2 March 2003: Managing Emotions

The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast Archives

The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast Script 266
Sunday 2 March 2003

Glossary:

nascent: in the act of being born. In the act or condition of coming into existence; beginning to form, grow, develop, etc.

emotion: agitation of mind; strong mental feeling; any of the natural instinctive affections of the mind (e.g. love, horror, pity) which come and go according to one’s personality, experiences, and bodily state; a mental feeling. Also, mental feeling as distinguished from knowledge and from will.

Today's Script is entitled: Managing Emotions

A half-day symposium entitled “The management of emotions in Buddhism” was held at Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, on 22 February 2003.

In today’s Buddhist Hour broadcast we would like to include some recollections of the symposium by some of our Members who attended. We apologize for errors in understanding that may have arisen.

We have placed the text of this radio script online at our website www.bdcublessings.net.au.

The keynote address at the symposium was given by the Venerable Mahinda, spiritual director of the Australian Buddhist Mission, based at the Aloka Meditation Centre in New South Wales.

The Venerable Mahinda began his talk by guiding participants in metta meditation to send loving-kindness to all sentient beings. The Venerable included some lines from the Mangala Sutta and the Diffusion of Metta mantra:

Be free from anger,
free from enmity,
free from suffering,
free from worries and anxieties.

Dwell in calmness,
beyond the confines of this room,
radiating your loving kindness to the whole universe,
as far as you can reach,
that all beings far and near,
seen or unseen,
be free from harm,
may they dwell in peace and harmony.

Cherish the thought that ‘all beings be well and happy’.

In his student years, in his wish to learn about the mind, Venerable Mahinda decided to study psychology in New Zealand. He said he understood little more from the lessons than that they were playing with mice.

Venerable Mahinda then studied the Buddhist Pali texts where he learnt about emotions and the mind.

He said that the text talked about feelings but did not use the word ‘emotions’. He then figured that emotions are feelings plus “a little bit more”. You train the mind into discipline to manage the feelings and emotions.

Venerable Mahinda said that there is no exact Pali word to describe emotions. The Pali word vedana means feeling and can be glossed to translate as emotion.

All the components of this world have the pre-disposition to change. Be aware of your direction. Clearly understand what you are doing – have clear comprehension.

Mindfulness controls emotions. Bare attention may not be wise attention. For example, if you rob a bank, this is wrong attention, arousing negative emotions.

Be mindful of body, speech and mind, and the Dhamma. Know your body when you breathe in, when you breathe out, contemplate on the four elements; if you have unpleasant feelings, just be aware; in the interval between thoughts you see clearly and understand. As you continue in your meditation the interval between thoughts increases.

When Venerable Mahinda was handed the robes he realised that he was in a position to manage emotions.

The Venerable shared a story of a practitioner who could not eat his food because he disliked it. He stopped and contemplated on the food and asked himself: “What is this food for”? He realised that it did not matter if he liked or disliked the food. He then understood that the food was eaten as sustenance for the body. He then felt gratitude for the meal and was able to eat it.

The Venerable explained how he conquered anger:

I remember when I was young I wanted things that I could not get.

My mother took me to my grandfather who gave me a Malaysian dollar.

My grandfather said, “Patience is the mother of all virtues”.

My grandmother said to me, “Don’t get angry like that”.

So I became aware of my anger at a young age.

I prayed to the deities to help me overcome my anger.

It did not work very much.

I was told to count to 100 when angry. This worked while I was counting but when I arrived at number 100 I became angry again. Some Chinese persons say that if you press your tongue against the inside of your top row of teeth it will make the anger go away. I tried this too. It did not work very well for me.

Then I met a teacher who taught loving kindness, (metta) to bring attention within.

Tell yourself to be well and happy. Say, ‘May I be free from anger, enmity, hatred and free from grudges.’

More and more I realised this helps. Anger still came, then I started to seek the various ways until one day I took to serious meditation. I was taught to get in the deeper levels of concentration and how the activities of mind and body are related.

The practice of metta helps to reduce negative emotions such as anger. But it will not eradicate all negative emotions.

We give value to the feeling. This is how craving arises, desire arises; this leads to attachment, leads to aversion.

The three unwholesome roots of all thoughts are dosa (hate), lobha (greed) and moha (delusion). The antidotes to these unwholesom roots are the three wholesome roots, adosa, alobha and amoha. For example, an antidote for hatred can be loving kindness. An antidote for greed can be generosity, and an antidote for delusion is the development of wisdom.

When you realise this a transformation takes place. You observe your mind, notice that thoughts are impermanent. In the intervals between thoughts experience that silence. That silence will eventually knock off the habitual tendency of the mind to proliferate clouded thoughts.

You train and discipline your mind, you see and understand but you do not create other thoughts in your mind.

In the moment of calmness, quietness of mind, you will begin to understand causes and effects.

When we see causes and effects, it will lead to seeing the phenomena of rising and falling. Then we can see impermanence.

Do good, purify the mind, practise generosity, loving kindness, have wisdom.

"Anger is the weapon to murder your highest rebirths."

There are several methodologies to stop negative minds. For example, when you have fear, you can chant Buddhist mantras to manage.

If you are in doubt, recite the qualities and attributes of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.

You can chant, ‘Buddho’, or ‘om mani padme hum’, or whatever Buddhist mantra you prefer.

If you cultivate altruistic joy, then you will have the volition to solve problems for others.

The key to the management of emotions is mindfulness.

Right mindfulness is correct attention.

Do not cling, have no aversion - just have right attention, be aware.

One of our Members asked the Venerable a question about equanimity.

In reply Venerable Mahinda explained that:

With equanimity you understand causes and effects.

Equanimity is born out of wisdom.

At our Chan Academy we are studying the Abhidhamma for nine years. At present we are studying Tatramajjhattata. Tatramajjhattata can be translated as equanimity.

Equanimity is of ten kinds: Six-factored equanimity, equanimity as divine abiding, equanimity as an enlightenment factor, equanimity of energy, equanimity about formations, equanimity as a feeling, equanimity about insight, equanimity as specific neutrality, equanimity of jhana, and equanimity of purification.

Six-factored equanimity is a name for the equanimity in one whose cankers are destroyed. It is the mode of non-abandonment of the natural state of purity when desirable or undesirable objects of the six-kinds come into focus in the six doors described thus: ‘Here a bhikkhu whose cankers are destroyed is neither glad nor sad on seeing a visible object with the eye: he dwells in equanimity, mindful and fully aware’ (Anguttara Nikaya iii, 279).

Equanimity as divine abiding is a name for equanimity consisting in the mode of neutrality towards beings described thus: ‘He dwells intent upon one quarter with his heart endued with equanimity’ (Digha Nikaya, i. 251).

Equanimity as an enlightenment factor is a name for equanimity consisting in the mode of neutrality in conascent states described thus: ‘He develops the equanimity enlightenment factor depending on relinquishment (Majjhima Nikaya i, II).

Equanimity of energy is the name for the equanimity otherwise known as neither over-strenuous nor over-lax energy described thus: ‘From time to time he brings to mind the sign of equanimity’ (Anguttara Nikaya i, 257).

Equanimity about formations is a name for equanimity consisting in neutrality about apprehending reflexion and composure regarding the hindrances, etc., described thus: ‘How many kinds of equanimity about formations arise through concentration? How many kinds of equanimity arise through insight? Eight kinds of equanimity about formations arise through concentration. Ten kinds of equanimity about formations arise through insight’ (Patisambhidamagga i, 64).

Equanimity as a feeling is a name for the equanimity known as neither-pain-nor-pleasure described thus: ‘On the occasion on which a sense-sphere profitable consciousness has arisen accompanied by equanimity (Dhammasangani 156).

Equanimity about insight is a name for equanimity consisting in neutrality about investigation described thus: ‘What exists, what has become, that he abandons, and he obtains equanimity’.

Equanimity as specific neutrality is a name for equanimity consisting in the equal efficiency of conascent states: it is contained among the ‘or-whatever’ states beginning with zeal (Ch. XIV, 133; Atthasalini 132).

Equanimity of jhana is a name for equanimity producing impartiality towards even the highest bliss described thus: ‘He dwells in equanimity’ (Vibhanga 245).

Purifying equanimity is a name for equanimity purified of all opposition, and so consisting in uninterestedness in stilling opposition described thus: ‘The fourth jhana, which...has mindfulness purified by equanimity’ (Vibhanga 245).

All ten types of equanimity are one in meaning, that is, equanimity as specific neutrality. Their difference, however, is one of position, like the difference in a single being as a boy, a youth, an adult, a general, a king, and so on.

There is equanimity on a worldly level where there is profit and loss, praise and blame, happiness and sorrow, honour and dishonour.

See the reality of life how things are impermanent. If you can understand all those, you will have equanimity.

Do not be duped. There is great confusion in person’s minds about equanimity. All have something they call equanimity to something. But this may just be an uncaring, callous nature.

“He did not know his doggy died but when he heard about it how he cried.”

Perhaps you do not care if your pets die. But most persons get upset at such an event. Being upset is not equanimity!

At the symposium, “The management of emotions in Buddhism” a person in the audience asked how to understand war. The Venerable responded that everything has causes and effects, and when you can see this, you can understand why there is war.

The Buddha’s families on the mother’s side and his father’s side were having a war over the water supply. The Buddha came and asked a soldier from one side, “Why are you fighting?” He said, “I do not know, someone told me to come.” He asked a man from the same side of the family the same question. He said, “We need the water for our survival.” He asked someone from the other family, “Why are you fighting?” He said, “We need water for our survival.” The Buddha said: “But if you all die who is going to drink this water?”

The enlightened mind just sees clearly.

Eight winds refer to the connectivity or otherwise of our chakra systems. The “winds” flow as air element through nadis, which look like small tubes of wind, or small peristaltic worms.

When we have anger, we want to react to escape the unpleasant feelings. We must stop the flow of the winds. When anger is large, the body goes into spasms. When we have afflictions, this is greed. We must stop our afflictions.

When emotions are present, there is activity in the chakras or the joining tubes (nadis).

Buddha Dhamma scholar David Templeman mentioned that there are six causes for emotions in the Mahayana tradition: attachment, anger, pride, ignorance, wrong views and doubt.

David Templeman said, “Emotions come from the mind and they are fierce, they are not something that quietens the mind.”

Professor Padmasiri de Silva talked about ‘A Buddhist approach to emotional intelligence’:

We have to suspend the normal positive/negative duality.

If anger arises: first accept that it is there, then refine your vision so that you do not react.

Without refinement, you must react, like it or not like it.

Do not throw away negative emotions such as anger and fear. They are your teachers. You can gain insight within the field of the emotions as they will pass away.

Equanimity is the balance between compassion and smpathetic joy.

There are techniques in Buddhism to deal with emotions. They are written in the Suttas.

When you have correct attention you can convert anger to the object of meditation and it becomes a source of insight.

Emotions are pleasurable, painful, or neutral.

The practice of mindfulness is the Buddhist way.

The world was not built by persons who have equanimity. Great art is not created by artists who have equanimity. New scientific theories are not discovered by persons who have equanimity.

Persons with equanimity are very good at living in their environment within their means, rather than changing their environment to display greed and an inquisitive nature.

There are one or two pieces of Buddhist Chan art that have been painted by Masters and their property is to give all viewers a sense of intensive peace when they view them, regardless of gender or race.

Medical Oncologist Mark Shackleton spoke on “Emotions in health and sickness”.

The Buddha said, “Health is the greatest Wealth”.

The audience were very interested in the focus of Mark’s talk: “How does your mental health affect your physical well being?”

We wish to thank the Monash Asia Institute and the Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology for the symposium.

The book, “Buddhism, ethics and society”, written by Professor Padmasiri de Silva, 2002, Monash University Press, Victoria, Australia, is available at the Monash Asia Institute and Monash University bookshops for $25.

Thank you for your attention.

May you come to have equanimity.

May you be well and happy.

The authors and editors of this script are:
John D. Hughes DipAppChem TTTC GDAIE, Leanne Eames BA MA, Evelin Halls DipFLC, Amber Svensson and Pennie White BA DipEd.

Readability Statistics

Counts
Words: 2354
Characters: 11876
Paragraphs: 109
Sentences: 158

Averages
Sentences per paragraph: 1.6
Words per Sentence: 14.2
Characters per word: 4.8

Readability Statistics
Passive Sentences: 8%
Flesch Reading Ease score: 52
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score: 9.4

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