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Working with Anger
A Tibetan Buddhist nun ¡°offers her insights on anger, the ways that it manifests in our lives, and the ways that we can skillfully work to transform it¡± in this ¡°inspiring and humble¡± guidebook (Sharon Salzberg, New York Times ¨Cbestselling author)
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Anger plagues all of us on a personal, national, and international level. Yet we see people, such as the?Dalai?Lama, who have faced circumstances far worse than many of us have faced¡ªincluding exile, persecution, and the loss of many loved ones¡ªbut who do not burn with rage or seek revenge. How do they do it?
Working with Anger presents a variety of Buddhist methods for subduing and preventing anger not by changing what is happening, but by framing it differently. No matter what our religion, learning to work with our anger is effective for everyone seeking personal happiness as well as world peace.
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¡° . . . a kind and genuinely helpful guide to handling one of the greatest challenges in living an emotionally intelligent life.¡±
¡ªDaniel Goleman, author Emotional Intelligence
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Anger plagues all of us on a personal, national, and international level. Yet we see people, such as the?Dalai?Lama, who have faced circumstances far worse than many of us have faced¡ªincluding exile, persecution, and the loss of many loved ones¡ªbut who do not burn with rage or seek revenge. How do they do it?
Working with Anger presents a variety of Buddhist methods for subduing and preventing anger not by changing what is happening, but by framing it differently. No matter what our religion, learning to work with our anger is effective for everyone seeking personal happiness as well as world peace.
?
¡° . . . a kind and genuinely helpful guide to handling one of the greatest challenges in living an emotionally intelligent life.¡±
¡ªDaniel Goleman, author Emotional Intelligence
176 pages, Paperback
First published September 17, 2001
49 people are currently reading
298 people want to read
About the author
Thubten Chodron
89?books157?followersBorn in 1950, Venerable Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron (Ch: ˆDµ¤.…s»´) grew up near Los Angeles. She graduated with a B.A. in History from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1971. After travelling through Europe, North Africa and Asia for one and a half years, she received a teaching credential and went to the University of Southern California to do post-graduate work in Education while working as a teacher in the Los Angeles City School System.
In 1975, she attended a meditation course given by Ven. Lama Yeshe and Ven. Zopa Rinpoche, and subsequently went to their monastery in Nepal to continue to study and practice Buddha's teachings. In 1977, she received the sramanerika (novice) ordination, and in 1986, received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan.
She studied and practiced Buddhism of the Tibetan tradition for many years in India and Nepal under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche, Zopa Rinpoche and other Tibetan masters for many years. She directed the spiritual program at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute in Italy for nearly two years, studied three years at Dorje Pamo Monastery in France, and was resident teacher at Amitabha Buddhist Center in Singapore. For ten years she was resident teacher at Dharma Friendship Founation in Seattle, where she continues to be spiritual advisor.
Ven. Chodron was a co-organizer of Life as a Western Buddhist Nun, and took part in the conferences of Western Buddhist teachers with H.H. the Dalai Lama in 1993 and 1994. She was present during the Jewish delegation's visit to Dharamsala, India, in 1990, which was the basis for Rodger Kamenetz' The Jew in the Lotus, and attended the Second Gethsemani Encounter in 2002. She is keen on interreligious dialogue. She has also been present at several of the Mind-Life Conferences in which H. H. the Dalai Lama dialogues with Western scientists.
Ven. Chodron travels worldwide to teach the Dharma: North America, Latin America, Israel, Singapore, Malaysia, and former communist countries.. Seeing the importance and necessity of a monastery for Westerners training in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, she founded Sravasti Abbey and is currently involved in developing it.
Ven. Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha¡¯s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well-known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings.
In 1975, she attended a meditation course given by Ven. Lama Yeshe and Ven. Zopa Rinpoche, and subsequently went to their monastery in Nepal to continue to study and practice Buddha's teachings. In 1977, she received the sramanerika (novice) ordination, and in 1986, received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan.
She studied and practiced Buddhism of the Tibetan tradition for many years in India and Nepal under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche, Zopa Rinpoche and other Tibetan masters for many years. She directed the spiritual program at Lama Tzong Khapa Institute in Italy for nearly two years, studied three years at Dorje Pamo Monastery in France, and was resident teacher at Amitabha Buddhist Center in Singapore. For ten years she was resident teacher at Dharma Friendship Founation in Seattle, where she continues to be spiritual advisor.
Ven. Chodron was a co-organizer of Life as a Western Buddhist Nun, and took part in the conferences of Western Buddhist teachers with H.H. the Dalai Lama in 1993 and 1994. She was present during the Jewish delegation's visit to Dharamsala, India, in 1990, which was the basis for Rodger Kamenetz' The Jew in the Lotus, and attended the Second Gethsemani Encounter in 2002. She is keen on interreligious dialogue. She has also been present at several of the Mind-Life Conferences in which H. H. the Dalai Lama dialogues with Western scientists.
Ven. Chodron travels worldwide to teach the Dharma: North America, Latin America, Israel, Singapore, Malaysia, and former communist countries.. Seeing the importance and necessity of a monastery for Westerners training in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, she founded Sravasti Abbey and is currently involved in developing it.
Ven. Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha¡¯s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well-known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 14, 2012
This was one of those books where I felt the central message probably could have been summarised in a reasonably short article. In my view, it became repetitive and unfocused and I couldn't finish it. But the main point that stuck with me, which is valuable, is that anger is characterised by misdirected attention. i.e, we sustain the anger by keeping the mind on the perceived wrong or injustice - with the emphasis on "perceived". Then our world becomes narrower and the anger becomes more dominant and consuming. To practice redirecting attention to whatever is occuring in the present moment is to attenuate and weaken the grip of the anger.
January 31, 2012
Ahh... here is the paragraph from the preface that sold me100% on this book, I can't wait to finish this:
"When our minds are joyful and free from anger and resentment, we work and share with others to the advantage of all, while when we are miserable and angry, we sabotage others' good work as well as our own. This is very clear when we think about it: No one wakes up in the morning and says, 'I feel so happy today. I think I'll go out and hurt someone!' We only harm others when we are tormented by anger. Being the interdependent creatures that we are, our destructive behavior triggers the same in others. Thus, the way to stop the cycle of suffering depends on each of us working with our own anger in constructive ways and cultivating our compassionate heart that wishes others well."
"When our minds are joyful and free from anger and resentment, we work and share with others to the advantage of all, while when we are miserable and angry, we sabotage others' good work as well as our own. This is very clear when we think about it: No one wakes up in the morning and says, 'I feel so happy today. I think I'll go out and hurt someone!' We only harm others when we are tormented by anger. Being the interdependent creatures that we are, our destructive behavior triggers the same in others. Thus, the way to stop the cycle of suffering depends on each of us working with our own anger in constructive ways and cultivating our compassionate heart that wishes others well."
November 26, 2017
Ok I'm jaded with this book because it really doesn't help me at all for my personal situation. This book was meant to help people who have extremely mild cases of anger in their lives. This book is DEFINITELY NOT for someone who deals with anger as an attachment or biproduct of mental illness. This book also focuses on Buddhist teachings relating to anger management which can be either good or bad depending on where you stand there. All things considered, it's an easy book to read and follow. Would recommend this to anyone dealing with MILD anger issues.
April 21, 2017
I am very impressed by the quality of this work. Chodron writes clearly and concisely throughout the entire piece. The book's focus is on how to approach, understand, and work with anger - our own and others'. As someone who has a long fuse but a violent temper when it is finally triggered, I had been wanting to find a practical guide to help me and those who are close to me. This book is precisely what I was searching for. I will most likely read it again, because although it was an easy read, it was thought-provoking and will certainly yield more insights with another run-through. I would highly suggest this to anyone, regardless of their temperament. I feel like I probably wouldn't have taken this book seriously until high school or college, but would have definitely benefited at those times of my life from the wisdom it has to offer. Once again - very impressed.
January 21, 2013
I've had this book on my shelves for quite a while. It was on my reading list, but not a high priority as I felt I had the anger thing in check. That particular Mara came up from behind recently and bit me in the hind quarters in its sneaky way. I then attended a meditation retreat in which the Aghatapativinaya Sutta was discussed. This title was suggested after an interesting discussion of the topic, some clear synchronicity. At any rate, that was today and it was a quick read. The writing style is simple and inviting. The book offers practical advice tackling those persistent habits of mind, a few more useful tools to apply in one's spiritual practice.
June 1, 2019
Maybe a 1.5 stars in actuality.
I do not feel this book was helpful for a non-Buddhist. While I appreciate some Buddhists philosophies, I do not believe in all of their teachings, so a book on dealing with anger that brings in things such as rebirths just didn't speak to me. If you are a Buddhist, I could see how this book would be helpful for you trying to deal with anger.
I do not feel this book was helpful for a non-Buddhist. While I appreciate some Buddhists philosophies, I do not believe in all of their teachings, so a book on dealing with anger that brings in things such as rebirths just didn't speak to me. If you are a Buddhist, I could see how this book would be helpful for you trying to deal with anger.
December 27, 2007
The most life-changing Buddhist book I've ever read.
May 10, 2012
A very practical book to help conquer the Anger demon.
Practical methods are suggested and the writing is clear.
Practical methods are suggested and the writing is clear.
March 2, 2022
"Working with Anger" presents a variety of alternatives for preventing and minimizing anger. These techniques are based on the Buddhist philosophy of non-self and the non-existence of a separate personality. The author states that very often our anger is characterized by misdirected attention and faulty perception which causes an inaccurate assessment of reality. The author further states that anger hinders communication and steals our equanimity. For this reason, we should make all efforts in controlling our anger and other negative emotions.
July 30, 2022
When reading the first few pages of this book, I thought the book shared similar contents with the book 'Curbing Anger Spreading Love' by Bhikkhu Visuddacara which deals with the same subject, yet the book differed on its approach and the author writes some of her personal encounters as well.
Certain parts of this book is written using the female pronoun which could be a new experience for those who are unfamiliar with it.
It is a small book with 35 pages that discusses about the destructive effects of anger through a buddhist perspective and how they could be overturned.
Certain parts of this book is written using the female pronoun which could be a new experience for those who are unfamiliar with it.
It is a small book with 35 pages that discusses about the destructive effects of anger through a buddhist perspective and how they could be overturned.
January 3, 2025
3.5/5 ¡ª some useful advice, but sometimes it was irritating¡although that may have been my mood. Considering how much I took away from it, I feel like it could have been condensed. At the same time, there were certain types of situations I wish the book provided more detail on how to work with.
March 3, 2025
While this book was informative, I have read other books written in the Buddhist belief and this work does not seem to provide me with any new material. I like the way the author explains his point, but I didn't feel that I had learned anything new.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2020
Anger
I really liked the direct way this was explained, how to help us deal with anger. There is a lot to learn here, but this book is just the beginning.
I really liked the direct way this was explained, how to help us deal with anger. There is a lot to learn here, but this book is just the beginning.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
December 24, 2020For a book about anger, this is remarkably bland. Nothing wrong with it. Just doesn't spark my interest or curiosity.
May 17, 2021
I read this book a long time ago. I'd better read it again, although righteous indignation and trauma are central to my anger... or fury.
January 1, 2022
Very powerful. We all have anger, it's an emotion and this book is really well written.
June 17, 2024
amazing
Truly practical advice. Very relatable and good for everyday life. Suitable for all ages. Now time for me to practise.
Truly practical advice. Very relatable and good for everyday life. Suitable for all ages. Now time for me to practise.
September 5, 2010
This book provides techniques from Western Buddhism to deal with anger in many of its forms. The author's tone in the book is more direct than that of Tara Brach, but gentler than that of Pema Chodron.
Want to read
January 2, 2013Seems like a good time to finally start reading this all the way through. Anger, resentment, hurt feelings, feeling of betrayal, and all those other pointless negative emotions are a waste my time and I need to learn to rise above.
November 30, 2014
A short book with short chapters full of deep concepts. This is one of those books that needs to be reread in order for the reader to benefit from it's wisdom and advice.
March 29, 2014
To be read
July 7, 2014
Ok. I am not a Buddhist, or perhaps I would like it better.
Read
September 9, 2014i like to read this boook. because this is nice book.
Read
January 30, 20155 of 5!
December 1, 2016
Excellent book. I highly recommend it no matter your religious or non religious beliefs. Any being at any age at anytime will benefit from this books wisdom.
January 1, 2011
Great book. Describes many ways to let go of anger, and instead build compassion and forgiveness.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
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