Meditation on recognizing when we’re angry
Venerable Thubten Semkye 
Antidotes to Afflictions 
Apr 12, 2026 A guided meditation led at Sravasti Abbey’s monthly Sharing the Dharma Day. You can also view the complete video of the session including the teaching on "Taking responsibility for our anger".
- Setting an altruistic motivation
- Meditation on the breath
- Recall a common distraction during meditation that you would identify as an annoyance, something unsettling
- Check your thoughts. Is there an emotional tone that has anger beneath the surface?
- What prompts bad moods for you?
- Can you recognize any particular physical sensations that arise when you get angry?
- Conclusion: By recognizing when anger arises in our mind we can address it with antidotes and avoid letting it progress
- Dedication
Meditation on recognizing when we’re angry (download)
Venerable Thubten Semkye
Ven. Semkye was the Abbey's first lay resident, coming to help Venerable Chodron with the gardens and land management in the spring of 2004. She became the Abbey's third nun in 2007 and received bhikshuni ordination in Taiwan in 2010. She met Venerable Chodron at the Dharma Friendship Foundation in Seattle in 1996. She took refuge in 1999. When the land was acquired for the Abbey in 2003, Ven. Semye coordinated volunteers for the initial move-in and early remodeling. A founder of Friends of Sravasti Abbey, she accepted the position of chairperson to provide the Four Requisites for the monastic community. Realizing that was a difficult task to do from 350 miles away, she moved to the Abbey in spring of 2004. Although she didn't originally see ordination in her future, after the 2006 Chenrezig retreat when she spent half of her meditation time reflecting on death and impermanence, Ven. Semkye realized that ordaining would be the wisest, most compassionate use of her life. View pictures of her ordination. Ven. Semkye draws on her extensive experience in landscaping and horticulture to manage the Abbey's forests and gardens. She oversees "Offering Volunteer Service Weekends" during which volunteers help with construction, gardening, and forest stewardship.
