Anger
Aversion and aggression are both expressions of anger.
It becomes very obvious because when you feel anger and aggression you express it very clearly, either through your face, speech, or body language. The way you act becomes rougher and less careful, so it is not difficult to recognise angry or aggressive feelings when they arise. It is easy to notice these emotions.
The way we work with it is through patience. This is the antidote we have to use.
Sometimes we have this feeling; “This person did a negative thing to me. They insulted me. They did this and that.”
Sometimes we have this feeling; “This person did a negative thing to me. They insulted me. They did this and that.” We respond thinking; “I have a right to be angry, it’s ok. I have a right to be aggressive for this or that reason.” When you see things in this way, it is very difficult to deal with aggression. I find this most difficult to deal with because you think it is a very reasonable response, and that you really need to react with this aggression or anger. But there are many different ways to deal with anger, and sometimes you can’t work directly with it using your own understanding.
It is best if you have a clear understanding of the reasons why you should not be angry or aggressive,
but if you can’t do that, sometimes it can help if you can think up reasons why you shouldn’t be angry, make some excuses in a way.
Suppose I have a very genuine master, a Lama, and that every time I get angry or aggressive I think about that Lama, and I say to myself; “this Lama told me not to get so angry.” If I can divert my attention that way, this will sometimes help. It may have a good effect and it helps me let go of my anger.
If I can remember instructions from good books and teachings that are true and inspiring and have inspired me, if can think of these, they will also help me.