Anger: An Emotion With Emptiness of Self- Nature
Phổ Nguyệt, 2007
I. Psychological Side.
Emotion is a logical compassion. When we attain or fail to attain a goal, words like joy, anger, delight, and depression enter the picture. We express to feel an emotion such as anger. On the physiological side, emotional expression of anger can prompt a number of changes. There is no doubt that prominent learned aspects are present in many emotional responses. In most cases, emotion and bodily change occur at the same time. Emotion and physical changes are intertwined. In recent years many people have experimented with this connection by studying the effects of yoga and transcendental meditation.
In reality, “from feeling as a requisite condition comes emotion,” and feeling or emotion, or anger, is unreal or no eternal. Everything arises from conditions and not being spontaneous and self-contained has no separate and independent nature. Everything in this world is derived from the Causation (theory of causation). So emotion or anger has an emptiness of self- nature.
Instructional training to control
Behavior therapy is the application of learning the theories and other experimentally derived psychological principles to the task of changing problem behavior: anger. Though the goal is still insight into people’ unconscious motivation – and their consequence – today’s psychoanalytically oriented therapists generally take a more active role than traditional psychoanalysts and concentrate on present relationships as well as on past circumstanceThree therapies needed to treat the anger include:
1. Cognitive therapy. Some forms of behavior therapy take this emphasis on cognitions even further. They are based on the assumption that the way people interpret events around them, perceive themselves, and judge their own abilities is central to their mental health. If people are having problems in living. Proponents of this view hold, it is because they are caught in an insidious web of negative, self-defeated thoughts. It is believed that such thoughts are learned, just as maladaptive behavior are learned. Treatments that try to change these negative thought patterns are called cognitive behavior therapies and are becoming increasingly popular.
2. Rational-emotive therapy (RET). Perhaps the oldest such treatment is rational- emotive therapy developed by Albert Ellis (1962.). Ellis argues
that thousands of people lead unhappy lives` because of irrational beliefs that color their interpretation of events. Thus it is not failure itself that is psychologically damaging but failure screened through the traditional belief that one must excel at everything. Likewise, it is not rejection by itself that causes depression but rejection filtered through irrational belief that one must be loved by everyone. Ellis’s strategy is to make people aware of the irrationality of many of their views and to replace these old problem-provoking outlooks with more realistic ones. Similar in approach is Aaron Beck’s cognitive therapy. Like Ellis, Beck holds that emotional problems are caused primarily by irrational thoughts. In analyzing the roots of depression, for instance. Beck argues that this disorder arises from three types of negative thoughts: (1) persistent self-devaluation, (2) negative interpretations of events, and (3) a pessimistic outlook on the future (Beck, Rush, Show, and Emery, 1979). When people interpret trivial setbacks as substantial, read disparagement into innocuous comments by others, and criticize themselves harshly for things they cannot possibly control, they are very probably on the road to a major depression, according to Beck. To change such cognitions, Beck uses a Socratic approach; that is, he questions patients in such a way that they themselves discover the irrationality of their thinking.
3.Self-instructional training therapy. Donald Meichenbaum (1977) also takes a cognitive approach to psychotherapy called self-instructional training. Meichenbaum thoroughly instructs his clients on how to think rational and positive thoughts in stressful situations instead of plunging into the old self-defeating patterns. For instance, a student who always becomes highly anxious when taking exams is very apt to think like this. Self-instructional training can be applied to a variety of situations, including job interviews, achievement setting, and social events. The approach has been particularly effective in training people to manage their anger. People have used in practicing control over their anger with some statements as preparing for a provocation, impact and confrontation, coping with arousal and subsequent refection (conflict unresolved and conflict resolved. The self-instructional approach has gained adherents in recent years as research supporting it has accumulated (Meichenbaum and Jaemko, 1983)
II. Buddhist Side.
According to the Sangiti Sutta in the Long Discourses of the Buddha, there are five aggregates—Five Skandhas—the aggregates that make up a human being. The five skandhas are the roots of all ignorance. They keep sentient beings from realizing their always-existing Buddha-Nature. The five aggregates are considered as maras or demons fighting against the Buddha-nature of men. In accordance with the Dharma, life is comprised of five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental formation, consciousness). Matter plus the four mental factors classified below as feeling, perception, mental formation and consciousness combined together from life. The real nature of these five aggregates is explained in the Teaching of the Buddha as follows: “Matter is equated to a heap of foam, feeling is like a bubble, perception is described as a mirage, mental formations are like a banana tree and consciousness is just an illusion:
Specially, in the aggregate of feeling or sensation there are three kinds pleasant, unpleasant and indifferent. When an object is experienced, that experience takes on one of these emotional tones, either of pleasure, of displeasure or of indifference. (BDVETP)
In Maha-Nidana (The Great Causes Discourse), the Blessed One, living among the Kurus, said to Ven. Ananda:
“It’s amazing, lord, it’s astounding, how deep this dependent co-arising is, and how deep its appearance, and yet to me it seems as clear as clear can be”
“From feeling as a requisite condition comes craving.’ Thus it has be en said. And this is the way to understand how from feeling as a requisite condition comes craving. If there were no feeling at all, in any way, of anything anywhere – i.e., feeling born of contact at the eye, feeling born of contact at the ear, feeling born of contact at the nose, feeling born of contact at the tongue, feeling born of contact at the body, or feeling born of contact at the intellect - in the utter absence of feeling, from the cessation of feeling, would craving be discerned”
Feeling
"'Feeling, feeling': Thus is it said. To what extent, friend, is it said to be 'feeling'?"
"'It feels, it feels': Thus, friend, it is said to be 'feeling.' And what does it feel?
-It feels pleasure.
-It feels pain.
-It feels neither pleasure nor pain.
'It feels, it feels': Thus it is said to be 'feeling.'"
The anger is felt as the emotion, and the anger that is only a consciousness is needed to be discerned or cognized immediately without time.
The eye of discernment
Emotion can be known with the purified intellect-consciousness divorced from the feeling. “With the purified intellect-consciousness divorced from the five faculties the dimension of the infinitude of space can be known [as] 'infinite space.' The dimension of the infinitude of consciousness can be known [as] 'infinite consciousness.' The dimension of nothingness can be known [as] 'There is nothing. We can know emotion that can be known with the eye of discernment. Because the discernment is a direct knowledge, a full comprehension, its purpose is abandoning.”
Anger is also discerned like that.
Right view
"Friend, how many conditions are there for the arising of right view?"
"Friend, there are two conditions for the arising of right view: the voice of another and appropriate attention. These are the two conditions for the arising of right view."
"And assisted by how many factors does right view have awareness-release as its fruit & reward, and discernment-release as its fruit & reward?"
"Assisted by five factors, right view has awareness-release as its fruit & reward, and discernment-release as its fruit & reward. There is the case where right view is assisted by virtue, assisted by learning, assisted by discussion, assisted by tranquility, assisted by insight. Assisted by these five factors, right view has awareness-release as its fruit & reward, and discernment-release as its fruit & reward."
When we have anger with others, we may benefit by analyzing our emotion in light of the criteria listed below:
Complaints. Frequency count of negative comments about how we feel and how we’re being eliminated;
Cynical comments. Frequency count of critical comments about others’ motives, ideas, and behavior;
Defensive responses. Frequency count of times we responded to others’ criticism by depending our own behavior and/or launching a counter-attack on the other person; or
Conflict unresolved. Forget about the aggravation. Thinking about it only makes you upset. Try to shake it off. Don’t let it interfere with your job. Remember relaxation. It’s a lot better than anger. Don’t take it personally. It’s probably not so serious; etc…
Because of the eye of discernment, the right view can be open. Assisted by five factors: virtue, learning, discussion, tranquility, and insight, right view that has awareness-release as its fruit & reward can eliminate the anger and makes it empty. So anger has an Emptiness of Self-nature
III. Vitality-fabrications
"Friend, are vitality-fabrications the same thing as feeling-states? Or are vitality-fabrications one thing, and feeling-states another?"
"Vitality-fabrications are not the same thing as feeling-states, friend. If vitality-fabrications were the same thing as feeling-states, the emergence of a monk from the attainment of the cessation of feeling & perception would not be discerned. It's because vitality-fabrications are one thing and feeling-states another that the emergence of a monk from the attainment of the cessation of perception & feeling is discerned."
Vitality-fabrications are methods to practice how to eliminate the anger. When we feel anger, that is, we fail to attain the goal like irrational beliefs (sense), and we perceive the defeat interpretation called anger, we then feel anger. It is a mental consciousness. So, following the above Buddhist teachings, we realize to be in full command of our emotion, as below:
Realization.
When anger comes, that is, when we feel anger, we discern that anger or we cognize the anger and separate it immediately. To remind this sense (feeling: motivation as unhappiness, pain, etc…), we perceive (emotion: anger), that is, it means perception or mental consciousness. When we perceive anger with a present ksana (a shortest period of time), we have a pure perception or a real consciousness. Then I cognize the pure perception, or I have a pure cognition (without space-time). That is why the true Mind is no time and the pure cognition is no space-time. The conception about these kinds of cognition and mind is used to distinguish between the right heart (correct mind) and misunderstanding heart (wrong mind).
Self-instructed practice
When I feel anger, I cognize immediately anger without time or I discern it and separate it.
And more, I use the method to change such cognition.
For instance, if I was free of anger, do I think that others might be interested in me – knowing that I was available?
I discern “I might be free of anger.” I discern “I think that others might be interested in me. I discern “I know that I was available.”
I discern “the anger is unreal or non-existent, suffering, and empty.”
Or practice the dharma as follows:
What is anger?
The anger is an emotion or feeling when I fail attaining what I want, I like, or I satisfy.
I discern what anger is. I discern that the anger is an emotion or feeling when I fail attaining what I want, I like, or I satisfy.
How is the anger?
When I display pleasure on finding a goal, I show anger in very characteristic ways. Mild forms of resentment are shown by turning away my head, pouting the lips or frowning…
I discern that when I display pleasure on finding a goal, I show anger in very characteristic ways. Mild forms of resentment are shown by turning away our head, pouting the lips or frowning…
When does the anger occur?
The anger is manifested clearly by evidence that biological factors play a significant role in emotional expression.
I discern that the anger is showed clearly by evidence that biological factors play a significant role in emotional expression.
Why have we anger?
When I have anger, I meet senseless words, irrational beliefs (thoughts, ideas, behavior of others or even of mine…) that color my interpretation of events.
I discern why I have anger?
I discern that when I have anger, I meet senseless words, irrational beliefs (thoughts, ideas, behavior of others or even of mine…) that color my interpretation of events.
I need to eliminate the anger by discerning to change such cognition.
I discern that I need to eliminate the anger by discerning to change such cognition.
I discern that I break off relations with such anger
In sum, when we feel anger, we discern anger and separate it. When analyzing it as irrational thinking, we cognize immediately that our thoughts are irrational. Always we have the clarity of awareness in four forms of behavior within the empty emotion: no unhappiness, no pain, or no suffering, but tranquility, without perturbation. We discern that we break with the anger.
IV. Conclusion
According to Camille B. Wortman and Elizabeth F. Loftus, the automatic nervous system regulates the body’s internal environment and usually functions without conscious control. It is composed of two divisions, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic, both of which connect to almost every muscle of the internal organs and also every gland. The two divisions have broadly opposite effects. In general, the sympathetic division dominates during emergencies or stress and promotes energy expenditure. It encourages the increased blood sugar, heart rate, and blood pressure needed for sustained physical activity, and at the same time it inhibits digestion. The parasympathetic division, in contrast, dominates during relaxation and promotes energy conversation. It works to decrease heart rate and blood flow to the skeletal muscles, while also promoting digestion. Not surprisingly, most of the physiological changes associated with strong emotion, such as intense anger and fear, are caused by activation of the sympathetic division.
“Meditation is bringing forth our inner potential or inner home, the happiness is like that, it's not based on experience, it's based on being free of experience so that no matter what's happening we don't get overwhelmed by it. The freedom is not getting overwhelmed by what happens but not having to go into a cocoon and die while you're still alive”(Michelle Mc Donald)
Through the above approach to treat anger, the usual cognition is used to the common mind. In contrast, the basic method that the Buddha taught using the discernment about anger is the most effective and perfect with the pure cognition to the true mind.
References.
Buddhhist- Dictionary -Vietnamese- English (BDVE). Thien Phuc, retreived at Quang Duc website: http://www.quangduc.com
Emotions - Working with Anger. Michelle Mc Donald. Retreived at Quang Duc website.
Mahavedalla Sutta.(Majjhima Nikaya). The Greater Set of Questions-and-Answers Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Retrieved at Dieu Phap website: http://www.dieuphap.com
.Maha- Nidana (The Great Causes Discourse) translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Retrieved at Dieu Phap website.
Psychology.Camille B. Wortman and Elizabeth F. Loftus. Published by A Knopf, Inc. Copyright 1988, 1985, 1981.
Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy. Ellis, A.Secaucus, NJ: Lyle Stuart, [16]
Stress Reduction and Prevention.Meichenbaum, D. H., and Jaemko. M. I., (Edds), (1983). New York: Plenum. [16]