Question: How can one overcome destructive anger?

Sri Chinmoy: Anger comes precisely because we are lacking in oneness. If we have the feeling of oneness with the world, then anger does not come. The difficulty is that we try to perfect others before we perfect ourselves. We see that something has been done which is not perfection itself and we want perfection from the world first. But this perfection we can never have unless and until we can perfect ourselves. If I am perfect, then the world is blessed with a perfect man. When you and I are both perfect, then the world is blessed with two perfect men.

So in our spiritual life we try to see perfection in this way. We feel that if we become perfect, then already we have made it easier for the world-consciousness to control or conquer its anger. How can we perfect ourselves? It is aspiration that carries us to our perfection. If we aspire, then we include humanity at large in our aspiration. When we really aspire, nobody is excluded from our aspiring consciousness. But when we desire, we try to separate ourselves from the world. Anger is one of the children of ignorance. If we can conquer ignorance then there can be no anger.

When you are angry with someone or about to become angry, please feel the necessity of your oneness with him. Feel that anger is not possible. Say to yourself, "If I am angry then how can I become one with him?" Then try to repeat as fast as possible, seven times, the word “love”. After you have finished repeating “love”, utter the name of the person with whom you are angry. After you have repeated “love”, then throw this love into the person with whom you are angry. Bring his understanding inside your own creation which is love. Then you will see that this love will become a reality.

If the problem of anger tortures you, please follow the positive path, the path of aspiration, every day. If you aspire daily, then you will get inner love, inner wealth. The product of this inner love is peace. When you have money, you go to the bank and deposit it. That is your outer wealth. When you aspire, you get inner wealth. That inner wealth you deposit here inside your heart. When you are angry, immediately think of what you did early in the morning. Early in the morning at six o’clock you prayed or meditated for half an hour and at that time you gained your inner wealth. When you remember what you did at six o’clock, when you think of your meditation, you get again that inner wealth, and now you can use your inner wealth. Just touch that inner wealth and you will see that it will solve the problem. Invoke your inner wealth and give to others not money or gold, but peace and love. Your outer wealth can bind you, but your inner wealth can conquer ignorance. At that time ignorance will not affect you, because God is inside you with all His protection.