Dear Friends,

Anger is an interesting topic to reflect on. It’s something that arises naturally in us in response to seeing or feeling pain. It may arise when we want to protect something precious, such as ourselves or innocent people. There are ways to practice cooling the dangerous flames of anger, without suppressing it entirely, that can leave us with valuable embers of energy pointing us toward greater love.

Both the Buddha and Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) taught about anger and how to work with it. In an interview with the author bell hooks, Thay said:

“To be angry, that is very human. And to learn how to smile at your anger and make peace with your anger is very nice. That is the whole thing—the meaning of the practice, of the learning. By taking a look at your anger it can be transformed into the kind of energy that you need—understanding and compassion.”

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Dear Friends,

Our minds and hearts are exposed to so much suffering in these times. We see children being killed by bombs, young adults having mental health crises, and carjacking and cancer all over the TV and internet.

Our brains are wired for empathy, which is wonderful. Because we can feel the suffering of others, we have a better sense of how to act in order to reduce their pain. 

I’m not sure our brains were designed to receive the amount of suffering we receive each day. So many of us feel overwhelmed by all we see and hear. Our mirror neurons reflect the suffering we see out there and create suffering within us. 

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