Time Will Heal Our Wounds
July 10, 2008 by ScottyDoo
Filed under Master Teachings
I’ve been struggling with anger lately.
I’m trying to discover the various sources so that I can be present with it and accept it for what it is, in hope that I can either learn to let it go or learn to harness it’s power in a positive manner. This has not been an easy process however, and I’m not very far along in my journey.
My wife asks me why I have so much anger inside (that unfortunately comes out on the outside) and I don’t really have any answers, but I know they’re there. I feel that by not meeting my anger and pain face to face I am just creating more dukkha and only furthering myself from where I need to be, which is right here, right now.
I hope you enjoy this passage I read the other day as much as I did. I will post more as I continue my journey.
(Written by: Ven. K Sri Dhammananda)
Trouble passes. What has caused you to burst into tears will soon be forgotten. You may remember that you cried but not why you did so! As we grow up and go through life, we are often surprised at how we lie awake at night, brooding over something that has upset us during the day, or how we nurse resentment against someone by letting the same thoughts run through our minds concerning how to have our own back. We may fly into a rage at the spur of the moment over something,and later wonder what it was that we were so angry about, and be surprised to realize what a waste of time and energy it had all been. We have deliberately continued being unhappy when we could have stopped being so and started thinking about something else which is more wholesome.
Whatever our troubles are, and however aggrieved we may feel, time will heal our wounds, but surely there must be something we can do to prevent ourselves from being hurt in the first place. Why should we allow others or our troubles to drain away our energy and make us unhappy? The answer is that they do not. It is we who make ourselves unhappy.
You may have some trouble in your working place but you should not infect your home with a bad atmosphere. You should realize that there is an end to those problems. The solutions could be found in achieving freedom from our selfish desires, by eradicating all forms of confusion and ignorance.
Whenever we fail to find a solution to a problem, we are inclined to find a scapegoat, on whom we vent our frustration. We are not prepared to admit our own shortcomings. It is easier to put the blame on others. In fact, some even take pleasure in doing so. This is a completely wrong attitude to adopt. We must not show resentment towards others. We should do our utmost, painstakingly and calmly, to resolve our own problems. We must be prepared to face up to any difficulties that we encounter.
