WEBVTT 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (bell) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (bell) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (bell) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Dear Respected Thay, dear Respected Elders, dear brothers and sisters, dear community, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Good morning 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Today is October 12th, 2017. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We're in the Great Meditation Hall 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 at Magnolia Grove Monastery 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 on the third day of the Magnolia Grove 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 US Tour Retreat entitled 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Peace in Oneself, Peace in the World 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Can everyone hear okay? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Okay. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I hope everyone has had a chance 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to settle in 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 become acclimated to the changing climate 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's usually nice to be at the monastery 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for at least 3 to 4 days 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because it takes time for the body 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and the mind to really shift gears 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 from the speed and the pace outside 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and sometimes if we don't allow 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 our body and mind to settle 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we continue to run in the monastery 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So I hope you've taken conscientious step 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to slow down and enjoy 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the slower pace here 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the nothing-to-doness here 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the brothers and sisters are taking care 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of everything. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 so that we can have this space 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to really stop and look more deeply. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Yesterday we were very fortunate 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to bathe in very beautiful bath of Dharma 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 by Sister Chan Duc. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And in her talk 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we learn about pleasant, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 neutral, and mixed feelings. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I'm very aware right now 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that in this big hall 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 there's not a single mosquito 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 biting me right now. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (audience laugh) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and that neutral feeling 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is actually a very pleasant feeling. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We can touch the practices of mindfulness 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in very concrete ways, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in moment to moment 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of our daily life. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If we look with 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the eyes of a practitioner 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 there's always a chance for us 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to explore our mind 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 explore the minds of others, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 come to a deeper understanding. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So today... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I'd like to go further into 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the practice of peace 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We learnt yesterday that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 peace comes from above all, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 from awareness of our pleasant feelings, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 awareness of our neutral feelings, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and just from that awareness 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 grows the nourishment. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Happiness can grow from 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 just being aware. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We also know that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we are not just made of, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we don't just experience 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 pleasant and neutral feelings. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We are a whole spectrum. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We also have quite unpleasant feelings 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 sometimes. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Uhm. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And the practice of peace, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 being peace within oneself 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is not just to be with 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 our pleasant and neutral feelings 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but learning how to engage with 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 relate to 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and transform those 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 unpleasant feelings as well. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So the practice of peace 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is the spirit of peace 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 which we relate to those 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 icky mosquitoes 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 those pesky conversations, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 those irritations. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And it plays out in 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the social sphere. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We are very aware that what we do here 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is not just for our small, insular selves, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 not even just for our family, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but it has a great impact out in society. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Our capacity to 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 take care of those uncomfortable things 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that come our way 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 gives us strength to face 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 confront and help to transform 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 engage in 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 those things that are much larger 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 much more troublesome 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 out there in society. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So peaceful confrontation is actually 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 an actuality, a possibility, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 if we put our energy of practice into it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 A number of years ago on a 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it was one of our US tours 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We made [inaudible] to our neighbours 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 up North in Canada. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I remember a particular incident that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 always stay with me. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's about peaceful confrontation. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 A number of us were on an afternoon 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We had a kind of a lazy day 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when we weren't engaged in a Dharma 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a retreat. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So we were taking a walk out on town. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And it was number of brothers and sisters 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 together. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And there was a gentleman 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who was starting to follow 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 follow us. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And he was engaging in speech 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that was a little bit of a... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 inquisitive, not necessarily negative, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but a little bit provocative. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And he started to follow. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And in particular, he started to... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 tried to engage the sisters 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in the group. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This went on for maybe, probably 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 half a block or a block. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And because the sisters weren't reacting 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We were trying our best not to react 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to this kind of provocation. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It started escalating. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It was touching something in him 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 so he started getting a little pushy 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a little aggressive. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And one of our brothers 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in the group 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When he realised what was happening, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 very quickly, but very kindly, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the energy was confrontatory but 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 peaceful, not angry at all. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 He turned to the man 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and, "Woo woo," 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "We're just trying 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to have a peaceful walk here. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I'm sure you can understand." 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The brothers and sisters 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 continued to walk 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and he engaged 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the gentleman in that conversation 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of who we are, what we are about, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 why we are wearing brown. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I'm sure in his heart 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 he has intentions, good intention 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to know what in the world 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is going on with all these brown 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and bald-headed people. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But the way that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 he was engaging with us, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it was quite uncomfortable. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And so 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That image of that brother 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 taking that action 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 very peacefully 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 stayed with me. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And for me it's an example of 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 how, if we are from 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a place of peace, of clarity 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we can engage in action that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 has a positive effect, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that doesn't escalate the matter. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And it's a way forward for both 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that gentleman and for us. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So this is 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Today's talk is dedicated to 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 one of our favourite strong emotions. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Out of fear, despair and anger, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I decided to focus on anger today. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So we know that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 working on anger is not just management. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We hear that a lot sometimes, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 anger management. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I want to emphasize that, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 working with, understanding our anger, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is peace work. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Peace work is anger work. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Anger work is peace work. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And it's important that we engage 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in this mud, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because we as human beings 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we should give ourselves permission 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to be fully human, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 fallable, we make mistakes. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We dig (?) into negative afflictions. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And to acknowledge that, first of all, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is a practice of loving kindness 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 for ourselves and all of humanity. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When we can begin to acknowledge 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that there is that seed of anger in us 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 then that's the start of being 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 able to be in peace 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with those parts of ourselves 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that are uncomfortable. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So how many of us here 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 has anger issues? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Okay. That's kind of a hard term. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So how about, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 how many of us have challenges 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with anger sometimes? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Okay, a little bit more people. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 How many of us 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who know someone 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 who has issues with anger? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (audience laugh) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Okay. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So honestly most of us should be 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 raising our hands at that point 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because as we learn from 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Buddhist psychology 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we all have all of these seeds 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 positve and negative, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 wholesome or unwholesome. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And it's just a matter of fact, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 reality to say 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Yes, I have anger in me. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Yes, my loved one has anger in them. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And yes sometimes I water that anger 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in them quite a lot. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So this is a loving approach 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to this seed. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So we acknowledge it 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in order to become more whole 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 first of all. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We also need to work on 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 our anger as a practice 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because if we leave 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 this particular seed untended 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it can have quite harmful effects. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We already can see that, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 out in society, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 out in our relationship when we 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 have arguments, conflicts, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and they fester, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We don't take care of our anger. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We don't acknowledge 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the other person's anger. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We see it in the political sphere. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So we know that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 anger is a force to be reckoned with. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And as an emotion, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in Buddhism, we know its rightful place 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in our life. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Maybe it's taking up quite a lot of space 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in our heart and mind right now. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But the teachings point to a drawer 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that we can actually 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we can accurately put the emotion in. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It is an emotion, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 our teacher would say. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It is just an emotion. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's not to negate its power 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but to help us to begin to have a 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 working loving relationship with anger. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So for me I respect anger greatly. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 First of all because 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I can see how harmful it can be in me. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It wreaks havocs in my peace of mind. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Sometimes when I'm bit by anger, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it takes quite a long time 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to come back to a place of stillness 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and clarify, loving kindness. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And I see it in my relationship 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with others. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 When I touch someone with anger, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 you know you have to deal with 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the karma of that. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So who wants that right? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So it's something we respect 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because it has a power to effect 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 very negatively the environment. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But also we respect our emotions, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we respect other people's emotions 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because it is a gateway 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 into understanding ourselves more deeply. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 What is at the heart of what we value, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what we hold dear, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what we're afraid of. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Anger is that gate that allows us 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to see ourselves, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 sometimes quite suddenly, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 more clearly. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So today I'd like to invite us 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to gather the strength 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to look deeply at our own anger. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Make it a personal thing. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This is your anger, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or your beloved one's anger. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Actually probably it's your anger 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but if it's easier, let's just say, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 your beloved one's anger. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 (audience laugh) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Make it personal. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And we take strength to look into this 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because we are being nourished everyday 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 at this retreat with Dharma, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 with awareness of 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the positive and neutral. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So we already have a foundation 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 from which to take some strength 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to now, shine the light 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in our darker corner, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 deeper corner. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And secondly, we take courage from 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 our aspiration to do well by the world 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to do well by others. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We take courage from the fact that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 everywhere in every corner 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of this monastery 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we have safe spaces 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in our Dharma sharing circles 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to engage in this acknowledgement 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of who we are as whole human beings, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the anger, the joy, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the hope, the fear. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We're opening ourselves up 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to who we are 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to be fully human. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Okay, so anger is front and centre. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So we're gonna put anger up 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 on the pedestal to kind of 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a clump of clay (?) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and look at it. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I think most of us know 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what anger feels like. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So there's a couple of approaches 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that I'd like to take. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 First of all, we will get into 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 how it feels like in our mind and body 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but first of all, from a more 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 objective space. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Take a step back and look at it, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 kind of from a personal academic's way. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Anger is what? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Anger is a kind of feeling 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 unpleasant feeling first of all. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And anger is an intense displeasure 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 pointed towards, against 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 something that causes us something. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Some big questions right? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So let me just write a few 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of these phrases down. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Intense displeasure 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 aimed towards 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 so it's not sitting there but it's 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 coming out of you. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's radiating out, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 aimed at that thing or that person 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or that situation that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we perceive is hurting us, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 harming us, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 offending us, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 annoying us. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Okay. So it's an intense displeasure 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 radiating out, aimed against 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 something that is causing us 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 some kind of blockage. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 The question before is, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when we look deeply, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what is it blocking? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We'll get back to that later. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 What is it challenging 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that causes us to kind of 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 swarmed up like a bee's nest. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Okay. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So I... I don't know if anyone 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 ever has a callus 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 either on your food, your hand, right. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We know that in the body 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the body has a way of dealing with pain, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 sensitivities. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 For example, you get a splinter in 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 finger or your... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Or I play the guitar so I... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when I play, the nerves underneath 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 are quite sensitive. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And over time, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a callus kind of is created above that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that sensitivity, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or that splinter, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or that corn in your foot. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Underneath that hard part, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 there is an area of sensitivity. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And I'd like to invite us to 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 reflect on anger 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 as this combination of 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 hardness, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or harshness, that callus. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And that underlying sensitivity, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what lies underneath? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Again, that's the question. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We can see anger as a kind of habit energy 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 of reacting. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And it's a reaction because 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we are trying to regain 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 or restore something that we have lost. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Sometimes anger comes 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 from a place of fear, right? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I remember a friend of mine 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in college. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 She almost overdosed. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 At that time I didn't know that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 she was trying to block out pain. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I thought that she was trying 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to commit suicide. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And I didn't understand why. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So when I heard that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 she had almost overdosed and I... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 What it touched in me was 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that strong fear, that strong anger, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 strong fear followed by anger. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And I confronted her with that question, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "How could you do that?" 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 "What were you thinking?" 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And I learnt after that 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that she wasn't trying to 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 harm or hurt herself. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 She was just trying to block out 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 the pain with the pills. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And that was the only way she knew how. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 But in that situation, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 both she and I touched 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 desparation and fear. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And mine turned into anger. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And hers turned into trying to escape. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 There's a relationship between 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 fear and anger sometimes. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 If any of us are parents... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 How many of us here are parents? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Yeah. Do you ever get angry 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 at your children 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 because they've done something 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that scared the beeheegeebee (?) 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 out of you? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Right. That fear quickly can 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 turn into anger. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So this is a reaction that we need 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to look at carefully, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 to get at the roots of. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So fear is one side, one kind of push, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 and anger, one kind of sensitivity. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This sensitivity here 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what is underneath is 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 a fear. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Fear something that... 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 It's feeling afraid 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 something in us that was secure 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 was no longer secure. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So underneath this harshness, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 this prickliness of our anger 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 is also a sense of sense, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what we call it manas, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what we define as who we are, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what belongs to us, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 I, me, mine. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 And when that is threatened, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that can also give rise to anger, right? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 How dare you cut in front of me 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 when I'm driving? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 This lane belongs to me (laugh), right? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Road rage is a very strange phenomenon 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 but when you look at it 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in the light of a sense of self, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 it becomes a little bit 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 more understandable. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 How dare you take away from me? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That belongs to me. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 How dare you challenge my view, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 my view? 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 So it all has something to do with 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 our sense of self, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 our pride, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 what we feel entitled to. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 Never mind about we actually are 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 entitled to it or not. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 That's not the question. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 As Dharma practitioner, 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 we focus on the facileness of our mind 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 in relationship to what is it 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 that is there. 99:59:59.999 --> 99:59:59.999 We talk about right action later okay? 25:30