“Tranquil and peaceful, they are free of desires” means that the bodhisattvas in the Pure Land are tranquil and contented, and have no desires. We may wonder whether the vows of Buddhas and bodhisattvas to help all sentient beings are a desire. The first of the four great vows is to help all of the innumerable sentient beings and every one of Amitabha Buddha's forty-eight vows is to bring about the liberation of all sentient beings. These are aspirations, not desires. A desire is wanting something now and attaching to the outcome. It is not the same as an aspiration. Aspirations contain no attachments. Without attachments, Buddhas and bodhisattvas patiently aspire to help all beings.

Explanation of the Infinite Life Sutra

Pure Land Translation Team

From Rage to Forgiveness: What Lies Between (Part Nineteen)

Observing anger,

it is the face of fear we are actually seeing.

Seeing others act out of anger, we can find it tempting to shake our head and ponder. How can they be so angry? So ignorant? And even, So violent?

As our questioning continues, we find that we have gone past personal irritation. We have become angry ourselves. Discerning how we have again fallen into an emotional trap, we need to pause.

We need to realize the true essence of the problem—fear.

The person acting like a bully, shouting at others, and even becoming violent, may look strong. But those seemingly powerful actions are actually the manifestations of fear. Fear of losing what he has. Of never attaining what she has been assured is hers. Of remaining stuck while others are moving on. Of being viewed as no better than others, than those they are berating or acting against.

If we can see the face of fear lurking behind all that anger, we will recognize the true problem. And finally stand a chance of resolving it.

Discriminatory seeds and habits have been planted within each of us. . . .