Have you ever felt trapped inside the scorching heat of your own anger?

In Buddhism, there are three fundamental roots of human suffering, known as Greed, Anger, and Ignorance.

▪️Greed (The feeling of never having enough)
▪️Anger (resistance, hostility)
▪️Ignorance (not seeing things as they truly are)

Among these, Anger is perhaps the most destructive. We often treat anger as if it’s an external force attacking us・・・precisely because it is so difficult to let go of.

Anger is like a massive campfire.

The flames are dancing, bright red and intimidating. Can you grab those flames with your hands?

Of course not. Why?
Because fire itself has no substance. It is a reaction.

The Source: Who Owns the “Firewood”?
If the flame has no substance, what keeps it burning?

The answer is simple: firewood. Without wood, a fire cannot exist.

We often blame others for “starting a fire” in our minds. We think, “I am angry because of what they said” or “I am furious because of how they acted.” But the truth is more profound: The firewood belongs to you.

In this metaphor, the “firewood” represents your internal standards of “rightness.” It is the rigid yardstick you use to judge the world.

“People should act this way.”
“This is the correct way to speak.”
“That is unfair.”

When someone’s behavior clashes with your internal yardstick, you throw a piece of firewood onto the pit. Without your judgment of “Rightness,” the fire of anger has no fuel to burn.

Why do we find it so hard to stop judging? It’s because anger offers a hidden, sugary reward.

When we condemn or criticize others, we get a fleeting hit of ego-satisfaction. By deciding someone else is “wrong,” we reinforce the belief that we are “right.” This sense of moral superiority is addictive. We stay angry because, on some subconscious level, it feels good to be the judge.

But this is a trap.

Humans cannot truly judge one another.

To find true peace, we must realize that judging others is an illusion. We are all interconnected, yet we often hide behind the “majority opinion” (the “everyone else is doing it” mentality) to justify our personal biases.

—We seek validation through shared beliefs.
“If everyone crosses on a red light, it doesn’t feel scary.”

Even when something is clearly dangerous, if many people agree, we mistake consensus for truth.

“In a world marked by chaos, without these ways of seeing, we are drawn into the whirlpool of division, living with restless and unsettled minds.”

As we’ve seen, anger itself has no substance.
Its cause is the firewood.
And that firewood lives inside you, not in others.

So let’s work with that.

Practical Steps: Mastering Metacognition
So, how do we stop the burn? Forget complex rituals; the most effective tool is Metacognition — the act of thinking about your own thinking.

Write it down.
・Specific situations.
・Specific triggers.

Write down exactly when you feel anger rising. What specific “standard of rightness” was violated?

Write this down as well.

That standard was formed through lived experience as a way to protect yourself.
Rooted in early relationships with your parents and reinforced by the demands of society, it became a fortress you built for survival.

Simply realizing:
“I am angry right now.”

This awareness alone dramatically reduces mental rumination and emotional escalation.

When anger arises, your mind may want to say:
“They are wrong！”
“They shouldn’t have done that！”

You can enjoy that “I’m right” cake later.
For now, pause.
First, recognize the anger.
Then gently ask:
・Why am I angry?
・What am I protecting as “right”?

Place inside your mind a calm, observing self:
a version of you that can watch without reacting.
Let that observer look at the angry you.

“Someone said this！”
“Someone treated me that way！”

Put those stories aside for a moment.
Turn inward.
・Why am I reacting?
・What belief is being challenged?

Simply remembering this can bring a profound shift to your life.

The moment you feel that “fizzing” sensation of annoyance, stop. Instead of focusing on the person who “offended” you, turn your gaze inward.

・Observe: “Oh, I am feeling anger right now.”
・Analyze: “What is the thought causing this?”

Think of it as placing a “Calm Observer” inside your mind. This observer doesn’t judge; they simply watch the fire. When you observe anger objectively, you start no more feeding it firewood.

Breathing practices work because they bring awareness to something we usually do unconsciously.

Actually in my lessons, breathing is not just inhaling and exhaling.
Even while seated, we engage the body fully and breathe with intention.

As awareness deepens:
・The senses become sharper
・Bodily sensations become clearer
・Awareness naturally returns to the present moment

Over time, this sensitivity carries into daily life.
You begin to notice:
・What you are thinking
・What you are feeling
・When your mind starts looping

Not forcefully —
but naturally.

And before you realize it,
mental rumination decreases.

Anger doesn’t disappear because you fight it.
It dissolves because you see it clearly.

Thank you for reading.
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