April 2026 Lhagsam Newsletter

by Natalia

From the Lamrim Year, Day 242 belongs to the section that deals with illusions and the basic poisons of the mind. Lama Yeshe says, “Every moment of unchecked anger builds up the energy of anger within.” In this way, the state of anger becomes a state that perpetually develops into something that is hard to manage. The fact that one is usually unaware of the negative energy created in previous incarnations does not make things easier. We tend to repeat old patterns without realizing it.

The teachings say that the feeling of anger causes one to be born in unpleasant places. Even on the purely physical level, anger brings sensations that normally one would avoid—such as excessive heat (especially in the head), pain in the chest, shivering, or troubles in perception and the senses. On the psychological level, anger works against any cooperation and even against the individual’s own survival. After a burst of rage, a person is barely able to solve a problem on their own, let alone help people work together. When karma arises collectively, the negative karma created together can cause similar situations to come back in the future, even affecting those who might not otherwise have generated such results.

Like first aid, dealing with anger requires preparation before the moment occurs. Unfortunately, standard education rarely teaches remedies for handling states of anger. As a result, people often learn through trial and error until some experience with meditation and personal reflection makes one see more clearly the illusions created by the mind.