Something to be Practised
Saddhaloka finds that everyday life provides a host of occasions for the practice of non-violence.
For me, talk of non-violence evokes a scene from the film 'Gandhi' in which demonstrators at a salt works allow themselves to be beaten down by the sticks of the police... tales of Quaker stretcher-bearers risking their lives on the front line.... newsreel footage of young people standing in front of Soviet tanks and hanging flowers on the gun barrels....
All such scenes are marked by a courageous commitment to non-violence, and a readiness to put one's own life on the line. Contemplating them I find myself wondering whether I would have that same courage and commitment if I suddenly found myself in a similar position. Everyday life offers few opportunities to find out. It is all much less exciting, and it may not be at all obvious what non-violence in everyday life might involve.
My own commitment to non-violence began in my student days when I was involved in left-wing politics. There was much talk of revolution, of creating a fairer and more just society, and there were naturally those who insisted that the only way to achieve this would be through a violent upheaval. On a massive demonstration against the Vietnam war I remember seeing demonstrators battling with the police, whose horses charged into the crowd. A man lay bleeding in the gutter, and I felt the sordidness, nastiness, and smallness of it all; it was so far away from the brave new world we spoke of building. In that atmosphere of anger, hatred, and fear the contradiction inherent in using violence to build a world free of violence struck me very forcefully.
I began to look in other directions, becoming increasingly interested in Eastern religion, and Buddhism in particular. Buddhism made me understand that to make real and lasting changes in the world I would have to overcome the violence in myself. It also made it clear that this is a progressive task. A declaration that 'I believe in non-violence' is not enough. Non-violence is something to be practised, all the time, in every aspect of one's life. I now recognize that it is only through this ongoing practice that I will develop the qualities that will enable me to meet more dramatic situations with real courage and non-violence.
My everyday attempts to practise non-violence are for the most part anything but dramatic. I don't have a propensity to get into brawls or to lash out with my fists, and whilst I do get angry once in a while I don't have a fierce temper that is liable to get out of hand. It therefore comes down to making an ongoing effort to be aware of the many small violences I do to others when I ignore them, don't listen to what they have to say, try to make them do what I want, or am harsh or unkind in my speech to them. The positive aspect of this lies in trying to empathize with, and cultivate feelings of metta for, all those I have dealings with, underpinned by a regular practice of the Metta Bhavana meditation. This perhaps sums up the real heart of my efforts with non-violence. I have still far to go, but I keep practising, and I slowly get better at it.
Another expression of my practice of non-violence is in my vegetarianism. Eating meat and fish obviously involves animals being killed, and it involves people in killing them. I am convinced that a healthy and balanced diet does not require this, certainly in the West, and probably in most parts of the world. I do still eat some dairy produce, which is something of a compromise since the dairy and beef industries are closely connected: in supporting the one, one indirectly supports the other. There are good arguments for a Vegan diet, free of all dairy and animal produce, but one does need to take considerable care to ensure that one is not deficient in important vitamins and trace elements. I have made moves towards a vegan diet, but out of a mixture of habit, laziness, and expediency I continue to eat a limited amount of dairy food, and acknowledge that in this respect my practice of non-violence is incomplete.
Anyone trying to be consistent in their efforts with non-violence is faced with a similar sort of dilemma when it comes to wearing leather shoes-which I do (though I don't wear a leather jacket!). The question seems to be where to draw the line. To take another example, wool comes from sheep, and those sheep are probably also kept for mutton, so should one avoid woollen jumpers and socks too? If one is going to take the implications of non-violence through to its ultimate conclusion one could end up like the naked Jain ascetics wearing only a piece of gauze over their mouths to prevent them from accidentally swallowing insects. Somewhere we have to take the principle of non-violence firmly on board, think through its implications, and apply it as fully and honestly as we can, whilst avoiding the extreme of a narrow, inhibiting inflexibility. We have to make decisions, and take full responsibility for our actions and their consequences.
Exactly the same sort of point needs to be made when it comes to looking at how to live non-violently in the context of modern society. Governments pour massive resources into the armed forces and the production of weapons of mass destruction whilst people starve. Consumerism stalks the earth and human greed prevails over reason when it comes to stemming the savage exploitation and rapid degradation of the environment. What we do in the face of all this can seem insignificant, but it is important that we do what we can. So I add my voice to the protest against nuclear weapons, and the vast amounts of money spent on them. In the community where I live, and in the local Buddhist centre, I encourage the use of household products that do not damage the environment; I have joined the boycott of the products of repressive regimes and avoid dealings with firms connected with abuses of the environment and of wildlife; I try to live simply and resist the advertising industry's attempts to proliferate my wants.
An active awareness of what is going on in the world, and a ready response to it, is very important. However, the modern world is so complex, everything so interconnected, that to be perfectly non-violent in terms of not having any economic connection with those who perpetrate violence is probably impossible. Again I realize I have to be pragmatic and do what I can. I am a member of CND and of Greenpeace, and am grateful that people are campaigning to help change the perceptions of public and politicians, but I am not active in campaigning myself. I only have a limited amount of time and energy, and I have decided that the best contribution I can make to a non-violent world is in teaching meditation, and in sharing my experience and understanding of metta, awareness, and the non-violent principles of the Dharma.
To return to my practice of non-violence in the details of everyday life, a few more specific areas are worth mentioning. One is in dealing with so called 'pests': mice and rats, flies in the kitchen, insects on plants. There was a time when I didn't really give it a second thought: they were pests, to be killed as quickly as possible. Now I think things through much more carefully. I look at what preventive measures can be taken, and at what really needs to be done. If it is clear that a plant will die if it is not sprayed, then I spray it. If it is clear that the mice will get out of hand if they are not dealt with, then I trap them. I make a reasoned decision, accepting that sometimes one has to take life in this way, and with a certain feeling of regret. [The important thing is to act with awareness, and with the sense of taking full responsibility for one's actions.]
Another area worth mentioning is driving. In a car we have tremendous power at our fingertips. It is so easy to get taken over by the demon in the machine, caught up in aggression and competitiveness. I find it important to remain aware of this danger, and to keep reminding myself that my own and other people's lives are at stake.
We can easily underestimate the effect that the media has on our mental and emotional states. A few years ago I went to see the film Apocalypse Now. Coming out of the cinema I suddenly found very strong violent feelings welling up in me, and I had a strong urge to smash a window! I got myself home as quickly as possible before anything happened. I don't know quite what was going on, but the experience taught me that one must selective with regards to the influences to which one subjects oneself if one is to maintain the clear and positive awareness that is the foundation of non-violence.
When I visit the local prison in response to requests for a Buddhist chaplain, I usually teach the Mindfulness of Breathing and Metta Bhavana meditations. There can be an underlying atmosphere of violence in prisons, with strict hierarchies and pecking orders, and some prisoners have told me of their fear that, in developing metta, they might lose the hard 'front' that protects them and enables them to hold their own in that harsh and difficult world. Here, words alone are of little use. Unless people can see in me a real faith and confidence in the transforming power of metta and non-violence, they are not going to be convinced that it is anything more than just a nice idea - nothing to do with real life. Reflecting on this, I know that the attitude of these prisoners is just an extreme version, due to their circumstances, of that shared by many people: that metta and non-violence are all very well in theory, but not all that helpful when it comes down to the nitty-gritty nastiness of 'the real world'.
But then I think of the Buddha, and his encounter with Angulimala, the mass-murderer whom he went into the countryside to confront. Where a king and his army had failed, the Buddha, alone, tamed and converted him with love. I think too of the time when the Buddha placed himself between two warring armies and persuaded them to make peace.
Non-violence is the only real answer to all the hatred and fear, greed and aggression in the world. But I realize that I must deepen and intensify my own experience and understanding of non-violence in all the details of my everyday existence, so that I can give expression to its transforming power through my own life.