Present Still

T he moment anger rises, we react almost automatically: we either suppress it or let it explode. Strangely enough, both paths end in deeper suffering.  Bottling it up leads to internal turmoil, often manifesting as "Hwa-byung" —a unique psychological condition caused by suppressed anger—while exploding destroys relationships. So, we constantly repeat the same question: "How on earth can I manage this anger?" Photo by the author Many people struggle to suppress or eliminate anger, but the teachings of the Buddha offer a different perspective.  Instead of trying to get rid of anger, he suggests simply noticing how this anger is currently arising. The moment you become aware of it, strangely, the anger begins to subside on its own without you having to force it down. The Real Reason We Get Angry (Why Anger Management is Hard) Venerable Wonbin compares anger to a "virus." Even if unintentional, it spreads to those around you if left unaddressed.  It leaves t...

Does this thought creep in when night falls? "What if I get sick later?"  "What if I run out of money in old age?"  "Where will I be in 10 years?" The problem is that these thoughts don't just stop at one. At some point, we fall into endless worry without even realizing that we are having these thoughts. So, how can we stop this anxiety about the future?  The True Identity of Anxiety is Not the 'Future' but Your 'Thoughts' What we fear is not actually the "future."  It is a single "thought" that has arisen in this very moment. Experiencing things that haven't even happened yet—that is the true identity of the anxiety we feel. The moment we understand this fact, we begin to see the clue to stopping anxiety. The first thing we must do to stop anxiety is to notice that we are currently lost in thought. The moment we notice , that thought loses its power .  And in its place, a very brief but clear "now"...

Even when you are still, thoughts continue to follow one after another like a chain. Anger or regret arises from past events, and worries about a future that hasn't arrived yet persist.  Your body is clearly resting, but your mind is moving incessantly like a battlefield. That is why many people often say, "I think I have too many thoughts," "Why do I have so many thoughts?" or "I wish I could live without thinking." Photo by the author But why don't thoughts stop as we wish? How can we escape from this hellish repetition? Most people believe that the "arising of thoughts" itself is the problem, but the real issue lies elsewhere. It is true that thoughts are painful, but the real problem is our "attention" that believes in the content of those thoughts and gets dragged away by them.  In fact, you don't need to put in even 1% of effort to eliminate thoughts.  This is because the core is not to control or stop thoughts, but t...