..续本文上一页example, if you are your anger, that”s you, and you need to be kind towards yourself. It”s not like that. Yesterday you were maybe angry and today you aren”t. If it is something that comes and goes, it is not actually part of the constituents of yourself - it is other than yourself. If it is other, then it has nothing to do with the true self and compassion. It”s not that you would not be loving yourself by regarding your emotions as your enemies.
Student: My enemies are also very intelligent. Obviously, they must have access to the same thing as my wisdom has. I”d like to find out how to get there a little bit quicker
It seems like when I examine my aggression, there is also a lot of intelligence and a lot of forethought and connections that I hadn”t fully processed. Somehow it seems like you might be over-cut through these emotions by recognizing these qualities of what is being communicated more clearly from the first or other side.
Translator: So if you recognize what the negative emotions are communicating, it would be without wisdom
Student: Not exactly. As I said, it seems they are rather intelligent. So there must be some kind of ignorance in my ordinary mind from seeing that intelligence when getting hurt.
Rinpoche: Well, there”s not really agreement there that neurotic emotions are wisdom. What happens is that if adverse circumstances and conditions come along, the neurotic emotions arise and you are under their power, you completely go over to those emotions, have no control or freedom yourself. For instance, anger arises all of a sudden, very quickly, and without even thinking one acts upon it and almost always the actions are harmful, painful, mistaken, or wrong, causing more problems. Negative circumstances cause you to act in a way that is bad or wrong, then we don”t say that it has intelligence or wisdom - we don”t call that wise. The problem is not recognizing what is going on and therefore having no control over the situation. So, we don”t really say that neurotic emotions have wisdom.
Student: No, but when examined, there is some kind of intelligence there.
Translator: Can you give an example
Student: Yes, like a mother getting angry with her child when it plays with fire on the gas stove. Her first reaction is to be angry, but behind that the wisdom is there.
Rinpoche: Actually, we wouldn”t call that anger or hatred. I mean, it appears as anger, but the real thing behind it is love, kindness, and affection for the child, to protect the child. In that case, yes, there is a lot of wisdom in that action, but it”s not anger.
Student: With access to skilful means, I am sure the mother would like to learn to say that or be with the child without having to go to the extreme emotion
Rinpoche: If it were the destructive emotion of anger or hatred, then the mother would be happy if the child burned in the fire and then she wouldn”t get angry.
Student: It seems that the antidote for reactive anger of defensiveness is patience. If so, what is a good way to cope with it
Translator: The best antidote for anger
Student: Yes, patience and how to cope with it
Rinpoche: There are quite a few instructions on the antidotes for anger. In this book, Shantideva gives exclusively one antidote, which is conscientiousness, by saying, "Pay attention and be careful." But there are many other antidotes given for different situations. There is one of developing remorse about one”s anger, the antidote of remorse, in which case you think, "This is bad. I shouldn”t be angry. Anger is bad," and so forth. Then there is the antidote, in which case you extend or delay an angry reaction. Usually our anger and reaction are instantaneous, but you can kind of put space into that so that it doesn”t take place. Then there is shamata meditatio…
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