In short: the Buddha saw anger as harming the angry person first (AN 7.64). His advice: don't accept an insult offered to you, "defeat anger with kindness" (Dhammapada 223), and let go of resentment with love, compassion, equanimity, disregarding the person, or reflecting that they are the owner and heir of their own deeds (AN 5.161).
Anger is the topic the Buddha returned to more than almost any other. Here are his teachings on anger and resentment, from the early texts, with practical ways to use them.
Start here
- How to Handle Anger: The Buddha's Advice in His Own Words
How to handle anger the Buddhist way, in the Buddha's own words: the story of the insult he did not accept, 'defeat anger with kindness', an… - How to Let Go of Resentment: The Buddha's Five Ways (AN 5.161)
The Buddha's five ways to get rid of resentment toward anyone (AN 5.161): love, compassion, equanimity, disregarding them, and remembering t… - What Anger Does to You: Seven Things an Enemy Wishes (AN 7.64)
The Buddha's list of seven things an enemy wishes on you, and how anger grants them all (AN 7.64): ugliness, bad sleep, loss, poverty, disre…
In the Buddha's words
- The Simile of the Saw (MN 21) in Pāli and English: Patience Without Limits
The complete Simile of the Saw (Kakacūpama Sutta, MN 21) in Pāli and English: the story of Vedehikā, the five ways people may speak to you, … - Dhammapada Chapter 17: Anger (Kodhavagga) in Pāli and English
Dhammapada chapter 17, Anger (Kodhavagga), verses 221 to 234, in Pāli and English, translated by Bhikkhu Sujato. Checking anger like a runaw… - The Kalama Sutta: The Buddha on How to Know What to Trust
The Kalama Sutta in plain English: the Buddha's ten things not to rely on, the test of knowing for yourself, what the sutta is often misquot…
Practices
- Metta Meditation: Phrases, a 5-Minute Script and the Original Words
A simple metta (loving-kindness) meditation: the classic phrases, a 5-minute script you can follow today, and the original words from the Bu… - The Four Brahmavihāras: Love, Compassion, Joy and Equanimity
The four Brahmavihāras, or immeasurables, in plain English: mettā, karuṇā, muditā and upekkhā, the Buddha's own words on spreading them, the… - The 11 Benefits of Loving-Kindness, in the Buddha's Words
The eleven benefits of loving-kindness (mettā) the Buddha listed in the early texts, from sleeping at ease to a clear, bright face, what the…
Related: patience in Buddhism, "the ultimate fervor".
Try it
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