Han Shan on Anger, Forbearance

On the surface, the Tao is impractical, illogical

Anger is a fire in the mind
it can burn up a feast of merit
if you travel the bodhisattva path
forbearance keeps anger away.
- Han Shan, aka Cold Mountain.

In his Yichiaoching (Testament Sutra) the Buddha says, “An angry mind is worse than a raging fire. Guard against it always, and don’t let it get started. Nothing robs you of merit more than anger.” Merit refers to the wonderful effects of selfless acts in freeing beings from delusion and suffering. A bodhisattva is one who works for the enlightenment and liberation of others. Forbearance is one of the six virtues cultivated by the bodhisattva. The others are charity, morality, devotion, meditation and wisdom. In the last line, some editions have chen (true) in place of chen (anger), in which case the line would read: “forbearance protects the true mind.”
- Red Pine from The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain

. . . . .

Heron Dance reflection:

Anger, self-righteous indignation
Fighting injustice, opposing dishonesty
Illusions of separateness
You don’t cure stupidity by beating it up
I know this, and yet sometimes . . .

Sometimes when pushed, I push back
Sometimes I fight knowing it’s not worth it
Knowing I can’t win, knowing it is pointless
Self-destructive even.
Still, still I resist.

At times like that, I need to go to the river
And let the wild water wash me clean
Empty my mind of this rage, this struggle
And relax into peace.

And even old Han Shan, Cold Mountain
Born to privilege and exiled
(Or perhaps he left in disgust to live in the mountains)
Even old Han Shan’s poems sometimes offer bitterness
At the established order of things.

. . .

The liquidation sale of Heron Dance Art was a tremendous success. Thank you! There are still a few prints left (3 for $100 and 10 for $200). There are also still a few originals left. See the selection here.

And my new book, Surviving Cancer, is now available in both print and e-book/Kindle formats. An Audible edition will be available in the next few days.

Learn more here.