A man went to ask for advice for a Buddhist monk. ‘I was born angry’, he confessed. ‘They say being angry only makes things worse. And, actually, as I lose y temper, I feel terrible and I am sorry for hurting other people´s feeling, but then it is too late. What can I do to get rid of my anger?’ 

The monk smiled, nicely. ‘Very well, you were surely born with something very interesting’, he said. ‘To correct that, however, you have to take an exam. Is that thing there with you?’ 

‘Well, no’, said the man. ‘There is no reason why I should be angry now, so I cannot show it to you.’ 

‘That is odd’, said the monk. ‘You just told me you were born with it, so it shall be somewhere inside your person. Do not be ashamed, go ahead, take it out and show it to me.’ 

‘No’, the man said again, ‘it is not here.’

‘So, where is it?’, replied the monk.

‘Speaking like that, I do not know what to say. At this exact moment, it is nowhere.’ 

‘Of course not. Nobody is born angry. Anger is something that exists continuously. The next time you start to lose your temper, ask yourself where does such anger wave come from. The answer is that you feed it yourself. Saying that you were born with it, as if it was not your fault, is avoid responsibility.’ 

(Short story from the book ‘A flower path’, by Kentestu Takamori)

Patience is bearing the unbearable It does not happen naturally and effortless. It shall be grown daily, in every moment It is a matter of attitude and strong will. 

Better than losing your temper is expressing gratitude. 

Everyone considers him/herself as the most diligent person. Whoever thinks like that becomes furious, as he/she is incapable of seeing reality and reflecting. ‘I also make mistakes and flaws, and thus, I need to acknowledge the effort and help I receive form people.’

If we think like this, we shall feel gratitude and be capable of saying with all honesty, humility and simplicity: ‘THANK YOU’.

Let us practice! Read other texts on human values that we can grow daily on ITIMAN website.