Life-Giving, Illuminating Rage

06.05.2020 LIFE-GIVING, ILLUMINATING RAGE Smoking teargas canisters. Jagged teeth of broken windows. Fists in the air. Nights lit by car and structure fires. Police hiding behind riot gear harrying the communities they have sworn to protect and serve. Politicians jabbing fingers at cameras. This past week has been filled with anger. Sparked by the murder of George Floyd, thousands have spilled out into the streets to voice their rage — at the police, at the racist systems that hold people of color down, at a government they feel has mishandled the pandemic and has cost individuals their jobs and loved ones. There is a lot to be enraged about. “Rage is considered unenlightened,” says Buddhist teacher Zenju Earthlyn Manuel in “Awakening Fueled by Rage.” “But rage can also be life-giving, illuminating that which must be exposed before humanity can shift into a greater experience of interrelationship and love.” This Weekend Reader is all about anger. For many, the fiery emotion may seem antithetical to Buddhist teachings, but this is not quite the case. As shown by these three articles, rage and anger can be awakening agents, sources of wisdom, and feelings we can, as Thich Nhat Hanh instructs, transform into love. —Ross Nervig, audience engagement editor, LionsRoar.com

Awakening Fueled by Rage As a dharma teacher, says Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, she’s told she shouldn’t feel or express rage. She disagrees and reveals how rage can be “life-giving and illuminating” and help “fuel a transformation toward awakening.” For a dharma teacher, there is an unspoken rule not to feel or express rage. Rage is considered unenlightened. In our dharma communities, as in our day-to-day lives, we most often wear masks of politeness to conceal the rage we carry. Yet, to fully feel is to be fully human. If we can’t be honest about the human condition, then we can’t hear the cries of the earth or experience liberation. It’s true that rage, like fire—to which it is often compared—can be harmful, burning away everything in its path. But rage can also be life-giving, illuminating that which must be exposed before humanity can shift into a greater experience of interrelationship and love. I too feel rage, but rather than lash out from my pain and anguish, I’ve learned to use my rage to fuel a transformation toward awakening.

The Wisdom of Anger If you know how to use it, says Melvin McLeod, the energy of anger becomes fierce and compassionate wisdom. Because even the buddhas get angry about suffering and injustice. Anger is the power to say no. This is our natural reaction whenever we see someone suffer — we want to stop it. The buddhas say no to the three poisons that drive injustice. They are angry about our suffering and they will happily destroy its causes. They aren’t angry at us. They’re angry for us.

Transforming Anger into Love Thich Nhat Hanh offers advice on using mindfulness to take care of your anger, and ultimately transform it into love and understanding. Don’t be angry at your anger. Don’t try to chase it away or suppress it. Acknowledge that it has arisen and take care of it. When your stomach hurts, you don’t get angry at it. You take care of it. When a mother hears her baby crying, she puts down what she is doing, picks the baby up, and comforts her. Then she tries to understand why the baby is crying, whether it is because of some physical or emotional discomfort. Look deeply at your anger as you would at your own child. Do not reject it or hate it.

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