Working with Negative Emotions

A teaching on how to work with our negative emotions in the three ways: to give up, to transform, to understand. As Rinpoche explains in part 3, what the Buddha found out and taught in the 4 Noble Truths, is that the cause of our problems are klesha (negative emotions) and karma. He also found out that it’s possible to find a way to be free from these, and that is what will bring the end to all our suffering. We need to understand how harmful the kleshas are, and then work on transforming them with any and all methods available. Unless we transform them, there will be no end to our problems.

Part 1: What the kleshas are and why we need to work on them. The 5 main kleshas. The anger group of emotions. The 3 ways to deal with them. How to let go of them. Discipline. Q&A.

Part 2: Summary of the previous session. Jealousy and envy group of emotions. The 3 ways to deal with them: 1. Letting go. 2. Transforming. 3. Understanding. Q&A: How to be in the natural state.

Part 3: The 4 Noble Truths. There is nothing else to do in dharma practice than to transform the kleshas. 3 main ways to do deal with negative emotions. Arrogance and attachment. Klesha is an addiction. Determination and skilfulness. Q&A: How to deal with very quick emotional reactions.

Part 4: Attachment. Ignorance. The 3 ways to work with kleshas. 1. Let go: understand it is harmful; be mindful; have discipline to let go. 2. Transforming: instead of the negative, feel the positive side. 3. Understanding: emptiness, clear light, true nature of the mind. Looking directly at the emotion. Q&A: Love/attachment of a mother.

Image courtesy of Bodhicharya France.

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