Table Of ContentRobert A. F. Thurman
Heated words, cool mai.ick, deadly feuds,
the furious rush of adrenaline anger is dearly the most
destructive of the seven deadly sins. It can ruin families,
wreck one's health, destroy peace of mind and, at its
worst, lead to murder, genocide, and war.
In Angrr. Robert A. F. Thurman, best-selling author
and one of America's leading authorities on Buddhism
and Eastern philosophy, offers an illuminating look at
this deadliest of sins. In the West, Thurman points out,
anger is seen as an inevitable part of life, an evil to be
borne, not overcome. There is the tradition of the wrath
ful Cod, of Jesus driving the money-changers from the
temple. If Ciod can be angry, how can men rid themselves
of this destructive emotion? Thurman shows that
Eastern philosophy sees anger differently. Certainly, it is
a dreadful evil, one of the “three poisons” that underlie
all human suffering. But Buddhism teaches that anger
can be overcome. Indeed, the defeat of anger is not only
possible, but also the only thing worth doing in a life
time. Thurman shows how to recognize the destructive
ness of anger and understand its workings, and how we
can go from being a slave to anger to becoming “a blight
of patience.” We discover finally that when this deadliest
emotion is transmuted by wisdom, it can become the
most powerful force in freeing us from human suffering.
Drawing on the time-tested wisdom of Buddhism,
Robert A. F. Thurman ranges from the individual strug
gle with anger to global crises spurred by dogmatic
ideologies, religious fanaticism, and racial prejudice. He
offers a path of calm understanding in a time of terrorism
and war.
usa $17.95
Anger
Pride
Michael Eric Dysoi
Envy
Joseph Epstein
Anger
Robert A. F. Thurman
Sloth
Wendy Wasserstein
Creed
Phyllis A. Tickle
Gluttony
Francine Prose
Lust
Simon Blackburn
For over a decade, The New York Public Library and Oxford
University Press have annually invited a prominent figure in the
arts and letters to give a series of lectures on a topic of his or her
choice. Subsequently these lectures become the basis of a book
jointly published by the Library and the Press. For 2002 and 2003
the two institutions asked seven noted writers, scholars, and critics
to offer a “meditation on temptation” on one of the seven deadly
sins. Anger by Robert A. F. Thurman is the fifth book from this
lecture series. Previous books from The New York Public Library/
Oxford University Press Lectures are:
The Old World's New Worldby C. Vann Woodward
Culture of Complaint: The Fraying of America by Robert Hughes
Witches and Jesuits: Shakespeare's Macbeth by Garry Wills
Visions of the Future: The Distant Past, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
by Robert Heilbroner
Doing Documentary Work by Robert Coles
The Sun, the Genome, and the Internetby Freeman J. Dyson
The Look of Architecture by Witold Rybczynski
Visions of Utopia by Edward Rothstein, Herbert Muschamp,
and Martin E. Marty
Also by Robert A. F. Thurman
Infinite Life: Seven Virtues for Living Well
The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Circling the Sacred Mountain: A Spiritual Adventure Through the Himalayas
Inner Revolution: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Real Happiness
Essential Tibetan Buddhism
The Central Philosophy of Tibet
Anger
The Seven Deadly Sins
Robert A. F. Thurman
The New York Public Library
OXFORD
2005
OXFORD
UNIVERSITY PUSS
Oxford New York
Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai
Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata
Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi
Sao Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto
Copyright © 2005 by Robert A. F. Thurman
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.
198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, 10016
www.oup.com
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Thurman, Robert A. F.
Anger : the seven deadly sins / Robert A. F. Thurman,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical and index.
ISBN 0-19-516975-1
1. Anger—Religious aspects—Buddhism.
2. Patience—Religious aspects—Buddhism.
3. Religious life—Buddhism.
I. Title.
BQ4430.A53T489 2004
294.3’5698—dc22 2004012549
All artwork appears courtesy of Tibet House U. S.
Book design by planettheo.com
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
