anger 118

Dealing with Angry People 120

Don't Ingest Someone Else's Anger 121

Lose Anger, Find Miracles 123

Peace Is the Language of the Strong 124

Anyone Can Be Happy 125

About the Author 127

Editorial Reviews

"Sumanasara's guide is a firm but gentle paternal hand, offering thoughtful meditations on anger and the choice between destructive rage and happiness.

Publishers Weekly

Ven. Sumanasara’s friendly tone and plain way of speaking reveal the ridiculousness of anger.

Sylvia Boorstein