My Dear Friend: You describe a plight that is truly profound for many people at this time. When one has so much anger, one is literally "in hell". What one must do, of course, is recognize that one is in hell, and find a way to get out. Now, I do not say this in a glib or dismissive way, for the condition you describe is rampant at the present time; and perhaps what that says is that the Earth, Herself, is seeking to release some profound level of this energy (or it likely would not be so prevalent in the hearts and minds of so many of her children).

Anger is a hell realm, and anyone who finds his/her mind caught there is well aware of this truth. One of the rather curious things I notice about the current time is that so many people are in denial of their anger. From my perspective, virtually everyone (whether in touch with her/his anger or in denial of it) has "seva" ["service"] to do for the Earth in this area at this time. Clearly, the question above denotes a situation of great suffering for which liberation from this particular hell realm is sought.

In the first place, one so afflicted must see clearly that s/he can be free of this mental hell realm, and that s/he can sustain a job for more than three months. This is true, even if the track record seems to indicate something else at the given moment. It is very important that one begin visualizing oneself in a calm state - even though the world around may not rise to perfection at the present moment. Indeed, the angry self is the false self - a "self" determined by karmic influences, that attempts to hide the true self from not only one's personal view, but the created "reality" as well. The first step is to begin "re-visioning" oneself in terms that are more compatible with the true self - that part of each being which came to this experiential plane on a flow of goodness and wisdom. You see, it is only that the true self has become disenchanted with this realm of experiencing, and the ego mind is convinced that this one has no control over the hell realm that comes to claim his mind.

We must be careful here not to slip into denial. Pretending that one is not angry is definitely not the answer. Re-visioning oneself, however, is critically important, and I will give a practice below to help accomplish this. However, the first thing that must be understood is that with any major issue (not just anger), one has basically two choices: one may either learn to relate to the issue (in this case, the anger), or one has no choice but to relate to everyone else - even the world - from that issue (whether it be anger, guilt, greed, hatred, etc.) Clearly, nothing that is denied can be transcended. Yet if one can see that even the powerful negative emotions have the capacity to teach something, then one can make use of any mental affliction - no matter how severe or unyielding it may seem.

As I mentioned above, I believe everyone has some work (seva) to accomplish at this time in the area of anger. Some are more angry with themselves; others point their anger outward toward others, and still others have anger at both self and others. When one has a severe case of being angry at everyone and everything, often it is really a misplaced anger at God. Rather than look deeply at the possibility that one's anger is literally at God (for whatever reason), it seems easier to project it outward to everything and everyone in one's personal landscape of experiencing. Of course, it is important to delve deeply to find the root of one's anger, which is what the following 15-minute meditation practice will help one do.

This practice can be divided into three five-minute segments, and thus one may wish to have a small clock within viewing distance as one begins the meditation. After taking a few deep breaths and centering oneself for a couple of minutes, one then remembers an incident wherein the anger was powerfully present. As one calls forth the memory, one seeks to re-experience it as fully as one can, but does so from an observational point, not allowing oneself to get lost in the remembered anger, nor allowing the mind to get into blame-fixing on either self or another. When the incident and the emotional memory comes alive within the imaginal realm, for five minutes one repeatedly asks oneself, "Where does this anger come from?" One waits for the mind to produce an answer ("It comes from ______ saying ________ to me"); and in response to the mind's offering, one calmly responds, "No, I think I had the anger long before that incident." Then, one asks the question again, and responds in like fashion to any "answer" the mind produces. In this fashion, the question is repeatedly asked of the mind, and the mind gets to "dump" all its many excuses and justifications for the presence of anger.

At the end of five minutes, one simply drops the process and continues to the second question: "When this anger is here, how does it move through my body and how through my mind?" In response to this question, simply recall the body sensations (knot in the stomach, sweaty palms, pounding in the head, etc.) and the mental tapes ("How dare s/he talk to me that way!" etc.) that went with the anger. Be as specific as possible, and allow the emotional content to arise as well. Pay particular attention to how the same (or similar) reactions have arisen with multiple episodes of anger, and make strong mental note of them. This way, when one is in an actual situation where anger is arising, one may recognize its presence early, perhaps to avert its destructive properties.

At the end of the second five minutes, one simply drops the process and continues with the third question: "When it is with me, how does anger control me?" Here it is good to have a notebook and take some notes (you may also choose to take some notes on the second question). Of course, one cannot abide in a hell realm unless one gives oneself over to that hell realm. However, rather than just trying to stop the anger (which most will tell you has a high likelihood of failure), great insight can be had by examining it in meditation through asking (and responding) to these three questions. Practiced over a bit of time, this technique allows one to be present for (rather than fight) one's experience of anger. In learning to be present for anger, one touches compassion for all those who ever have, are or ever will feel it intensely. This is the beginning of true compassion, and as one persists with the practice, a genuine desire to liberate all beings from this hell realm will arise.

At the end of the third five minutes, one might reflect on how one feels at the completion of the process, and note changes that come about in practicing this little meditation over time. Of course, those who are in denial of their anger will probably not see any need to do this exercise. If they can at least attempt the meditation on behalf of someone they know who suffers from this hell realm, it will at least be a productive venture into compassion. Additionally, the same meditation may be used for any negative or afflictive mind state: guilt, hatred, envy, pride, vanity, fear, stinginess, or resentment. Indeed, even denial.

As you incorporate this practice, please know that you do this not just for yourself, but for all who have suffered because of these powerful mental afflictions. Know that in so doing, you make the experiential realm of this lovely planet a bit calmer - indeed a bit nicer - for all beings to inhabit.