12. Understanding Anger

Vuttañhetaṁ bhagavatā vuttamarahatāti me sutaṁ:

“Kodhaṁ, bhikkhave, anabhijānaṁ aparijānaṁ tattha cittaṁ avirājayaṁ appajahaṁ abhabbo dukkhakkhayāya.

Kodhañca kho, bhikkhave, abhijānaṁ parijānaṁ tattha cittaṁ virājayaṁ pajahaṁ bhabbo dukkhakkhayāyā”ti.

Etamatthaṁ bhagavā avoca.

Tatthetaṁ iti vuccati:

“Yena kodhena kuddhāse,

sattā gacchanti duggatiṁ;

Taṁ kodhaṁ sammadaññāya,

pajahanti vipassino;

Pahāya na punāyanti,

imaṁ lokaṁ kudācanan”ti.

Ayampi attho vutto bhagavatā, iti me sutanti.

Dutiyaṁ.

This was said by the Lord…

“Bhikkhus, one who has not directly known and fully understood anger, who has not detached his mind from it and abandoned it, is incapable of destroying suffering. But one who has directly known and fully understood anger, and who has detached his mind from it and abandoned it, is capable of destroying suffering.”

Humankind is possessed by anger,
Bound by anger and delighted with being;
Not fully understanding anger,
They come again to renewal of being.

But those who have abandoned anger,
And who by destroying anger are freed,
Have conquered the bondage of anger
And overcome all suffering.