Anger Management - According to Jainism
Anger is an emotion ,in which a person make a psychological interpretation of having been offended , wronged, or denied. A person may react to his anger in active or passive way. Active way being a person becomes angry spontaneously and then soon after that calms down. Example if a person breaks your favorite glass flower pot, then a person may immediately get angry on the other person who has committed that mistake and will scold that person but immediately after that calms down . Passive anger means a person don't show his anger but keeps it with himself in the form of hatred, jealousy and feelings of revenge which is assumed to more dangerous than active anger. Jainism generally focus more on the art of managing mind or managing emotions. It believes on practical solutions and philosophies of managing oneself. It deals with the art of overcoming krodha or anger, mada or vanity and lobha or greed. Jainism advocates practicing of five principle virtues – Ahimsa or non violence, Satya or truth, Acaurya or non stealing, Brahmacharya or celibacy, Aparigraha or non possession.
Anger not only causes or create problems for others but also to oneself also. Generally we blame others for our anger. But anger is the result , its present in all of us. So if a person is angry from inside then the circumstances will bring an angry response from him. Four reasons for anger :
- Stressful or Overactive Schedule
- Attitudinal Orientation (Negative attitude towards thing)
- Unfulfilled expectations
- Ego
In the dynamic work environment , Anger management is is very important. In work environment , sense of authority, work overload, senior – subordinate relationships, miscommunications, lack of incentives and benefits, financial problems with the employees often leads to unhealthy situations. According to Jainism, In case of anger outburst, person fails to create a right impact and which leads to more of misunderstanding and less of productive work efficiency. One who gets angry or becomes arrogant, does not get respect. Anger cannot be completely avoided but it is inherent in the society. Sometimes the doctorine of Anekantavada that is visualizing things from different perspectives can be of great help. It advocates that a person should be a good listener and a good thinker and must use his relative and partial knowledge before saying anything. It helps in curbing ego centric behavior and avoids clashes of opinion of different people and leads to inter personal harmony. This type of dynamic and effervescent approach to harmony will avoid conflicting viewpoints and maximize agreements . Because Jain tradition preaches the power of tolerance that is also known as Parasparopagraho jivanam which means all living beings are bound by mutual support and interdependence. Jainism belives on the principle of live and help others to live. Since Jain ideology says about karma , that is one has to bear the consequences of his actions. It helps in creating a feeling of responsibility and accountability which is also quite constructive and rewarding in improving the corporate performance and reducing the stress free environment. Jainism stresses on Oneness of thought, word and deed. For making unbiased performance assessments , making meetings ,conferences and discussions meaningful synthesis of thought , word and deed can be a very helpful concept. Today Society is guided by mechanized lifestyle, mechanical behavior and mechanical habits. Jain sutras therefore stresses on Self Transformation and conscious living which gives conscious attention to one's thought, speech and action. Total impartiality means that a person should not favor any one goal, any one mode, or any group of persons and should remain free from bias. Lord Mahavira propounded the doctrine that all souls are equal. This principle helps in creating a positive work flow and helps in creating a healthy relationship between subordinates, employees, co-workers , and superiors.