ANGER - AN EMPTY BOAT

What is Anger? All of us might have different versions of the reply to this. 
I will tell you a story to try and give a good explanation.

   " A monk decides to meditate alone, away from his monastery. He takes his boat out to the middle of the lake, moors it there, closes his eyes and begins his meditation. After a few hours of undisturbed silence, he suddenly feels the bump of another boat colliding with his own. With his eyes still closed, he senses his anger rising, and by the time he opens his eyes, he is ready to scream at the boatman who dared disturb his meditation. But when he opens his eyes, he sees it’s an empty boat that had probably got un-tethered and floated to the middle of the lake. At that moment, the monk achieves self-realization, and understands that the anger is within him; it merely needs the bump of an external object to provoke it out of him. From then on, whenever he comes across someone who irritates him or provokes him to anger, he reminds himself that The other person is merely an empty boat. The anger is within me.”

What I / you have  wanted to happen, but has not. 
It has happened - but not as I /you wished it to. 
Expectation - from self and from others - is one of the most common reasons. 
These are just examples of the most common for "The anger is within me."
Try not to be the "perfectionist". Remember "To err is human"

     Take time for introspection & search for answer.
      You will find the correct reply for "What is Anger"
Introspection will help us identify the various reasons why "An Empty Boat" has triggered the anger within us.