an.7.64 Aṅguttara Nikāya (Numbered Discourses)

An Angry Person

“These seven things—pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim—come to a man or woman who is angry. Which seven?

“There is the case where an enemy wishes of an enemy, ‘O, may this person be ugly!’ Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy’s good looks. Now, when a person is angry—overcome with anger, oppressed with anger—then regardless of the fact that he may be well-bathed, well-anointed, dressed in white clothes, his hair & beard neatly trimmed, he is ugly nevertheless, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the first thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.

“Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, ‘O, may this person sleep badly!’ Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy’s restful sleep. Now, when a person is angry—overcome with anger, oppressed with anger—then regardless of the fact that he sleeps on a bed spread with a white blanket, spread with a woolen coverlet, spread with a flower-embroidered bedspread, covered with a rug of deerskins, with a canopy overhead, or on a sofa with red cushions at either end, he sleeps badly nevertheless, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the second thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.

“Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, ‘O, may this person not profit!’ Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy’s profits. Now, when a person is angry—overcome with anger, oppressed with anger—then even when he suffers a loss, he thinks, ‘I’ve gained a profit’; and even when he gains a profit, he thinks, ‘I’ve suffered a loss.’ When he has grabbed hold of these ideas that work in mutual opposition [to the truth], they lead to his long-term suffering & loss, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the third thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.

“Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, ‘O, may this person not have any wealth!’ Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy’s wealth. Now, when a person is angry—overcome with anger, oppressed with anger—then whatever wealth he has, earned through his efforts & enterprise, amassed through the strength of his arm, and piled up through the sweat of his brow—righteous wealth righteously gained—the king orders it sent to the royal treasury [in payment of fines levied for his behavior] all because he is overcome with anger. This is the fourth thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.

“Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, ‘O, may this person not have any reputation!’ Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy’s reputation. Now, when a person is angry—overcome with anger, oppressed with anger—whatever reputation he has gained from being heedful, it falls away, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the fifth thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.

“Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, ‘O, may this person not have any friends!’ Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy’s having friends. Now, when a person is angry—overcome with anger, oppressed with anger—his friends, companions, & relatives will avoid him from afar, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the sixth thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.

“Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, ‘O, may this person, on the break-up of the body, after death, reappear in the plane of deprivation, the bad bourn, the lower realms, in hell!’ Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy’s going to heaven. Now, when a person is angry—overcome with anger, oppressed with anger—he engages in misconduct with the body, misconduct with speech, misconduct with the mind. Having engaged in misconduct with the body, misconduct with speech, misconduct with the mind, then—on the break-up of the body, after death—he reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad bourn, the lower realms, in hell, all because he was overcome with anger. This is the seventh thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.

“These are the seven things—pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim—that come to a man or woman who is angry.”

An angry person is ugly & sleeps poorly.
Gaining a profit, he turns it into a loss,
having done damage with word & deed.
A person overwhelmed with anger
destroys his wealth.
Maddened with anger,
he destroys his status.
Relatives, friends, & colleagues avoid him.
Anger brings loss.
Anger inflames the mind.
He doesn’t realize that his danger is born from within.
An angry person doesn’t know his own benefit.
An angry person doesn’t see the Dhamma.
A man conquered by anger is in a mass of darkness.
He takes pleasure in bad deeds as if they were good,
but later, when his anger is gone,
he suffers as if burned with fire.
He is spoiled, blotted out,
like fire enveloped in smoke.

When anger spreads,
when a man becomes angry,
he has no shame, no fear of evil,
is not respectful in speech.
For a person overcome with anger,
nothing gives light.

I’ll list the deeds that bring remorse,
that are far from the teachings.
Listen!
An angry person kills his father,
kills his mother,
kills Brahmans
& people run-of-the-mill.
It’s because of a mother’s devotion
that one sees the world,
yet an angry run-of-the-mill person
can kill this giver of life.
Like oneself, all beings hold themselves most dear,
yet an angry person, deranged,
can kill himself in many ways:
with a sword, taking poison,
hanging himself by a rope in a mountain glen.

Doing these deeds
that kill beings and do violence to himself,
the angry person doesn’t realize that he’s ruined.

This snare of Mara, in the form of anger,
dwelling in the cave of the heart:
cut it out with self-control, discernment, persistence, right view.
The wise man would cut out
each & every form of unskillfulness.
Train yourselves:
‘May we not be blotted out.’

Free from anger & untroubled,
free from greed, without longing,
tamed, your anger abandoned,
free from fermentation,
you will be unbound.

- Translator: Thanissaro Bhikkhu

- Editor: Gabriel Laera

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Irritable

An astute person should cut out
this unskillful thing.
“Mendicants, these seven things that please and assist an enemy happen to an irritable woman or man.
What seven?
Firstly, an enemy wishes for an enemy:
‘If only they’d become ugly!’
Why is that?
Because an enemy doesn’t like to have a beautiful enemy.
An irritable person, overcome and overwhelmed by anger, is ugly, even though they’re nicely bathed and anointed, with hair and beard dressed, and wearing white clothes.

This is the first thing that pleases and assists an enemy which happens to an irritable woman or man.
Furthermore, an enemy wishes for an enemy:
‘If only they’d sleep badly!’
Why is that?
Because an enemy doesn’t like to have an enemy who sleeps at ease.
An irritable person, overcome and overwhelmed by anger, sleeps badly, even though they sleep on a couch spread with woolen covers—shag-piled, pure white, or embroidered with flowers—and spread with a fine deer hide, with a canopy above and red pillows at both ends.

This is the second thing …
Furthermore, an enemy wishes for an enemy:
‘If only they don’t get all they need!’
Why is that?
Because an enemy doesn’t like to have an enemy who gets all they need.
When an irritable person, overcome and overwhelmed by anger, gets what they don’t need they think, ‘I’ve got what I need.’ When they get what they need they think, ‘I’ve got what I don’t need.’
When an angry person gets these things that are the exact opposite of what they need, it’s for their lasting harm and suffering.
This is the third thing …
Furthermore, an enemy wishes for an enemy:
‘If only they weren’t wealthy!’
Why is that?
Because an enemy doesn’t like to have an enemy who is wealthy.
When a person is irritable, overcome and overwhelmed by anger, the rulers seize the legitimate wealth they’ve earned by their efforts, built up with their own hands, gathered by the sweat of their brow.
This is the fourth thing …
Furthermore, an enemy wishes for an enemy:
‘If only they weren’t famous!’
Why is that?
Because an enemy doesn’t like to have a famous enemy.
When a person is irritable, overcome and overwhelmed by anger, any fame they have acquired by diligence falls to dust.
This is the fifth thing …
Furthermore, an enemy wishes for an enemy:
‘If only they had no friends!’
Why is that?
Because an enemy doesn’t like to have an enemy with friends.
When a person is irritable, overcome and overwhelmed by anger, their friends and colleagues, relatives and kin avoid them from afar.
This is the sixth thing …
Furthermore, an enemy wishes for an enemy:
‘If only, when their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell!’
Why is that?
Because an enemy doesn’t like to have an enemy who goes to a good place.
When a person is irritable, overcome and overwhelmed by anger, they do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind.

When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.
This is the seventh thing that pleases and assists an enemy which happens to an irritable woman or man.
These are the seven things that please and assist an enemy which happen to an irritable woman or man.
An irritable person is ugly
and they sleep badly.
When they get what they need,
they take it to be what they don’t need.
An angry person
kills with body or speech;
overcome with anger,
they lose their wealth.
Mad with anger,
they fall into disgrace.
Family, friends, and loved ones
avoid an irritable person.
Anger creates harm;
anger upsets the mind.
That person doesn’t recognize
the danger that arises within.
An angry person doesn’t know the good.
An angry person doesn’t see the truth.
When a person is beset by anger,
only blind darkness is left.
An angry person destroys with ease
what was hard to build.
Afterwards, when the anger is spent,
they’re tormented as if burnt by fire.
Their look betrays their sulkiness
like a fire’s smoky plume.
And when their anger flares up,
they make others angry.
They have no conscience or prudence,
nor any respectful speech.
One overcome by anger
has no island refuge anywhere.
The deeds that torment a man
are far from those that are good.
I’ll explain them now;
listen to this, for it is the truth.
An angry person slays their father;
their mother, too, they slay.
An angry person slays a saint;
a normal person, too, they slay.
A man is raised by his mother,
who shows him the world.
But an angry ordinary person slays
even that good woman who gave him life.
Like oneself, all sentient beings
hold themselves most dear.
But angry people kill themselves all kinds of ways,
distraught for many reasons.
Some kill themselves with swords,
some, distraught, take poison.
Some hang themselves with rope,
or fling themselves down a mountain gorge.
When they commit deeds of destroying life
and killing themselves,
they don’t realize what they do,
for anger leads to their downfall.
The snare of death in the form of anger
lies hidden in the heart.
You should cut it out by self-control,
by wisdom, energy, and right ideas.
And they’d train in the teaching in just the same way,
not yielding to sulkiness.
Free of anger, free of despair,
free of greed, with no more longing,
tamed, having given up anger,
the undefiled become fully extinguished.