Psychological science views anger as a normal, natural emotion that can be both adaptive and maladaptive, depending on how it is experienced, expressed, and managed. As a critical emotional experience, anger requires attention to both its causes and consequences to maintain optimal psychological well-being. While anger can sometimes motivate action, it often leads to negative emotional reactions and reinforces aggressive behaviors. Shantideva’s teachings in the Bodhicharyāvatāra offer a radical alternative perspective, emphasizing patience as a transformative response to anger and other adversities. He presents patience not as passive resignation, but as a dynamic and powerful tool for overcoming suffering, fostering empathy, and cultivating compassion. This shift in perspective offers significant psychological benefits, including improved emotional regulation, reduced stress, and healthier interpersonal relationships. In both formal and informal mindfulness practices, patience is operationalized as a pause between a stimulus and a response. This pause grounds the individual in the present moment, creating space to cultivate self-awareness and gain insight into habitual patterns of behavior. It also provides an opportunity to choose how to respond, rather than to react impulsively. Shantideva’s teachings offer practical tools for transforming anger into compassion, providing a profound framework for psychological well-being and interpersonal harmony.
