Cultivating a Good Temper Brings Good Fortune and a Blessed Life
Hu Shi once said, 'The most hateful thing in the world is a furious face; the most vulgar thing is to display a furious face to others, which is more painful than scolding and beating.'
Everyone has anger, venting it on one's interests and hobbies is elegant, while venting it on others is vulgar. Letting anger lead to reckless behavior will lead to mistakes, harm, and damage relationships.
In life, many things don't go as planned, and nine out of ten things are not ideal. When you feel like getting angry, try to squeeze in some sunshine; there's nothing worth jumping at the top of your voice. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not spent getting angry.
Wang Yangming said, 'A body without good or evil intention is moved by good and evil; knowing good and evil is conscience, and acting on good and evil is the process of studying objects.' All things coexist and exist together; heaven and earth have no inherent goodness or badness; there is no distinction of good or bad, it's only because of different inner thoughts that good and bad come into being. A student asked Wang Yangming, 'If there were no external objects in the world, such as flowers blooming and falling, and leaves changing in autumn, how would that relate to our inner selves?' Wang Yangming replied, 'When you look at the flower, the flower and your heart merge into stillness; when you look at the flower, the flower's color becomes clear. This shows that the flower is not outside of you.' If you believe in the beauty of the flowers, the world will also be fragrant and bright; if you don't believe in flowers, it won't be so rich. You are like the flower, and your life is like that too.'
The people and things that make us angry are simply our own attachments. The best attitude is to 'not be pleased with external things, and not be saddened by our own misfortunes.' We don't need to have attachments to external things; maintaining inner peace allows us to enjoy a beautiful life.
Even the most beautiful events will eventually fade, like flowers in spring; even the longest lives will eventually turn to dust. Besides, who can guarantee they'll live to be a hundred years old? The average lifespan is now around seventy or eighty years.
Life is short, and we're still struggling to find happiness; how can we waste it getting angry? Buddhism calls losing one's temper 'burning the merits of a temple,' and a single burst of anger can destroy all merit and fortune. When we encounter unfortunate things or unpleasant people, we should remind ourselves: 'Turn your heart towards the sun, and flowers will bloom.' Therefore, cultivating a good temperament brings good luck for a lifetime.
