Anger during meditation is more common than most people admit. You sit down to find peace — but rage floods in stronger than before. You contemplate impermanence — but nothing changes. In Nepal on February 19, 2026, a disciple asked why. The answer had nothing to do with technique. It had to do with karma.
Buddhist disciple asks: When I meditate and anger surges up, I contemplate impermanence but still find it very hard to transform. Can you share your experience on how to transform that anger? (February 19, 2026 – Nepal)
Master Minh Tue answers:
Because you don’t have merit yet, you cannot transform it. You must do good deeds and observe precepts to have merit so you can transform it quickly. If you do not give charity or do good deeds yet demand to have no anger, there is no such logic.
To digest anger, you must do good deeds to pay your debts. If you eat chicken and pork while they are suffering, their anger is inside you, so even if you don’t want to be angry, you can’t help it. If you don’t want to be angry, stop borrowing that.
In family life, relatives getting angry makes us angry along with them, which is very hard to eliminate. Only when we are no longer involved and escape the ties can their anger not make us angry. You must have the concentration to contemplate impermanence “not me, not mine”. You must gradually liberate yourself from them.
* Master Minh Tue always gives brief and concise answers suitable for the listener in each circumstance. Below is a deeper explanation and analysis so that those who wish to learn can thoroughly grasp the Master’s teachings.
Why Contemplation Alone Cannot Stop Anger
The disciple wondered: “I contemplated impermanence but it’s still hard to transform”. The Master pointed directly at the most fundamental reason: “Because you don’t have merit yet”.
Sitting in meditation with closed eyes, repeating “everything is impermanent, don’t be angry” — this is why anger during meditation does not go away. It is a surface technique fighting a deep karmic force. Anger (hatred) erupts from karmic seeds lying deep in the unconscious. If in daily life you are selfish, petty, do not give charity, and do not do good deeds (lacking merit), then the pure energy within you is very weak. Weak energy cannot crush the surging power of anger. This is why meditation alone — without merit — fails to transform it. The Master strongly affirmed: “If you do not give charity or do good deeds yet demand to have no anger, there is no such logic.”
How Killing Creates Anger Inside You
This is an extremely profound perspective on Cause and Effect that few pay attention to. The Master explains a root cause of anger during meditation that most teachers overlook: “If you eat chicken and pork while they are suffering, their anger is inside you, so even if you don’t want to be angry, you can’t help it.”
When animals are killed, their final mood is extreme panic, resentment, and hatred. When we consume those foods, we inadvertently absorb their vengeful energy (anger) into our bodies and consciousness. Therefore, if anger keeps rising during meditation, the first step is not a better technique. It is to stop “borrowing debts.” (limit killing, switch to a vegetarian diet if possible), and then continuously do good deeds to “pay off the debts”.
Anger in the Family: Why It Spreads and How to Stop It
The family is the easiest place for anger to erupt due to shared karma and ties. When a spouse or child is grumpy, it is very easy for us to become grumpy too. The Master points out the remedy: You must have the concentration to contemplate impermanence “not me, not mine”.
You cannot change others, nor can you run away from your family. “Escaping the ties” here does not mean running away to become a monk, but untying the knots in your mind. When someone is angry, tell yourself: “That is their anger, not mine. It is not me, not mine.” This is the practice of non-self — and it is the only real shield against anger spreading from others into your meditation. Those words are not aimed at my true essence.” When you build that wall of non-self, the flames of others’ anger will not be able to spread and burn your soul.
Has anger during meditation ever made you want to quit sitting altogether? What finally helped — technique, or something deeper?
Leave a comment below to share your perspective and learn from one another.
