All the great sages, the wise ones we respect the most, have strictly admonished us to lead non-violent lives, even to the point of never thinking violent thoughts. I wonder sometimes, is what they say we must do to fulfill ourselves possible? How can one live non-violently in a violent world, where the innocent and helpless are always the first to suffer?
The Buddha said, "All beings tremble before violence. All fear death. All love life.
"See yourself in others," he advises. "Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?"
But it's hard for me to see myself in the confused and enraged gangster on the street, or in the soldiers who invade other people's countries and blow up their houses. What have I in common with them? I suppose only the fact of our all being human.
In his Yoga Sutras, the ancient teacher Patanjali advises us to "cultivate"an attitude of "indifference toward error" (YS 1.33), and teaches that the first "principle of respect for others" is "nonviolence" (YS 2.30).
In keeping with his character, Yeshu insists on giving us the most demanding, perplexing, and impossible instructions of all.
If someone slaps you on the cheek, offer your other cheek as well. If anyone grabs your coat, let him have your shirt as well.
Give to anyone who asks, and if someone takes away your belongings, do not ask to have them back.
How could poor, suffering beings like ourselves ever rise to such a height of perfection as these wise men describe?
Illustration: photo montage by Quincy Alivio. Click on the image for a larger view.
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