When we respond with attack, we perpetuate a system that is doomed to create suffering and dissatisfaction. From this, there is nothing worthwhile that maintains its value for the possessor. The fleeting rush of victory soon fades and our proceeds remain closely guarded while we constantly prepare a defense for the onslaught we imagine will come. We cannot truly find peace and enjoyment that would make these pursuits beneficial, we reserve this only for another day. We find ourselves, huddled with our bounty, worried of how it may be seized, while our minds and bodies fall ill from our fears of the very world that provided the now tarnished object of our desires. The end is always the same, we survive for a time in a world of “shoot first and ask questions later”, “kill or be killed”, and “he who dies with the most toys wins”. The vast majority of our moments are wasted in worry and dread as we grow old, become sick, and leave this place losing everything and everyone we loved in the few unwasted moments we allowed ourselves to enjoy.
There is another way, by letting go of our desires, focusing our awareness on acceptance of the world as it is in this moment, and expressing love and forgiveness through positive action we can escape the endless cycle of attack and realize true liberation. Although the yearnings of our will may go unfilled, we can learn to see them for what they truly are, a prison that binds us with fear and distrust of our brothers and sisters. From the vantage point of desirelessness, love, and compassion we can see the struggle as it unfolds for others and learn to gently help them realize the truth about the source of their discomfort. Do not fall victim to the longing to punish those who seek glory in attack. In time, all of these lessons lead the observer to their own truth. Who knows what treachery occurs inside the chrysalis before the butterfly is born.
The following I believe to be a teaching from my inner guru:
To take pride or revel in an attack on one’s behalf is to justify the need for attack. To justify the need for attack on others is to justify the need for attack upon our own self. It is an understandable reaction in this world to meet aggression with counter-aggression, both in conceptual and material aspects. Everyone who has lived a life in this form is familiar with the desire to attack and defend against attack. We are also familiar with the escalation effect that ensues and we have all experienced suffering as a result.
This can serve as the basis for forgiveness. Once we understand the desire within ourselves and absolve ourselves through love and compassion, and understand that it is a result of the flawed nature of this world, we can begin to forgive others around us for being in the same situation that we ourselves struggle with.
I wish things could be different here and that we didn’t have to respond to attacks with counter attacks. It seems endless and pointless.
The following I believe to be a teaching from my inner guru:
On the topic of attack, please know that you are loved and that I have no desire to see you subjected to violence of any kind. It is the nature of your cognitive mind to defend itself. Listen only to the sound of silence and you will see things for what they are. Don’t be afraid of the attacks that spring forth from the illusion of the human mind. This pattern of conflict is repeated in increasing degree throughout all manifestations of matter in your observable world. Examine very small events and you will see conflict at play. Examine large celestial occurrences and you will see demonstrations of the same forces in conflict. Why would you believe that the arising of biological life under these conditions would be immune to the attributes of the underlying forces from which they sprang? Conflict and separation rests at the core of the world in which your physical form resides.
There is a way to escape this struggle. In stillness you will access a place where conflict does not exist. Remain still in comfort and breathe; quiet the thinking mind and respond only to its protestations with loving kindness and compassion. Just as the body digests food so the mind will think it’s thoughts; if we do not respond to them they become only thoughts with no attachment to identity and thus have no effect on self. Celebrate your return to breath and awareness without thought. Remain still for as long as possible, once the mind is quieted bring forth an image of a being at peace and focus on this. Imagine this being is hopelessly in love with everything in existence. This means beyond any hope of a love that is more powerful; an immeasurable love. Imagine this being radiating boundless compassion for everyone and everything. A being with a capacity for forgiveness that is beyond any measure. Imagine this being sharing an eternal joy filled with loving laughter and a knowing sense of oneness. Imagine this being completely at peace, fully acceptant of everything that is here now. Completely desireless and without aversion, doubt, agitation or apathy. Say yes to this moment completely and thoroughly and join with this being in the light of true existence. Know that I am and we are one. The first step in this journey is only a breath away.
When we respond with attack, we perpetuate a system that is doomed to create suffering and dissatisfaction. From this, there is nothing worthwhile that maintains its value for the possessor. The fleeting rush of victory soon fades and our proceeds remain closely guarded while we constantly prepare a defense for the onslaught we imagine will come. We cannot truly find peace and enjoyment that would make these pursuits beneficial, we reserve this only for another day. We find ourselves, huddled with our bounty, worried of how it may be seized, while our minds and bodies fall ill from our fears of the very world that provided the now tarnished object of our desires. The end is always the same, we survive for a time in a world of “shoot first and ask questions later”, “kill or be killed”, and “he who dies with the most toys wins”. The vast majority of our moments are wasted in worry and dread as we grow old, become sick, and leave this place losing everything and everyone we loved in the few unwasted moments we allowed ourselves to enjoy.
There is another way, by letting go of our desires, focusing our awareness on acceptance of the world as it is in this moment, and expressing love and forgiveness through positive action we can escape the endless cycle of attack and realize liberation. Although the yearnings of our will may go unfilled, we can learn to see them for what they truly are, a prison that binds us with fear and distrust of our brothers and sisters. From the vantage point of desirelessness, love, and compassion we can see the struggle as it unfolds for others and learn to gently help them realize the truth about the source of their discomfort. Do not fall victim to the longing to punish those who seek glory in attack. In time, all of these lessons lead the observer to their own truth. Who knows what treachery occurs inside the chrysalis before the butterfly is born.
It can be difficult for us to forgive, especially when we feel justified in our condemnation of others. We live in a world where the human ego can set in motion a disastrous sequence of events. A series of unskillful actions can lead many astray while others cheer on their debauchery encouraging them to go even farther. The end is always tragic and causes pain and suffering for the innocent. We tend to dehumanize the perpetrators the same way we perceive they have dehumanized their victims. Now they become the object of our attacks and the cycle continues.
Finally, when justice is served, those involved may take great pride in participating in the process and the punishment. Some who see themselves as the deliverers of decency may even delight in not forgiving nor forgetting. Yet when the convict is sentenced we are left with a dull sense of dissatisfaction, it never seems to be enough even when the penalty is death. It is not uncommon for adoration and celebrity to be showered upon those who work to see the culprits punished, further exacerbating the rollercoaster ride that provides heights of egoic pride and lows of internal strife as we brace for future revenge. We find ourselves imprisoned by our own retaliations as our minds devise a blame game that always finds others guilty for our internal misery.
In our hearts remains a tension, a feeling of unease as though another attack will soon come. Many times we believe that this is our lot in life; to constantly be “A warrior for good” fending off each imagined assault as they continue to pervade our fictional views of the future. We struggle to realize at the very core of our tension and discomfort is our belief in the battle of “good over evil”; “good guys versus bad guys”; “the moral struggle against the immoral”. We live in this trap believing it is normal, each of us fighting for what we believe is right. However, what we hold as forthright and just is different for everyone. Upon investigation we will always find points on which we disagree. Herein lies the lock that keeps us in this prison of our own making, it is the fantasy that there is evil in the hearts of ourselves and others which we must constantly battle but none of us completely agree upon. How can we free ourselves from this insanity?
The truth is simple, it is not evil that causes us to do monstrous things, it is simply ignorance and the unskillfulness that springs from the ego’s desires. When we attack perpetrators in the name of justice, we perpetuate a system of separation which results in the hardening of our own hearts. We come to realize a false reality in which the battle of the virtuous is never ending. We often revel in locking offenders in prisons designed to be tortuous and terrifying, hoping they are beaten or raped by others who share their same fate. Years later we may set them free to be among our loved ones again even more damaged and broken then when they began their sentence. How does this make our world safer? It is no wonder why we remain discontent and anxious in our hearts waiting for the other shoe to drop from the counterattacks we believed would save us. We arm ourselves with weapons that kill and injure our loved ones more often from our own mistakes and anger then protect us from the “evildoers” we imagine will exact their revenge on us. Each moment we spend lost in these hellish fantasies we steal only from ourselves.
There is another way, by understanding the ignorance and unskillfulness of others, we can learn to love and forgive in our hearts even the most hideous deeds. We can become proficient in responding in a way that deescalates the cycle of attack and creates a safer world for our loved ones and ourselves. This does not mean the end of justice, it simply means justice administered from love as opposed to retribution. Yes, we still need protection from dangerous individuals and they may need to be placed in an environment that provides a better degree of safety for others and themselves, one in which they can learn, heal, and make amends. It is also true that a responder or soldier may need to use deadly force for those that pose an immediate mortal threat to others, nevertheless, even this can be done with love and understanding. Prejudice and anger are not required for ending the life of a violently insane individual, this must always be a last resort.
Learning to forgive is not always an easy task, for many, this requires a profound change of mind. If we are willing, we can start with forgiving ourselves for our own unforgiving natures. This offers us a priceless gift, it is liberation from the unease and dissatisfaction we have condemned ourselves to in this world. When we love and forgive, we can live our lives free from the worry and fear of the next attack. Happiness becomes genuine and is no longer a false mask we wear for others. Even if our lives are cut short by an assailant, we will have increased our own joy and the joy of others tenfold.
Zen Momentum 