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Dragonlexie · 2012-04-21, 01:22

It's along the lines of

I shall not fear anyone on Earth.
I shall fear only God.
I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.
I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.
I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.

I try to follow his teachings and not be petty but in your opinion do you think there is any room for revenge or are you just suppose to play nice?

Obelisk ze Tormentor · 2012-04-21, 02:29

Well, "revenge" itself is a form of “evil” since it’s mostly about satisfying yourself by hurting those who have wronged you. So, in revenge case, you might give them more pain than they actually deserve. It’s the very definition of violence. Thus, I doubt Gandhi’s teachings will allow it. Heck, even most religions on earth don’t justify someone to take revenge. We are allowed to seek justice from those who done evil deeds by fair trial, not by street-justice. The problem is, some (if not many) law enforcers in our world are too corrupted to give fair trials to anyone.

Self-defense, however, is important. For example, if someone wants to hit you for no good reason at all, of course, you’re allowed to dodged or even hit them back to make them back-off. If someone provokes you with words or some racist crap, just ignore him or give some smart feedback. Just keep your fists from starting a fight.

MUAHAHAHAHAHA · 2012-04-21, 06:22

No, Gandhi would never condone that.

There is no room for revenge. No matter what the reasons are, revenge is revenge. It does not depend on the context of the situation. Speaking from my own experience, revenge is never a good thing. If you allow it to consume you, it will hinge on you so forcefully that it will be difficult to release yourself from it. It's fun and rather satisfying isn't it, to think of how your enemy will be brought down by your actions and enjoying every moment of it. Little did you realize that it's eating you up. Anger and pain require inner healing, and should not involve other people, even the person who does that to you. If you fight fire with fire, there will be no end to that cycle. Revenge is never enough, because you can never change what has happened, and revenge is akin to that of an uncontrollable fire. You will be so consumed by it you may end up hurting the innocent ones.

What goes around comes around. The person inflicting you pain will experience it himself someday, that is what I always believe in. I realize it is very, very, very difficult to let go of the opportunity to retaliate against that person, but if you allow yourself to forgive him, you will not end up the loser. Giving up revenge does not mean you are playing nice. Why? Because you are looking at him from a higher place. He can cause you pain and all, but you will never be defeated by it because you are stronger, and therefore will always be the winner.

Revenge and love are the two opposite faces of a coin. If you look at one, you can't look at the other.

Nightbat® · 2012-04-21, 06:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dragonlexie

It's along the lines of

I shall not fear anyone on Earth.
I shall fear only God.
I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.
I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.
I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.

I try to follow his teachings and not be petty but in your opinion do you think there is any room for revenge or are you just suppose to play nice?

If I get those bold parts right , it seems a bit more along the lines of
"Turn the other cheek and bend over"

erneiz_hyde · 2012-04-21, 07:10

I see a typical cultural matter.

In a modern western culture (and several others), sucking everything up could be considered a submissive behavior. And arguably, being submissive means this person accepts/consents to what the dominant imposed on this person.

Of course, this being cultural, it could be very hard for some people to accept that temperance is a virtue. Especially on this day and age.

Urzu 7 · 2012-04-21, 22:58

Gandhi wouldn't condone revenge. He even said a famous line; "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".

Gandhi taught love and compassion and benevolence. As far as I know, the only time Gandhi ever taught that it was okay to use violence was only in the event that someone was trying to harm/harming innocent people and you could step in and use force to protect them (if that was in your ability), or if someone is attacking you, you have the right to defend yourself, and only as much as you need to. If you start defending yourself, the tables turn and you get the upper hand, and your opponent is defeated, wailing on them until they almost die or die is not acceptable. Just do what it takes to get them to back off or not be able to hurt you anymore, but no more than you need. If you ever have to kill someone because they are too dangerous to others or you, so be it, but using force to protect yourself should be an absolute last resort, especially the use of lethal force.

I believe this is essentially the same view on the matter with many Buddhists, although some Buddhists even believe that if you are being attacked, don't fight back, or at least, don't aim to kill the opponent. But protecting others is important, more important than even yourself.

By the way, even though Gandhi taught that defending yourself is okay (I believe that is the case, I think that is what I heard years ago), when he and others did protests, it was peaceful protests. There were times that the opposition was violent against the protesters and they just took the abuse. These sacrifices were very important, as these successful protests led to India gaining their sociopolitical goals and inspired Martin Luther King Jr. and influenced people to have peaceful protests during the civil rights movement.

2012-04-21, 01:22	Link #1
Dragonlexie Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2012	Very off topic... Would Gandhi teachings allow any revenge? It's along the lines of I shall not fear anyone on Earth. I shall fear only God. I shall not bear ill will toward anyone. I shall not submit to injustice from anyone. I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering. I try to follow his teachings and not be petty but in your opinion do you think there is any room for revenge or are you just suppose to play nice?

2012-04-21, 02:29	Link #2
Obelisk ze Tormentor Black Steel Knight Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Indonesia	Well, "revenge" itself is a form of “evil” since it’s mostly about satisfying yourself by hurting those who have wronged you. So, in revenge case, you might give them more pain than they actually deserve. It’s the very definition of violence. Thus, I doubt Gandhi’s teachings will allow it. Heck, even most religions on earth don’t justify someone to take revenge. We are allowed to seek justice from those who done evil deeds by fair trial, not by street-justice. The problem is, some (if not many) law enforcers in our world are too corrupted to give fair trials to anyone. Self-defense, however, is important. For example, if someone wants to hit you for no good reason at all, of course, you’re allowed to dodged or even hit them back to make them back-off. If someone provokes you with words or some racist crap, just ignore him or give some smart feedback. Just keep your fists from starting a fight. __________________

2012-04-21, 06:22	Link #3
MUAHAHAHAHAHA Hail the power of Fujoshi Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: hahahahahahahahaha Age: 35	No, Gandhi would never condone that. There is no room for revenge. No matter what the reasons are, revenge is revenge. It does not depend on the context of the situation. Speaking from my own experience, revenge is never a good thing. If you allow it to consume you, it will hinge on you so forcefully that it will be difficult to release yourself from it. It's fun and rather satisfying isn't it, to think of how your enemy will be brought down by your actions and enjoying every moment of it. Little did you realize that it's eating you up. Anger and pain require inner healing, and should not involve other people, even the person who does that to you. If you fight fire with fire, there will be no end to that cycle. Revenge is never enough, because you can never change what has happened, and revenge is akin to that of an uncontrollable fire. You will be so consumed by it you may end up hurting the innocent ones. What goes around comes around. The person inflicting you pain will experience it himself someday, that is what I always believe in. I realize it is very, very, very difficult to let go of the opportunity to retaliate against that person, but if you allow yourself to forgive him, you will not end up the loser. Giving up revenge does not mean you are playing nice. Why? Because you are looking at him from a higher place. He can cause you pain and all, but you will never be defeated by it because you are stronger, and therefore will always be the winner. Revenge and love are the two opposite faces of a coin. If you look at one, you can't look at the other. __________________ A politically ignorant person who embraces only hedonism as the main philosophical doctrine. Old stuff but just a reminder that butthurt report form is here to help

2012-04-21, 07:10	Link #5
erneiz_hyde 18782+18782=37564 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: InterWebs	I see a typical cultural matter. In a modern western culture (and several others), sucking everything up could be considered a submissive behavior. And arguably, being submissive means this person accepts/consents to what the dominant imposed on this person. Of course, this being cultural, it could be very hard for some people to accept that temperance is a virtue. Especially on this day and age. __________________

2012-04-21, 22:58	Link #6
Urzu 7 Juanita/Kiteless Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: New England Age: 40	Gandhi wouldn't condone revenge. He even said a famous line; "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". Gandhi taught love and compassion and benevolence. As far as I know, the only time Gandhi ever taught that it was okay to use violence was only in the event that someone was trying to harm/harming innocent people and you could step in and use force to protect them (if that was in your ability), or if someone is attacking you, you have the right to defend yourself, and only as much as you need to. If you start defending yourself, the tables turn and you get the upper hand, and your opponent is defeated, wailing on them until they almost die or die is not acceptable. Just do what it takes to get them to back off or not be able to hurt you anymore, but no more than you need. If you ever have to kill someone because they are too dangerous to others or you, so be it, but using force to protect yourself should be an absolute last resort, especially the use of lethal force. I believe this is essentially the same view on the matter with many Buddhists, although some Buddhists even believe that if you are being attacked, don't fight back, or at least, don't aim to kill the opponent. But protecting others is important, more important than even yourself. By the way, even though Gandhi taught that defending yourself is okay (I believe that is the case, I think that is what I heard years ago), when he and others did protests, it was peaceful protests. There were times that the opposition was violent against the protesters and they just took the abuse. These sacrifices were very important, as these successful protests led to India gaining their sociopolitical goals and inspired Martin Luther King Jr. and influenced people to have peaceful protests during the civil rights movement. __________________