Why Pacifism?
There once was a Buddha who, awakening from his meditation,
looked down and declared that he would bring blessings to those who brought
him evil and do good to those who harmed him. A
man from the village nearby, hearing this, came to him the next day,
cursed at him, and struck
him. The Buddha said nothing. The man cursed and struck again, demanding a
response. Again the
Buddha said nothing. A third time the man cursed and struck him, this time
with a stick leaving a
large black bruise across the Buddha's shoulder. The Buddha did not
respond. As the man turned to
leave the Budda finaly spoke to him "when one man gives his brother a
gift, but the brother will
not take it, who does the gift belong to?" The man responded that it
belonged to the giver. The
Buddha returned "likewise do I refuse your gift and now you must carry
it, and it will cause you
great sorrow in
the days to come.."
Violence is the way of the weak. It is the way of those who would force
their wills on others, and it can only cause pain. Ghandi once said "you
may hit me, beat me, even kill me, and then you will have my dead body.
Not my cooperation." This is the essence of true freedom. A person who is
not master of their own will can never be free, and a person who has
mastered it can never be enslaved, regardless of their physical
circumstances. We do not choose the easy route, but it is the only route
that can lead us all to a world without oppression, hatred, and
authority.
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