Art of Non Resistance

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 “Be good Do good” – There is not even a single child who hasn’t heard this piece of advice from parents from their childhood. What does it actually mean? How can we do good even if someone is imparting bad to us? Even if we manage to do good in such instances, why does it further lead to self- disapproval and weakness?

All great teachers have taught that non-resistance / non violence is the highest moral ideal. But we all know that, even if a certain number of us attempted to put that maxim fully into practice, the whole social fabric would fall to pieces; the wicked would take possession of our properties and our lives, and would do whatever they liked with us

Men generally practice non-resistance to evil, because they are weak, lazy and cannot resist evil ; not because they will not. Say, if a man knows that he can strike an irresistible blow or crush the enemies to ground in no time and yet he chooses not to strike, but blesses his enemies, then he is doing a grand act of love. The weak man when practicing non-resistance towards evil as such, cannot receive any benefit from this non-resistance.

If you have the power, but you renounce it and do not resist, then you are doing a grand act of love; but if you cannot resist and yet, at the same time, try to deceive yourselves into the belief that you are actuated by motives of the highest love, it is hypocrisy or cowardice.

This is central idea of Karma-Yoga. Karma-Yogi is the man one who understands that highest ideal is non-resistance and also knows that this non-resistance is the highest manifestation of power in actual possession. Resisting evil is but a step on the way towards the manifestation of this highest power - non-resistance. Before reaching this highest ideal, man's duty is to resist evil; only, when he has gained the power to resist, will non-resistance be a virtue

Scenario 1 : An ant bit me. I know I can crush it into nothing with a snap of my finger. But, if choose not to do any harm, I'm doing an act of love.

Scenario 2 : If a lion attacks me, I know I have no power to fight back. But I 'accept' this because I want to practice 'non-resistance and love'. I'm a big time hypocrite and coward.

Remember - Buddha had everything to renounce but a beggar has nothing to renounce.

[Extracted from Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda - Volume 1 / Karma Yoga / Chapter 2 : Each is great in his own place]

-Om Tat Sat


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