Abstract
In this paper, I examine the potential of mindfulness in relation to facing anger and aggression from the viewpoint of early Buddhism. After a brief survey of relevant current research, I investigate the indication in one Pāli discourse that mindfulness on its own is not sufficient for emerging from enmity. A consultation of the Chinese parallels to this discourse suggests this presentation to be the result of a textual error. The instructions on the four establishments of mindfulness confirm that, from an early Buddhist viewpoint, mindfulness was considered an effective means to counter anger. Closer study of these instructions shows a considerable degree of overlap with current research findings and suggests a possible direction for future research.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- DĀ:
-
Dīrgha-āgama (T 1)
- DN:
-
Dīgha-nikāya
- EĀ:
-
Ekottarika-āgama (T 125)
- MĀ:
-
Madhyama-āgama (T 26)
- MN:
-
Majjhima-nikāya
- SĀ:
-
Saṃyukta-āgama (T 99)
- SĀ2 :
-
Saṃyukta-āgama (T 100)
- Spk:
-
Sāratthappakāsinī
- SN:
-
Saṃyutta-nikāya
References
Anālayo, Bh. (2003). Satipaṭṭhāna, the direct path to realization. Cambridge: Windhorse Publications http://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/pdf/5-personen/analayo/direct-path.pdf.
Anālayo, Bh. (2012). The historical value of the Pāli discourses. Indo-Iranian Journal, 55, 223–253. https://doi.org/10.1163/001972412X620187.
Anālayo, Bh. (2013). Perspectives on Satipaṭṭhāna. Cambridge: Windhorse Publications https://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/pdf/5-personen/analayo/perspectives.pdf.
Anālayo, Bh. (2018). Satipaṭṭhāna meditation: A practice guide. Cambridge: Windhorse Publications.
Bayot, M., Vermeulen, N., Kever, A., & Mikolajczak, M. (2018). Mindfulness and empathy: Differential effects of explicit and implicit Buddhist teachings. Mindfulness, 26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-018-0966-4.
Borders, A., Earleywine, M., & Jajodia, A. (2010). Could mindfulness decrease anger, hostility and aggression by decreasing rumination? Aggressive Behavior, 36, 28–44. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.20327.
Denson, T. (2015). Four promising psychological interventions for reducing reactive aggression. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 3, 136–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2015.04.003.
Fix, R. L., & Fix, S. T. (2013). The effects of mindfulness-based treatments for aggression: A critical review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18(2), 219–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2012.11.009.
Frazier, S. N., & Vela, J. (2014). Dialectical behavior therapy for the treatment of anger and aggressive behavior: A review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 19(2), 156–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2014.02.001.
Heppner, W. L., Kernis, M. H., Lakey, C. E., Campbell, W. K., Goldman, B. M., Davis, P. J., & Cascio, E. V. (2008). Mindfulness as a means of reducing aggressive behavior: Dispositional and situational evidence. Aggressive Behavior, 34, 486–496.
Jones, S. M., & Hansen, W. (2015). The impact of mindfulness on supportive communication skills: Three exploratory studies. Mindfulness, 6(5), 1115–1128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-014-0362-7.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. New York: Dell Publishing.
Lim, D., Condon, P., & DeSteno, D. (2015). Mindfulness and compassion: An examination of mechanism and scalability. PLoS One, 10(2), e0118221. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0118221.
Peters, J. R., Smart, L. M., Eisenlohr-Moul, T. A., Geiger, P. J., Smith, G. T., & Baer, R. A. (2015). Anger rumination as a mediator of the relationship between mindfulness and aggression: The utility of a multidimensional mindfulness model. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 71(1), 871–884. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22189.
Ridderinkhof, A., de Bruin, E. I., Brummelman, E., & Bögels, S. M. (2017). Does mindfulness meditation increase empathy? An experiment. Self and Identity, 16(3), 251–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2016.1269667.
Schmithausen, L. (2012). Achtsamkeit ‘innen’, ‘außen’ und ‘innen wie außen’. In M. Zimmerman, C. Spitz, & S. Schmidt (Eds.), Achtsamkeit, Ein buddhistisches Konzept erobert die Wissenschaft, mit einem Beitrag S.H. des Dalai Lama (pp. 291–303). Bern: Hans Huber Verlag.
Singh, N. N. (2018). Using informal mindfulness practices to self-manage anger and aggression for awakening the mind to peace and happiness. Paper presented at the Mind Humanities International Conference on Enlightened Living or Mind: What and How. Wonkwang University, Iksan, South Korea, May 10-11, 2018.
Singh, N. N., Lancioni, G. E., & Winton, A. S. (2017). Mindfulness and the treatment of aggression and violence. In P. Sturmey (Ed.), The Wiley handbook of violence and aggression (pp. 1–15). Hoboken: Wiley.
Tan, L. B. G., Lo, B. C. Y., & Macrae, C. N. (2014). Brief mindfulness meditation improves mental state attribution and empathizing. PLoS ONE, 9(10), e110510. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0110510.
Winning, A. P., & Boag, S. (2015). Does brief mindfulness training increase empathy? The role of personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 86, 492–498. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.07.011.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Ethics declarations
Ethical Approval
This article does not contain any studies performed by the author with human participants or animals.
Conflict of Interest
The author declares that there are no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Anālayo, B. The Potential of Facing Anger with Mindfulness. Mindfulness 9, 1966–1972 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-018-1006-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-018-1006-0