“Hatred does not cease by hatred at any time; hatred ceases by love. This is an unalterable law.” The Buddha
I also think it can be said that war does not cease by war at any time; war ceases by peace. This is an unalterable law. From my point of view, our wars on drugs and on terrorism are such obvious illustrations of this law. That which we try with all our might to destroy grows and morphs, absorbing the anger of our fight. We chop off one head, and two more grow in its place. We destroy this aspect of it, and another, uglier and harder to handle one sprouts somewhere else.
Thirteen years ago, an overwhelming act of violence struck the United States. It still hurts to remember. In response to the immensity of this unmovable pain, a sense of anger and hatred for those who had any responsibility became a dominant channel for all the grief and sadness. Subtly, we were told that this great loss of life won’t be in vain if all the terrorists are hunted, punished, killed – then, it will stop hurting so much. But that’s lie. It will never stop hurting. And it won’t stop hurting for the people in countries across the globe who lose their loved ones each day from the wars on their homelands. The pain of war does not go away when one side triumphs or when someone responsible for great tragedy is gone.
I feel that the greatest honor we can give the victims of violence is to give our lives to peace, in the incredible variety of ways that peace may express itself. Peace is not the lack of fight; it is the lack of fight fueled by hatred. The Bhagavad Gita happens on a battlefield in which Arjuna is seeking the counsel of God because he does not want to fight. The dialogue unfolds with the Higher Power sending Arjuna to do his duty in battle, and yet, The Gita is known as a text about peace. It’s the key text that influenced Mahatma Gandhi, one of our greatest heros of peace. The Gita points to an idea of peace more powerful and transformative than war could ever be.
ABOUT THE COUNTDOWN: This post is counting down the days until the International Day of Peace on 9/21/14. There will be a Global Meditation for Peace at 3:00 PM Eastern Time on that day, and you can participate from wherever you happen to be or find an event in your area at peacemap.unify.org. For more information, go to unify.org, and if you're skeptical about the power of group meditation, google "Proof that Group Meditation can Change the World."
I also think it can be said that war does not cease by war at any time; war ceases by peace. This is an unalterable law. From my point of view, our wars on drugs and on terrorism are such obvious illustrations of this law. That which we try with all our might to destroy grows and morphs, absorbing the anger of our fight. We chop off one head, and two more grow in its place. We destroy this aspect of it, and another, uglier and harder to handle one sprouts somewhere else.
Thirteen years ago, an overwhelming act of violence struck the United States. It still hurts to remember. In response to the immensity of this unmovable pain, a sense of anger and hatred for those who had any responsibility became a dominant channel for all the grief and sadness. Subtly, we were told that this great loss of life won’t be in vain if all the terrorists are hunted, punished, killed – then, it will stop hurting so much. But that’s lie. It will never stop hurting. And it won’t stop hurting for the people in countries across the globe who lose their loved ones each day from the wars on their homelands. The pain of war does not go away when one side triumphs or when someone responsible for great tragedy is gone.
I feel that the greatest honor we can give the victims of violence is to give our lives to peace, in the incredible variety of ways that peace may express itself. Peace is not the lack of fight; it is the lack of fight fueled by hatred. The Bhagavad Gita happens on a battlefield in which Arjuna is seeking the counsel of God because he does not want to fight. The dialogue unfolds with the Higher Power sending Arjuna to do his duty in battle, and yet, The Gita is known as a text about peace. It’s the key text that influenced Mahatma Gandhi, one of our greatest heros of peace. The Gita points to an idea of peace more powerful and transformative than war could ever be.
ABOUT THE COUNTDOWN: This post is counting down the days until the International Day of Peace on 9/21/14. There will be a Global Meditation for Peace at 3:00 PM Eastern Time on that day, and you can participate from wherever you happen to be or find an event in your area at peacemap.unify.org. For more information, go to unify.org, and if you're skeptical about the power of group meditation, google "Proof that Group Meditation can Change the World."
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