A Question from Evenings with Aaron, June 4, 2022
Evenings with Aaron is in its 36th year.

Transcript:

You don’t want to suppress anything. Nor do you want to enact it.

There’s a middle ground where you know that rage has arisen. You feel separate from the rage. The desire to enact it because it’s powerful. Or the desire to suppress it. We become aware of those moments. And with practice. You become much more at ease with holding space for any emotion. Recognizing because of the conditions, this emotion has a risk. Because of my deep intention to do no harm I choose not to enact this emotion on other people.

I will simply sit and hold space and breathe with it. Until it dissolves, because since it’s arisen from conditions and your kindness and patience. Help it to dissolve, eventually, it will dissolve. But if you say no, no rage, it’s just more rage. That contracted energy helps keep a fire burning under the rage The more you are able to hold compassion for yourself. Knowing out of these conditions, strong anger. Or fear. Or need. Judging mind.

This has arisen. I am human and so these continue to arise, but I will hold space for them until they dissolve. And then I will not feel the impulse to enact upon this. It’s important to remain aware that saying no to somebody who has been hurtful to you is not an expression of anger, but of kindness and love.

So, my suggestion here does not mean that you let other people run over you and harm you. But you ask yourself, who and what is saying no in this moment? If it’s fear if it’s anger, rage, maybe I need to just sit and breathe and be present with that emotion for a bit until it’s not so powerful. Until I can find right there with the rage, loving kindness, and compassion, then allow the compassion to say no. You may not beat me. You may not hate me. You may not hit me, no, but it is said with kindness.

There is a beautiful line from the Dharma. Hatred never resolves hatred, only love resolves hatred. This is the truth. So, we find the place of compassion in the self, right there with the rage. By being compassionate to the self, not judging the person. You’ll find that the anger does dissolve.
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Barbara Brodsky is the founder and guiding teacher of Deep Spring Center for Meditation and Spiritual Inquiry. She is a trance channel for Aaron. Deep Spring Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit. Please consider making a donation to continue supporting the work of Deep Spring Center at DeepSpring.org. © Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.