Let Us Control Our Own Emotions
December 19th 2007 08:16
Qingqing Lin
[PureInsight.org] In your living circle, when you are hurt, criticized or humiliated by other people's words, how do you react? Do you lose your temper and curse back angrily or swallow your anger and force it back inside? After that, do you become angrier while thinking about it more and have your mood adversely affected? For an ordinary person, it is very difficult to control his emotions well under this kind of situation. However, as a well-cultivated person, one will be able to face the tribulation with a calm heart and behave with great composure in the face of crisis.
There is a story that goes like this: One day, when Buddha was passing by a village, some people who went out to meet with him talked to him in a very impolite manner, and some even spit out dirty words. The Buddha stood there listening quietly, and then he said: "Thank you for you coming to see me. I have to get on the road because people in the next village are waiting for me. But when I come back tomorrow, I will have more time. If you have more things to say to me, please come again.
Those people couldn't believe what they heard with their ears and what they saw with their eyes. What happened to this person? One of them asked the Buddha: "Did you actually hear our words? We talked about you as if you were nothing, yet you didn't have any reaction!"
The Buddha answered: "If what you want is my reaction, then, you came too late. You should have come to see me ten years ago. I would have reacted back then. However, during the past ten years, I have become free from control by other people. I am no longer a slave and I am the master of myself. I do things based on myself, not reacting according to others."
I have heard another story: One person always buys his newspaper from a particular newspaper stand. Although the newspaper seller has a constant cold and unfriendly face, this person always politely says "thank you" to him. One day, his colleague saw the situation and asked him: "Dose he always look like that when he's selling things?"
"Yes."
"Why do you then still treat him so politely?"
The person answered: "Why do I have to let him make the decision about what my actions will be?"
It's so true! Why do we have to let other people's actions and words make decisions about our feelings? We cannot stop other people's manner in dealing with us, but we can control our own emotions and not let them be influenced by others. Of course, it requires a process of xinxing cultivation to achieve this. Let us start from changing our inner state and let our own emotions be governed by ourselves.
Translated from:Chinese
[PureInsight.org] In your living circle, when you are hurt, criticized or humiliated by other people's words, how do you react? Do you lose your temper and curse back angrily or swallow your anger and force it back inside? After that, do you become angrier while thinking about it more and have your mood adversely affected? For an ordinary person, it is very difficult to control his emotions well under this kind of situation. However, as a well-cultivated person, one will be able to face the tribulation with a calm heart and behave with great composure in the face of crisis.
There is a story that goes like this: One day, when Buddha was passing by a village, some people who went out to meet with him talked to him in a very impolite manner, and some even spit out dirty words. The Buddha stood there listening quietly, and then he said: "Thank you for you coming to see me. I have to get on the road because people in the next village are waiting for me. But when I come back tomorrow, I will have more time. If you have more things to say to me, please come again.
Those people couldn't believe what they heard with their ears and what they saw with their eyes. What happened to this person? One of them asked the Buddha: "Did you actually hear our words? We talked about you as if you were nothing, yet you didn't have any reaction!"
The Buddha answered: "If what you want is my reaction, then, you came too late. You should have come to see me ten years ago. I would have reacted back then. However, during the past ten years, I have become free from control by other people. I am no longer a slave and I am the master of myself. I do things based on myself, not reacting according to others."
I have heard another story: One person always buys his newspaper from a particular newspaper stand. Although the newspaper seller has a constant cold and unfriendly face, this person always politely says "thank you" to him. One day, his colleague saw the situation and asked him: "Dose he always look like that when he's selling things?"
"Yes."
"Why do you then still treat him so politely?"
The person answered: "Why do I have to let him make the decision about what my actions will be?"
It's so true! Why do we have to let other people's actions and words make decisions about our feelings? We cannot stop other people's manner in dealing with us, but we can control our own emotions and not let them be influenced by others. Of course, it requires a process of xinxing cultivation to achieve this. Let us start from changing our inner state and let our own emotions be governed by ourselves.
Translated from:Chinese
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