Reflections on a Dalai Lama essay

[JusticeZero]

Compassion And The individual

I sent it to my current student. Here's the takeaway I got out of this.

Violence injures the people on both sides of the fist.

On the one side, it is no good to simply let an attacker injure themself by letting them continue their violence, and you certainly don't want to just let yourself be mutely injured. The violence needs to be ended by everyone.

Retaliation doesn't end the violence, it's just selfish. Accepting the abuse doesn't end the violence either, it just fuels it and feeds it.

Calm action to refuse to accept the violence ends the violence. This might take the form of controlling the attacker until they calm down or are removed, or by denying the violence a target, evading the violence and escaping - or better yet, not being there to begin with. Both of those take skill and practice to develop. Additionally, it takes practice to build the confidence to not feel like the only option is the blind and clumsy strength of anger as well; to have the tools to peacefully respond to protect the violent one from themself.

If there is a *lot* of violence, it might be necessary for one to accept some of the harm caused by committing violence, in order to preserve the life and health of those around you. But this is a last resort. If I had to choose between helping a student deal with the consequences of having to fight back against overwhelming force, or of attending the funeral of that student or one of their loved ones, it is obvious which I would rather choose.

But, I spend a lot of time learning and talking about how criminals operate specifically to encourage the third option: that none of us have anything to talk about, because they said "That looks like a bad situation - i'm going to go somewhere else."

[Harkon72]

I read the Dalai Lama's Book "The Art of Happiness"; it changed my life.

[sensei8]

Doesn't action beget action?

[bushido_man96]

I think it presents an interesting dynamic. Avoidance is the best option, always, by far. Meeting it should only happen when it has to.

Thanks for sharing this with us.