AN 7.64

Kodhanasutta

“Sattime, bhikkhave, dhammā sapattakantā sapattakaraṇā kodhanaṁ āgacchanti itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā. Katame satta? Idha, bhikkhave, sapatto sapattassa evaṁ icchati: ‘aho vatāyaṁ dubbaṇṇo assā’ti. Taṁ kissa hetu? Na, bhikkhave, sapatto sapattassa vaṇṇavatāya nandati. Kodhanoyaṁ, bhikkhave, purisapuggalo kodhābhibhūto kodhapareto, kiñcāpi so hoti sunhāto suvilitto kappitakesamassu odātavatthavasano; atha kho so dubbaṇṇova hoti kodhābhibhūto. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, paṭhamo dhammo sapattakanto sapattakaraṇo kodhanaṁ āgacchati itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā.

Irritable

“Mendicants, these seven things that please and assist an enemy happen to an irritable woman or man. What seven? Firstly, an enemy wishes for an enemy: ‘If only they’d become ugly!’ Why is that? Because an enemy doesn’t like to have a beautiful enemy. An irritable individual, overcome and overwhelmed by anger, is ugly, even though they’re nicely bathed and anointed, with hair and beard dressed, and wearing white clothes. This is the first thing that pleases and assists an enemy which happens to an irritable woman or man.

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, sapatto sapattassa evaṁ icchati: ‘aho vatāyaṁ dukkhaṁ sayeyyā’ti. Taṁ kissa hetu? Na, bhikkhave, sapatto sapattassa sukhaseyyāya nandati. Kodhanoyaṁ, bhikkhave, purisapuggalo kodhābhibhūto kodhapareto, kiñcāpi so pallaṅke seti gonakatthate paṭalikatthate kadalimigapavarapaccattharaṇe sauttaracchade ubhatolohitakūpadhāne; atha kho so dukkhaññeva seti kodhābhibhūto. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, dutiyo dhammo sapattakanto sapattakaraṇo kodhanaṁ āgacchati itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā.

Furthermore, an enemy wishes for an enemy: ‘If only they’d sleep badly!’ Why is that? Because an enemy doesn’t like to have an enemy who sleeps at ease. An irritable individual, overcome and overwhelmed by anger, sleeps badly, even though they sleep on a couch spread with woolen covers—shag-piled, pure white, or embroidered with flowers—and spread with a fine deer hide, with a canopy above and red pillows at both ends. This is the second thing …

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, sapatto sapattassa evaṁ icchati: ‘aho vatāyaṁ na pacurattho assā’ti. Taṁ kissa hetu? Na, bhikkhave, sapatto sapattassa pacuratthatāya nandati. Kodhanoyaṁ, bhikkhave, purisapuggalo kodhābhibhūto kodhapareto, anatthampi gahetvā ‘attho me gahito’ti maññati, atthampi gahetvā ‘anattho me gahito’ti maññati. Tassime dhammā aññamaññaṁ vipaccanīkā gahitā dīgharattaṁ ahitāya dukkhāya saṁvattanti kodhābhibhūtassa. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, tatiyo dhammo sapattakanto sapattakaraṇo kodhanaṁ āgacchati itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā.

Furthermore, an enemy wishes for an enemy: ‘If only their needs are not amply satisfied!’ Why is that? Because an enemy doesn’t like to have an enemy whose needs are amply satisfied. When an irritable individual, overcome and overwhelmed by anger, gets what they don’t need they think, ‘I’ve got what I need.’ When they get what they need they think, ‘I’ve got what I don’t need.’ When an angry person gets these things that are the exact opposite of what they need, it’s for their lasting harm and suffering. This is the third thing …

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, sapatto sapattassa evaṁ icchati: ‘aho vatāyaṁ na bhogavā assā’ti. Taṁ kissa hetu? Na, bhikkhave, sapatto sapattassa bhogavatāya nandati. Kodhanassa, bhikkhave, purisapuggalassa kodhābhibhūtassa kodhaparetassa, yepissa te honti bhogā uṭṭhānavīriyādhigatā bāhābalaparicitā sedāvakkhittā dhammikā dhammaladdhā, tepi rājāno rājakosaṁ pavesenti kodhābhibhūtassa. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, catuttho dhammo sapattakanto sapattakaraṇo kodhanaṁ āgacchati itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā.

Furthermore, an enemy wishes for an enemy: ‘If only they weren’t wealthy!’ Why is that? Because an enemy doesn’t like to have an enemy who is wealthy. When an individual is irritable, overcome and overwhelmed by anger, the rulers seize the legitimate wealth they’ve earned by their efforts, built up with their own hands, gathered by the sweat of their brow. This is the fourth thing …

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, sapatto sapattassa evaṁ icchati: ‘aho vatāyaṁ na yasavā assā’ti. Taṁ kissa hetu? Na, bhikkhave, sapatto sapattassa yasavatāya nandati. Kodhanoyaṁ, bhikkhave, purisapuggalo kodhābhibhūto kodhapareto, yopissa so hoti yaso appamādādhigato, tamhāpi dhaṁsati kodhābhibhūto. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, pañcamo dhammo sapattakanto sapattakaraṇo kodhanaṁ āgacchati itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā.

Furthermore, an enemy wishes for an enemy: ‘If only they weren’t famous!’ Why is that? Because an enemy doesn’t like to have a famous enemy. When an individual is irritable, overcome and overwhelmed by anger, any fame they have acquired by diligence falls to dust. This is the fifth thing …

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, sapatto sapattassa evaṁ icchati: ‘aho vatāyaṁ na mittavā assā’ti. Taṁ kissa hetu? Na, bhikkhave, sapatto sapattassa mittavatāya nandati. Kodhanaṁ, bhikkhave, purisapuggalaṁ kodhābhibhūtaṁ kodhaparetaṁ, yepissa te honti mittāmaccā ñātisālohitā, tepi ārakā parivajjanti kodhābhibhūtaṁ. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, chaṭṭho dhammo sapattakanto sapattakaraṇo kodhanaṁ āgacchati itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā.

Furthermore, an enemy wishes for an enemy: ‘If only they had no friends!’ Why is that? Because an enemy doesn’t like to have an enemy with friends. When an individual is irritable, overcome and overwhelmed by anger, their friends and colleagues, relatives and kin avoid them from afar. This is the sixth thing …

Puna caparaṁ, bhikkhave, sapatto sapattassa evaṁ icchati: ‘aho vatāyaṁ kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjeyyā’ti. Taṁ kissa hetu? Na, bhikkhave, sapatto sapattassa sugatigamane nandati. Kodhanoyaṁ, bhikkhave, purisapuggalo kodhābhibhūto kodhapareto kāyena duccaritaṁ carati, vācāya duccaritaṁ carati, manasā duccaritaṁ carati. So kāyena duccaritaṁ caritvā vācāya …pe… kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā apāyaṁ duggatiṁ vinipātaṁ nirayaṁ upapajjati kodhābhibhūto. Ayaṁ, bhikkhave, sattamo dhammo sapattakanto sapattakaraṇo kodhanaṁ āgacchati itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vā.

Furthermore, an enemy wishes for an enemy: ‘If only, when their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell!’ Why is that? Because an enemy doesn’t like to have an enemy who goes to a good place. When an individual is irritable, overcome and overwhelmed by anger, they do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. This is the seventh thing that pleases and assists an enemy which happens to an irritable woman or man.

Ime kho, bhikkhave, satta dhammā sapattakantā sapattakaraṇā kodhanaṁ āgacchanti itthiṁ vā purisaṁ vāti.

These are the seven things that please and assist an enemy which happen to an irritable woman or man.

Kodhano dubbaṇṇo hoti, atho dukkhampi seti so; Atho atthaṁ gahetvāna, anatthaṁ adhipajjati.

An irritable person is ugly and they sleep badly. When they get what they need, they take it to be what they don’t need.

Tato kāyena vācāya, vadhaṁ katvāna kodhano; Kodhābhibhūto puriso, dhanajāniṁ nigacchati.

An angry person kills with body or speech; overcome with anger, they lose their wealth.

Kodhasammadasammatto, āyasakyaṁ nigacchati; Ñātimittā suhajjā ca, parivajjanti kodhanaṁ.

Mad with anger, they fall into disgrace. Family, friends, and loved ones avoid an irritable person.

Anatthajanano kodho, kodho cittappakopano; Bhayamantarato jātaṁ, taṁ jano nāvabujjhati.

Anger creates harm; anger upsets the mind. That person doesn’t recognize the danger that arises within.

Kuddho atthaṁ na jānāti, kuddho dhammaṁ na passati; Andhatamaṁ tadā hoti, yaṁ kodho sahate naraṁ.

An angry person doesn’t know the good. An angry person doesn’t see the truth. When a person is beset by anger, only blind darkness is left.

Yaṁ kuddho uparodheti, sukaraṁ viya dukkaraṁ; Pacchā so vigate kodhe, aggidaḍḍhova tappati.

An angry person destroys with ease what was hard to build. Afterwards, when the anger is spent, they’re tormented as if burnt by fire.

Dummaṅkuyaṁ padasseti, dhūmaṁ dhūmīva pāvako; Yato patāyati kodho, yena kujjhanti mānavā.

Their look betrays their sulkiness like a fire’s smoky plume. And when their anger flares up, they make others angry.

Nāssa hirī na ottappaṁ, na vāco hoti gāravo; Kodhena abhibhūtassa, na dīpaṁ hoti kiñcanaṁ.

They have no conscience or prudence, nor any respectful speech. One overcome by anger has no island refuge anywhere.

Tapanīyāni kammāni, yāni dhammehi ārakā; Tāni ārocayissāmi, taṁ suṇātha yathā tathaṁ.

The deeds that torment a man are far from those that are good. I’ll explain them now; listen to this, for it is the truth.

Kuddho hi pitaraṁ hanti, hanti kuddho samātaraṁ; Kuddho hi brāhmaṇaṁ hanti, hanti kuddho puthujjanaṁ.

An angry person slays their father; their mother, too, they slay. An angry person slays a saint; a normal person, too, they slay.

Yāya mātu bhato poso, imaṁ lokaṁ avekkhati; Tampi pāṇadadiṁ santiṁ, hanti kuddho puthujjano.

A man is raised by his mother, who shows him the world. But an angry ordinary person slays even that good woman who gave him life.

Attūpamā hi te sattā, attā hi paramo piyo; Hanti kuddho puthuttānaṁ, nānārūpesu mucchito.

Like oneself, those sentient beings hold themselves most dear. But when angered, they kill themselves in different ways, distraught in many respects.

Asinā hanti attānaṁ, visaṁ khādanti mucchitā; Rajjuyā bajjha mīyanti, pabbatāmapi kandare.

Some kill themselves with swords, some, distraught, take poison. Some hang themselves with rope, or fling themselves down a mountain gorge.

Bhūnahaccāni kammāni, attamāraṇiyāni ca; Karontā nāvabujjhanti, kodhajāto parābhavo.

When they commit deeds of baby-killing, and killing themselves, they don’t realize what they do, for anger leads to their downfall.

Itāyaṁ kodharūpena, maccupāso guhāsayo; Taṁ damena samucchinde, paññāvīriyena diṭṭhiyā.

The snare of death in the form of anger lies hidden in the heart. You should cut it out by self-control, by wisdom, energy, and right ideas.

Yathā metaṁ akusalaṁ, samucchindetha paṇḍito; Tatheva dhamme sikkhetha, mā no dummaṅkuyaṁ ahu.

An astute person should cut out this unskillful thing. And they’d train in the teaching in just the same way, not yielding to sulkiness.

Vītakodhā anāyāsā, Vītalobhā anussukā; Dantā kodhaṁ pahantvāna, Parinibbanti anāsavā”ti.

Free of anger, free of despair, free of greed, with no more longing, tamed, having given up anger, the undefiled are fully extinguished.”