[Figleef can't post this week- so I got drafted. He will be back next week]
I work in the legal field. Someone came to us, upset and angry because of treatment by others. The others had treated this person very badly, and they had a right to be angry, and a right to seek legal remedies. Unfortunately, this person also had medical problems, and the additional stress caused by seeking to obtain legal rights caused the person to become increasingly ill. Several months after they came to us, they died.
Buddhism sees anger as one of three poisons: the other two are greed and delusion. These poisons have several effects: they encourage an individual's sense of separateness from the Universe, they distract from travelling the path to understanding and enlightement, and they add to the heavy burden of suffering experienced by beings.
Some of the physical effects of anger are, as stated by the Mayo Clinic: headaches, sleep difficulties, high blood pressure or digestive problems. There's even some evidence that stress and hostility related to anger can lead to heart attacks. Anger, especially continual anger, is not good for you.
"Anger is so powerful that it will justify almost anything one may wish to do, at least for a short time... [angry people] tend to behave in ways that frustrate and anger other people, which then gives our own anger further stimulation and justification."
-- Daizui MacPhillamy, Buddhism From Within
In my work, I see many angry people. Some are justified in their anger, some are not. Sometimes I get angry too: I seem to get caught up in unfairness, either to myself or others. Staying calm in the face of insult and provocation is not easy. But in my study of Buddhism, I have learned that reacting with anger to bad treatment is usually a mistake. The main reason is that it is impossible to be mindful and angry at the same time. Anger causes me to have tunnel vision. I don't see the likely results of my actions, and I cause more of a mess than if I had stayed calm.
"When I started out trying not to get angry, it seemed almost impossible. This was because when I realized I was angry, the anger was already overwhelming. It was like trying to stop Niagra Falls. But with some persistence, I began to notice my anger as it started to arise. When I was able to see the anger arising, it also became easier not to get caught up in it."
---David Powers, Reading the Kyojukaimon and Commentary
As I progress in my practice, I see my "anger arising." People can be real jerks, they can treat others very badly, and I want to do something about it. Instead of just acting on my anger, I now have a space to think. What am I trying to accomplish? What is the likely result of my actions?
Buddhism doesn't talk much about right and wrong. Instead, some actions are mistakes, some are skillful. The point is not to suppress your anger, but to watch it and let it go. I am progressing very slowly, I still make a lot of mistakes, such as acting from anger without thinking about the likely results of my actions. However, more and more, I am acting skilfully: i. e. in a way that will cause something positive to happen, instead of increasing the suffering of the universe. And that is a good thing.