ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on methods to counter anger according to Tsong-kha-pa, a fifteenth-century Tibetan Buddhist scholar and founding figure of the Gelukpa (dge lugs pa) tradition. After briefly introducing the figure of Tsong-kha-pa, we discuss elements in his Tibetan Buddhist worldview which are formative in his approach to anger. These elements include Tsong-kha-pa’s understanding of the nature of mind and mental states, his strict adherence to the principles of karma (action) and rebirth, and the correlation of actions with pleasant or unpleasant effects to virtuous and non-virtuous states of being. We then contextualize Tsongkha-pa’s countering of anger within the framework of his integrated system of Mahayana Buddhist moral and mental cultivations. This integrated system is known as the gradual stages on the path to awakening (lam rim).
