| |
could. The master of course is the master.
I have no philosophy of non-violence, but I have a way of life which you can call reverence for life. And this is a totally different perspective.
Non-violence simply says don't kill others. Do you think that is enough? It is only a negative statement: don't kill others, don't harm others. Is that enough?
Reverence for life says share, give your joy, your love, your peace, your bliss. Whatsoever you can share, share.
If you are reverent towards life then it becomes a worship.
Then everywhere you feel God alive.
Then watching a tree becomes worship. Then feeding a guest becomes worship.
And you are not obliging anybody, you are not doing a service; you are simply enjoying yourself. The same way those people are enjoying torturing, you are enjoying sharing.
So I want it to be remembered by you once and for all that reverence for life is my approach.
Non-violence comes automatically, there is no need to bother about it. And when it comes of its own accord it is never ugly.
And you ask me: What do I say about the Christian philosophy, the Christian attitude of turning the other cheek? Jesus has learned that idea from India. There was no other way for him to learn it, because Jewish scriptures have no ideas about non-violence. Even the Jewish God is not non-violent. He clearly declares, "I am an angry God. And those who are not with me are against me. I am not nice," he says, "I am not your uncle."
Certainly he is your father, not your uncle. With an uncle you can have some nice relationship, friendship. Mostly uncles are nice. But father... so he makes it clear, "Don't try to make me your uncle. I am not your uncle." Actually declaring this: "I am not your uncle, remember it, and I am not nice; I am a very angry and jealous God...." When Adolf Hitler said, "Those who are not with me are against me," perhaps he was not aware that he was being very Jewish! That is the attitude of the Jewish God.
Somewhere Jesus got the idea of non-violence. It had never existed anywhere except India. And particularly at the time when Jesus moved from Egypt to
|
|
|