Alright, now that I have your attention (if not go back to the last post), let’s actually start talking about what non-violence is and why calling for ahimsa is not the same as the calling for peace or “making love not war.”
In most any dictionary you will find “peace” defined not as a condition wherein violence and military aggression do not exist, but rather as the cessation of violence, normally due to political expediencies defined in a “treaty.” Committing to peace does not mean a person or state commits to non-violence, it means they only commit to not attacking another person/state at that moment. In such a posture, they maintain the right to build up arms and prepare for war, just not to engage in it just yet. The truth of this definition is best exemplified in the oxymoron which Tracy Chapman points out in the song “Why”, singing, ”Why are all the missiles called peacekeepers when they’re aimed to kill?” Because peace is another state of war, it is not a condition of non-war.
Ahimsa, on the other hand, focuses on the complete cessation of violence. It is the Christian Commandment “thou shalt not kill” and Golden Rule. It is the Muslim directive to not hurt “the smallest ant.” It is a dedication to non-violence: meaning the complete eradication of violent actions, words, and even thoughts. We don’t practice ahimsa while preparing for war. We don’t commit to non-violence for now, we commit to it forever. Calling for peace simply isn’t enough. We must beg tirelessly for people to give up aggression, give up fighting, and promise to seek only the betterment of the human condition. The goal of the Hindu and Buddhist traditions is to end suffering, and one of the most important ways we can do that is to stop creating new suffering.
In Zen Buddhism a person makes such a commitment by dedication to precepts. While the wording of the precepts (usually the “grave” or “clear mind” precepts) can differ from one practice to another, they all contain essentially the same elements. There are also differences between the practices in the ordering of the precepts, but in many of them the first one is the precept to “not kill” or to “take up the way of supporting life.” This is the base of all things ahimsa. We commit to not taking life or doing anything which doesn’t support life. All of the other precepts really just feed into this, so we will call the commitment to the precepts a personal promise to do only those things which are life-affirming. That is, we will try our very best to support other living beings, no matter the species or other distinguishing factor, and avoid causing suffering to any (including ourselves).
Can you imagine a world where governments refused to kill or support any form of killing? What if we were able to convince every person in the world to not hurt another person or any other living being, not even with their thoughts? Wouldn’t that be an amazing place to live? I would move to that world.
At this point the common reaction is to point out the impossibility of it all, how that could never happen. I hate that argument: not because it isn’t true, but because it is used to back up the argument that we shouldn’t even try. I promise you all we will never see the end of suffering in the entire world, no matter how much we do. That does not mean that we can’t end as much suffering as possible and commit to not bringing new suffering into the world. We do have a very real chance at creating a truly happy life for ourselves, bringing light and happiness to the lives of others in the process.
So where do we start? Most of us do not even feel like it’s our place to do anything. Non-violence begins with compassion. We cannot end suffering without understanding suffering, and we don’t understand suffering without experiencing it. Through the experience of suffering we learn empathy, which grows into compassion. It is only compassion that takes a good deed and turns it into the passion it takes to change the world.
Thus, we start with our own suffering, and we end it. We take ownership of our lives, we stop blaming others for our situation or expecting others to change/maintain it. For me, I had to stop smoking, start sleeping, and let loose the feelings I had bottled for years. Once I ended my own suffering I was able to look beyond my suffering to that of others, truly feel the love for them it would take for me to do anything, and then I could act. I am not saying that I have become pure, completely free from suffering. I am simply saying that understanding and mastery over my own suffering is what enables me to address the suffering of others. It is only when I stop being violent to myself that I am able to see the violence around me, particularly the violence to which I am contributing.
So my challenge to everyone is this: take just one precept, whichever one most touches your heart or is easiest to understand, and commit to it. Everyday Zen has them listed with a little explanation. If you would like to explore them a little deeper, I recommend the book “Waking up to what you do” by Diane Eshin Rizzetto. As you commit to these precepts you will find yourself committing to eradicating the suffering in your own life as well as those around you. You don’t have to become “Buddhist”: whatever religion you are most likely already ascribes to these same principles. We can all commit to non-violence, and tell our governments to give up fighting for peace.
