Wonderful thread Flowerchild I love these topics.

I too, follow the beliefs/philosophies of the Buddhism teachings. I try very hard to live my life following these beliefs but i'm not very good at it some times, and like everyone, would always like to improve on this. I think it's a lifelong journey in self discovery and I think would take many, many years of practising to get it right too and even then there is always more to learn iykwim.

There is a wonderful quote that relates to this topic of owning your own feelings and that is "Holding onto anger is like grasping onto a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else. You are the one who gets burned." (Gautama Buddha).... how very true this is.

I believe you are giving others the power to own your feelings too when you allow yourself to react or get upset or offended by something they have said either directly said to you or indirectly. WE need to own our own feelings, and hold the power.

I'm currently reading "Buddhism for Mothers" by Sarah Napthali.

I look forward to reading more posts.