去忿棄慢 無貪無恚 除如是惡 慧能自悟 以忍降怒 以善降惡 以施降吝 以正降邪 忿怒如毒火 燒盡功德林 能忍柔和者 安樂如淸泉
qù fèn qì màn wú tān wú huì chú rú shì è huì néng zì wù yǐ rěn jiàng nù yǐ shàn jiàng è yǐ shī jiàng lìn yǐ zhèng jiàng xié fèn nù rú dú huǒ shāo jìn gōng dé lín néng rěn róu hé zhě ān lè rú qīng quán
Key Message
Anger is a poison-fire that burns down the entire forest of accumulated merit; patient endurance and gentleness, like a clear spring, is the practitioner's most powerful weapon.
▸The Kodhavagga (Chapter on Anger) teaches the destructive power of anger and the supreme value of patient endurance (khantī).
The Kodhavagga (Chapter on Anger) teaches the destructive power of anger and the supreme value of patient endurance (khantī). Abandon anger, let go of conceit; be free of greed and resentment — when such evils are removed, wisdom arises of itself. The fourfold formula for overcoming is given: conquer anger by patience, evil by goodness, stinginess by generosity, and falsehood by truth. Anger is like a fire laced with poison — it burns down the entire forest of merit that has been accumulated through virtuous practice. But the person who is patient and gentle is like a clear, cool spring: a perpetual source of happiness and refreshment.