Five Ways of Subduing Anger

         “Whenever anger arises,” Venerable Sariputta said, “it must always be subdued, and there are five ways of doing so, depending on the type of person with whom one is angry.

“First, one might get angry with a person whose ways are impure in deed but pure in word. Suppose a bhikkhu, who wears only rag-robes, were to see a piece of cloth on the road. He would hold it down with his left foot, spread it out with his right, pick it up, make use of the best part of it, and go on his right, pick it up, make use of the best part of it, and go on his way. In the same way, with a person whose ways are impure in deed, but pure in word, one should ignore his impure deeds and concentrate on only his words which are pure. In this way, anger with that person should be subdued.

“Second, one might get angry with a person whose ways are impure in word but pure in deed. Suppose a person, tortured by heat, overcome by heat, weary, thirsty, and craving for water, where to come to a pond overgrown with mossy slime and water plants. He would plunge into that pond, scattering with both hands the moss and plants hither and thither, cup his hands, drink and go on his way. In the same way, with a person whose ways are impure in word but pure in deed, one should ignore his impure words and concentrate on only his deeds which are pure. In this way, anger with that person should be subdued.

“Third, one might get angry with a person whose ways are impure in both deed and word but who, from time to time, achieves mental clarity and mental calm. Suppose a person, tortured by heat, overcome by heat, weary, thirsty, and craving for water, were to come upon a puddle in a cow’s footprint. He might think, ‘If I drink from this puddle by hand or cup, I will stir it up and make it unfit to drink.’ Instead, he crouches on all fours, sips like a cow, and goes on his way. In the same way, with a person whose ways are impure in both deed and word but who, from time to time, obtains mental clarity and mental calm, one should ignore both his impure words and his impure deeds and concentrate on only the mental clarity and the mental calm, that he obtains from time to time. In this way, anger with that person should be subdued.

“Fourth, one might get angry with a person whose ways are impure in both deed and word and who never achieves mental clarity or mental calm. Suppose a person who was grievously ill were to go along the highway with no village anywhere nearby. If someone else where to see him, he might raise pity and compassion in that second person, who might say to himself, ‘Alas! That poor man needs proper food, proper medicine, proper assistance, or a guide to lead him to a village, lest he suffer even more or die here.’ In the same way, with a person whose ways are impure in both deed and word and who never obtains mental clarity or mental calm, pity and compassion should arise, so that one says to himself, ‘Alas! He should give up his bad habits and develop good habits, so that, one the breaking up of the body after death, he is not reborn in a miserable realm.’ In this way, anger with that person should be subdued.

“Finally, one might get angry with a person whose ways are pure in both deed and word and who often achieves mental clarity and mental calm. Suppose a person, tortured by heat, overcome by heat, weary, thirsty, and craving for water, were to come to a pool, clear, sweet, cool, and limpid, a lovely resting-place, shaded by all manner of trees. He might plunge into that pool, bathe, and drink. Then he would come out and sit or lie there in the shade of the trees. In the same way, with a person whose ways are pure in both deed and word and who often obtains mental clarity and mental calm, one should think about and remember his words which are pure, his deeds which are pure, and the mental calm and clarity which he often has. In this way, anger with that person should be subdued. When one becomes completely calm, the mind also becomes calm.

“There are the five ways of subduing anger, which should always be subdued.”

(Anguttara Nikaya 5, 162)