Thursday, December 10, 7-9 pm. Sitting and Dharma Discus with Diane Wilde, SIM Community Mentor
Anger… it’s not what you think!

It’s the holiday season! Anger? Not allowed now! Yet anger creeps into our lives uninvited, disguised in a variety of forms. There are a wide range of behaviors that signal anger, yet we don’t usually consider ourselves “angry” because traditionally anger is defined as an explosion of violent behavior, verbally or physically. Yet this is only the extreme form on a continuum of emotional manifestations which the Buddha defined as “ill-will.” One of the most difficult aspects of anger or ill-will is when it is self-directed, and may be experienced as disappointment, guilt, jealously as well as a variety of other emotions. This time of year often brings these feelings to a head when we are convinced that everyone has it all together, and we don’t. The Buddha defined ill-will as one of three states of mind that keeps us in samsara, or a state of unease. He also teaches that this painful emotion can be seen for what it really is, and with patience, can be experienced with insight and ultimately released.