These are seven things that anger causes one to lose that their enemies wish for them to lose.
These seven things — pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim — come to a man or woman who is angry. Which seven?
Anger causes one to lose their looks, and their enemies wish for them to lose their looks.
There is the case where an enemy wishes of an enemy, “O, may this person be ugly!” Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy’s good looks. Now, when a person is angry — overcome with anger, oppressed with anger — then regardless of the fact that he may be well-bathed, well-anointed, dressed in white clothes, his hair & beard neatly trimmed, he is ugly nevertheless, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the first thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.
Anger causes one to lose their sleep, and their enemies wish for them to lose their sleep.
Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, “O, may this person sleep badly!” Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy’s restful sleep. Now, when a person is angry — overcome with anger, oppressed with anger — then regardless of the fact that he sleeps on a bed spread with a white blanket, spread with a woollen coverlet, spread with a flower-embroidered bedspread, covered with a rug of deerskins, with a canopy overhead, or on a sofa with red cushions at either end, he sleeps badly nevertheless, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the second thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.
Anger causes one to lose their profits, and their enemies wish for them to lose their profits.
Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, “O, may this person not profit!” Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy’s profits. Now, when a person is angry — overcome with anger, oppressed with anger — then even when he suffers a loss, he thinks, “I’ve gained a profit”; and even when he gains a profit, he thinks, “I’ve suffered a loss.” When he has grabbed hold of these ideas that work in mutual opposition [to the truth], they lead to his long-term suffering & loss, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the third thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.
Anger causes one to lose their wealth, and their enemies wish for them to lose their wealth.
Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, “O, may this person not have any wealth!” Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy’s wealth. Now, when a person is angry — overcome with anger, oppressed with anger — then whatever wealth he has, earned through his efforts & enterprise, amassed through the strength of his arm, and piled up through the sweat of his brow — righteous wealth righteously gained — the king orders it sent to the royal treasury [in payment of fines levied for his behaviour] all because he is overcome with anger. This is the fourth thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.
Anger causes one to lose their reputation, and their enemies wish for them to lose their reputation.
Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, “O, may this person not have any reputation!” Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy’s reputation. Now, when a person is angry — overcome with anger, oppressed with anger — whatever reputation he has gained from being heedful, it falls away, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the fifth thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.
Anger causes one to lose their friends, and their enemies wish for them to lose their reputation.
Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, “O, may this person not have any friends!” Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy’s having friends. Now, when a person is angry — overcome with anger, oppressed with anger — his friends, companions, & relatives will avoid him from afar, all because he is overcome with anger. This is the sixth thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.
Anger causes one to lose their merits, and their enemies wish for them to lose their merits.
Furthermore, an enemy wishes of an enemy, “O, may this person, on the break-up of the body, after death, reappear in the plane of deprivation, the bad bourn, the lower realms, in hell!” Why is that? An enemy is not pleased with an enemy’s going to heaven. Now, when a person is angry — overcome with anger, oppressed with anger — he engages in misconduct with the body, misconduct with speech, misconduct with the mind. Having engaged in misconduct with the body, misconduct with speech, misconduct with the mind, then — on the break-up of the body, after death — he reappears in the plane of deprivation, the bad bourn, the lower realms, in hell, all because he was overcome with anger. This is the seventh thing pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim, that comes to a man or woman who is angry.
These are the seven things that anger causes one to lose that their enemies wish for them to lose.
These are the seven things — pleasing to an enemy, bringing about an enemy’s aim — that come to a man or woman who is angry.
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.An angry person
kills with body or speech;
overcome with anger,
they lose their wealth.Mad with anger,
they fall into disgrace.
Family, friends, and loved ones
avoid an irritable person.Anger creates harm;
anger upsets the mind.
That person doesn’t recognise
the danger that arises within.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.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.Their look betrays their sulkiness
like a fire’s smoky plume.
And when their anger flares up,
they make others angry.They have no conscience or prudence,
nor any respectful speech.
One overcome by anger
has no island refuge anywhere.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.An angry person slays their father;
their mother, too, they slay.
An angry person slays a saint;
a normal person, too, they slay.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.Like oneself, all sentient beings
hold themselves most dear.
But angry people kill themselves all kinds of ways,
distraught for many reasons.Some kill themselves with swords,
some, distraught, take poison.
Some hang themselves with rope,
or fling themselves down a mountain gorge.When they commit deeds of killing babes
and killing themselves,
they don’t realise what they do,
for anger leads to their downfall.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.An astute person should cut out
this unskilful thing.
And they’d train in the teaching in just the same way,
not yielding to sulkiness.Free of anger, free of despair,
free of greed, with no more longing,
tamed, having given up anger,
the undefiled are fully extinguished.
References
Best, A. (n.d.). Irritable. Sutta Central. Retrieved from https://suttacentral.net/an7.64/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=sidebyside&reference=none¬es=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin
DeGraff, G. (1997). Kodhana Sutta: An angry person. Access to Insight. Retrieved from https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an07/an07.060.than.html
Moore, O. (1994). Kodhana Sutta: The wretchedness of anger. Access to Insight. Retrieved from https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an07/an07.060.nymo.html