A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough. Bruce Lee
A Zen story tells of a student who came to his master for help in ridding himself of his violent temper. The teacher asked the young man to show him his temper because it sounded very fascinating to him.
“But I don’t have it right now,” the student replied.
“Well then,” the teacher mused, “bring it to me when you do.”
“But I can’t bring it just when I happen to have it,” the student responded. “Anyway, by the time I got it to you, I’d surely lose it again.”
The master gently placed his arm on the student’s shoulder. “In such a case it seems to me that this temper is not part of your true nature. If it is not part of you, it must come into you from outside.” The master took another moment to think. “What I suggest . . is that whenever it gets into you, beat yourself with a stick until the temper can’t stand it another second and runs away.”
Do you allow yourself to be possessed by emotions to the point of losing who you are by behaving or saying things you wouldn’t typically say? You are the guardian of your consciousness and the gatekeeper to the influence of your own behavior. Don’t give that power away to something outside of you.
Spiritual Contemplation: What takes over you that isn’t part of your true nature? The next time it arrives, you might want to try a master teacher’s direction, and see how long it takes to beat it out of yourself before you fall on the floor in laughter.
Affirmation: My true nature shines through all the ways of my world.
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