Learn to deal with your detractors
with love and forgiveness. See how this approach helps you remain
peaceful.
Ever so often we encounter detractors.
Neighbors, colleagues, bosses, family, kids__everyone, at some time or the
other, tries to throw a spanner in the works. Wantonly, inadvertently or even deliberately.
And we immediately snap into the 'How
Dare You?' mode. Our minds instantaneously start spewing negative thoughts,
abuses (we may not always physically express them, but the mind goes on
jabber-jabber) and we become, well, terrorists – albeit of a different kind. We
start shooting off our mouths indiscriminately__at all and sundry__because one
person has upset us. The issue__the reason why we are upset__is no longer
important as the person that caused the upset becomes our enemy number one.
Gandhi championed and practised a process
called 'ahimsa' to deal with such
situations. Popularly misunderstood as his theory of non-violence, 'ahimsa' is today dealt with as a sexy ideal
– something that you want to flaunt but don’t know how to practice. Many even
believe 'ahimsa' is impractical.
Actually, 'ahimsa' must be understood
first for it to be practised right. What I have learnt from the thinker-guru, the late Eknath Eswaran (1910~1999),
is that 'ahimsa' actually means the absence of violence. Which is, the state
when even violent thought is absent and true love,
our native state, prevails.
I have known from experience that it is
possible to practice 'ahimsa' in the
world and times we live in. When someone tries to derail your plans or
attacks you, wantonly, inadvertently or deliberately, don't enjoin in the
strife. The best way to win any battle is not to fight at all. Instead, remain
silent. And wish, deeply from within, that person all luck. Wish that their
deepest desire gets fulfilled. If you wish so, genuinely, any
opposition/opponent will melt away! I have been practising this for several years
now. And with each opportunity, my ability to harvest inner peace only gets
better. I have come away unscathed from physically (when there has been a
possibility of assault) challenging situations and emotionally excruciating circumstances
by employing this method. I must confess that there are times when I have
wanted to retaliate, but my awareness – honed by my daily practice of mouna (silence periods) – has always
helped me.
To me, ‘ahimsa’ is a
method. It is a process. It is a philosophy. It can be your way of Life too. Try
it. It works! Happy experimenting!
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