The empty canoe: a Zen lesson on anger

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The Zen master Charlotte Joko Beck talks about the empty canoe in her book, "Everyday Zen". It's a simple metaphor that reveals a profound truth about the human experience of anger: it requires the imputation of agency in order to flourish. If you remove the imputation of agency -- picture an empty canoe drifting mysteriously through the fog -- then the experience of anger will vanish shortly thereafter. If the universe is empty, why populate it with the ingredients of our own frustration?

Orion is a licensed psychologist in the state of California.
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#Zen #anger #buddhism

[jayman]

Viewing other vehicles on the road as inanimate objects is a good way to prevent getting angry with other drivers while driving

[zentzu]

the realisation that there is no-one in the canoe for me is also a massive inhalation and then exhalation of relief

[vanessamcbridebreathebelie]

in the past when i had not practiced calmness… i would get angry in traffic if someone cut me off….. i would if i could drive aside them to give them stink eye …… but often it would be an elderly person driving with a face of fear …… anger and intention of giving stink eye…. immediately replaced by empathy ….. thanks for this video …. i like this analogy better …. there is no one in the canoe

[stephanie]

A similar life lesson from my ex-husband: I would complain to him about people at work. This one is annoying, this one is bossy, this one purposely tries to insult me, etc. One day he said, "Honey, these people are little. They're little little." And I said, "They are?" He said, "Yes, they're little, and you're a BIG person." That made me realize they were empty canoes, so to speak, and not worth the effort of getting angry at them.

[jayman]

You will not be punished for your
You will be punished BY your anger

[TorontoKaraokeClub]

Yes, often times I do feel like people are drifting on other boats and never intercepting mine really. So I guess your right no need to corrupt my own world with anger that sails away everyday. Hopefully, I will never become angry no more. Thank u. Your advices are great mental challenges for each day. :)

[JimBillyRayBob]

The older I get, the more it appears to me, that just about everyone and everything I experience, both positive and negative, is coming in as a mirror. Whatever I am experiencing is, one way or another, just a reflection of me. For a while, this is disorienting and kinda creepy. Eventually, this realization becomes liberating and relaxing.

[TheObserver]

What actually calms a person who discovers the canoe is empty is realizing that there is no one that would cause even more upset by enforcing their will against or disagreeing with the person. To consider that that they don't exist is a stretch, to make them not exist would be a miracle. If Zen Master had some advice on taking responsibility for unempathetic people, then maybe I could find some wise words.

[kevingruenofficial]

Thank you, this is the video I needed today.

[kevalan]

For some reason I have no problem staying angry at an inanimate object on which I've stubbed my toe, even to the point of hitting it and hurting my hand as well

[ricardabetzing]

interesting simile, thanks very much.
i always like to think “would you be getting irate if you dealt with animals” (think puppies), but yours is way better.

[marktwain]

Thanks doc, a very solid piece of advice I've never heard of before. Next time I'm mad, I will try this for sure. Could you do a video on timing? As in strange coincidences and weird things that seem to happen ever time I go somewhere??

[danpartridge]

I'm the same way while driving if someone cuts me off or there's a near miss. When I pull alongside, if it turns out to be a woman, all my anger just dissipates. It's not her fault -- how could she know any better? 🤣 Sorry. Couldn't resist. Great content though...keep it up 🤘

[cesarmo]

The problem is that people aren’t “empty canoes.” They are individuals taking actions and through those actions causing harm to others. People who have been victims of criminals know that those criminals usually consciously chose to cause harm. Intent matters. Was the crime pre-meditated, negligent or unintentional.

[LittleMew]

I would start laughing at the collision. Y'all need to get some humor into your veins.