YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED: F.A.Q. 18

War and Peace QUESTION: What is the position of Yoga on war, peace and non-violence? ANSWER: In common with all Dharmic Traditions (Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism), Yoga teaches that Non-violence (Ahimsa) must be the fundamental basis to a life in Unity with Truth. Indeed, many traditional Yogic texts count Non-violence as the first of the Ten Commandments of Yoga, the other nine being: Truthfulness (Satya), Not Stealing (Asteya), Right Sexual Conduct (Dharmacharya), Detachment from Material Possessions (Aparigraha), Austerity (Tapas), Spiritual Study (Svadhyaya), Purity (Shaucha), Contentment (Santosha) and Worship of God (Ishvara-Pujana). Yoga teaches that the Universe is God's Creation. More importantly, it teaches that God lives in all creatures. For this reason, all living things must be treated with respect. Those who mistreat or kill animals are sure to sink into Hell, declare the Holy Scriptures of India. Even plants must not be damaged or destroyed without good reason. Non-violence, therefore, permeates all aspects of Yogic life. The Yogic Principle of Ahimsa has become a universally recognised principle that not only became the very foundation of Indian culture and civilisation but it spread to the rest of the World, including the West. For example, it may be found in the Hippocratic Oath taken by doctors in Ancient Greece and among the Ten Commandments of the Bible. However, Non-violence is not to be taken as an absolute law but as a general principle that does not exclude violence (or forceful action) as a legitimate means of upholding peace, order and justice if and when peaceful means either have patently failed or are reasonably expected to fail. The fact is that Non-violence only works if practised by all. Indeed, were Non-violence to be practised in an absolute sense in all circumstances by a section of Humankind only, the World would be ruled by aggressive people who take advantage of the others' excessive love of peace (or fear of violence). We can see what happens in the animal kingdom where aggressive animals prey on peaceful ones. Yet even there, normally peaceful creatures such as cattle can be fiercely protective of their young and ready to defend themselves if attacked. Indeed, all creatures, from the elephant down to the ant will fight to defend their life and territory. It is therefore unreasonable to expect humans not to defend themselves against those who intend to harm them or their fellow humans. To see somebody being assaulted and refrain from helping him on the grounds of non-violence is both absurd and inhuman. The fact is that, in allowing an evil-doer to commit a crime, we (a) allow the victim to suffer and (b) sentence the perpetrator to a guaranteed (future) punishment from which he could have been saved, had we acted to prevent the crime from being committed. In the light of this, it becomes evident that violent, forceful or aggressive actions performed in the interest of upholding life, peace, justice and truth, must be recognised as being in accord with the general principle of Non-violence, being aimed at, and ultimately resulting in, the establishment or reinforcement of peace and order. Thus the Holy Scriptures of India declare: "There is no greater virtue than Non-violence. Even Violence committed according to scriptural injunctions is to be praised as Non-violence" (Kurma Purana II.11.15).   Lawful Killing According to Yoga, man has no power, indeed, no life of his own. He derives the powers of knowledge and action, whereby he lives his life, from the Universal Consciousness or God. He is therefore under the obligation to use those powers as intended by the Giver and true Owner of the powers and not as he pleases. In other words, man must live in Unity with Truth. Indeed, Truth and Life are one and the same. This fact is acknowledged in Yoga by the use of closely related words to describe both Life (Satta) and Truth (Satya). In consequence, only life in unity with Truth can qualify as true life, properly speaking. A life of crime, violence and sin is the opposite of True Life as it leads not to life but to death, destruction and untruth. For this reason, the life of violent criminals and terrorists, for example, may be taken for the purpose of preserving the life of peaceful and law-abiding citizens. Criminals and terrorists, after all, are well-acquainted with both the rules and the consequences of breaking the rules. The decision to commit a crime is always a deliberate and informed one. If they reform themselves and take to the Path of Righteousness, they should be welcomed with open arms. If, however, they adhere to evil ways, the shock of being deprived of their own life will certainly put them on the right path in a future existence. Punitive force, therefore, may well be applied for reasons of compassion and result in good. By contrast, Non-violence or tolerance of crime can result in an increase in crime and therefore defeat its own purpose. While Peace is always desirable, the fact is that Justice is more important than Peace. Without Justice, there can be no true Peace. A dictator may preserve Peace by suppressing all legitimate dissent against him, but people will know in their heart that this is unjust and the sense of injustice will prevent them from enjoying peace of mind. Moreover, an injustice once committed will tend to attract further injustice and whatever superficial Peace has been forcibly established will ultimately collapse and give way to conflict. Therefore, Justice may sometimes require that physical force be applied on the part of the righteous. Even from a legal point of view, it is lawful to take the life of another man in self-defence or in the defence of others. It would be unreasonable for a man to be sent to prison for killing an intruder who enters his house in the middle of the night with the intention to commit a crime, or a soldier who kills enemies in battle. The same is true from a Spiritual perspective. Thus the Shiva Purana clearly states that he who takes the life of one who is inimical to Lord Shiva, shall not be reborn, that is, he will go to Heaven and enjoy everlasting life. Even if he were to lose his own life in the fight without slaying the enemy, he shall be liberated along with his family for twenty-one generations. The twelfth-century Shaiva Teacher Basava, similarly declared that a person who disparages or belittles Shiva, should be put to death (Siddhanta-Shikhamani 9, 36). This may sound a little extreme in the materialistic World of today where belief in God is treated with derision and contempt by anti-Spiritual elements in the media, political establishment and education authorities. However, a little reflection will show that the ancients were not quite as unreasonable as it may sound. Shiva or God, is the Supreme Principle of Goodness and the Source of everything that is good. If a man opposes God, he opposes Goodness upon which righteous life rests. Those who oppose the fundamental principles of human life commit a crime against Humanity. They are evil men and the enemies of both men and God. They deserve to be punished unless, of course, they repent and take to the Path of Righteousness. Yoga is a just and compassionate faith. Nor must we lose sight of the fact that the highest Goal of Yoga is to destroy one's own inner enemies, such as ignorance, greed, hatred, laziness and so on. By overcoming the inner enemies, we will be more successful in conquering our outer foes.   Suicide Another form of violence or physical force that is expressly permitted in the Scriptures is suicide. Yoga teaches that human life must be conducted in such a way as to preserve every man's honour and dignity. If living in dignity becomes impossible, then man should at least be given the opportunity to die in a dignified manner. The taking of one's own life on the grounds of terminal illness, to avoid excessive suffering, humiliation or captivity, or for religious motives is permitted in Spiritual Law. The Shiva Purana declares that "he who willingly forsakes his life as prescribed in the Scriptures of Shiva, be it by fasting, by consigning his body to a holy fire, or by plunging into rivers that are sacred to Shiva, shall attain salvation without fail". Equally meritorious is the practice of the Rite of the Great Departure (Mahaprasthana) whereby one may "walk, fully determined and following a straight path, in a north-easterly direction, subsisting on nothing but water and air, until his body sinks to rest. A pious man, having cast off his body by one of the methods practised by Great Sages, shall be exalted in Heaven and shall be free from fear and sorrow" (Manu Smriti VI, 31-32). What must be emphasised is that for the termination of one's own life to qualify as lawful certain criteria must be first met. The most important of these is that it must not harm other living beings. The only exception to this are suicidal acts that harm one's enemies or the enemies of one's country, for example, in times of war. Such acts are permitted and even commended in Spiritual Law. It goes almost without saying that Spiritual people must not hesitate to lay down their lives in the cause of Dharma when such action is likely to cause harm to the enemy or encourage the righteous. Secondly, suicide must be a voluntary action that is carried out deliberately, as a lucid and rational decision. Suicidal acts committed under the influence of intoxicant substances or negative emotional states like grief, anger, etc., are to be avoided as far as possible as they may adversely affect one's future life. An ideal death must occur in a state of mind characterised by calmness and alert detachment in order for the dying person to secure happiness in his next life. Assisted suicide falls under the same category as suicide and is accordingly permitted in Yoga in certain circumstances. To this we may count euthanasia (compassionate killing) as practised in some Western countries, the Hindu custom of sati (sutee) as well as the ancient Japanese ritual of seppuku. We may observe that other faiths fully agree with this fundamental Yogic teaching. Thus Western Scriptures clearly state that "Death is better than a bitter life and eternal rest than sickness" (Ecclesiasticus 30:17).   War for Peace and Righteousness As far as war situations are concerned, it is essential to understand that from the beginning of written history war has been part of human existence. This is still true in many parts of the World today. Even developed countries who have enjoyed peace for decades have only succeeded to do so by exporting their conflicts to undeveloped countries. Expressions such as "spoils of war" are based on facts of history: the wealth and status of most leading nations in the World today were built on acts of war against other countries - not to mention piracy and slave trade. In a World devoid of proper Spiritual Guidance, conflict is often unavoidable. And since conflicts cannot always be resolved by peaceful means, war often becomes necessary. The position of Yoga on this point is not only logical but is also supported by all major Spiritual traditions. In the Hindu Scripture, Bhagavat Gita for example, Lord Krishna clearly advocates military action not only as a legitimate form of self-defence but as a Spiritual duty. Likewise, it is written in Hindu Law (Manu Smriti, VII, 87-88): "A king who, while observing his duty of protecting his people, is defied by foes, be they equal in strength, or stronger, or weaker, must not shrink from battle, remembering a Warrior's duty. Not to turn back in battle, to protect the people, to honour the holy Priests, is the best means for a king to secure happiness". And: "He who kills in the cause of right commits no sin" (VIII, 349). Moreover, those who refuse to give assistance according to the duties (to which they have been appointed by the King) or to their ability, such as in the case of a village being attacked by robbers or a dyke being destroyed, etc., are actually committing a punishable offence (ibidem, IX, 272-274). Among Buddhists, some supporters of Non-violence point out that, in an earlier incarnation, the Buddha himself is said to have offered his own flesh to a tigress that due to illness was unable to feed her cubs. To this it may be replied that the Buddha's action may have been appropriate in that particular life, but that he did not repeat this in his last incarnation as a Buddha, when physical self-sacrifice would have frustrated his World-enlightening teaching activities. It may also be legitimately argued that, if 20th century Tibetan Buddhists had taken care to set up a proper defence system, then perhaps they would not have been invaded and subjected to oppression and genocide by Communist China. Indeed, historical evidence shows that Buddhist monks hailing from India were responsible for the dissemination of both Buddhism and martial arts over large areas of Asia. Buddhist countries are known to have opted for military action whenever this was seen as necessary. In consequence, forceful action for the purpose of self-defence or reinforcement of law and order does not appear to have been viewed as incompatible with Buddhist teachings in former times. Historically speaking, military action has often proved to influence the life of many people in positive ways despite the suffering and loss of life it may cause. It must be regarded as beyond dispute, for example, that the German Uprising against British World hegemony in the first half of the 20th century led to the dissolution of the British Empire, enabling many nations, including India, to gain freedom from British domination. Armed struggle against foreign invasion and occupation is at any rate universally accepted as legitimate. The Shiva Purana (Uma Samhita, 20:33), a Hindu Scripture closely allied to the Yoga Tradition says: "A righteous war is conducive to the attainment of Heaven. It sanctifies and increases the manifold beauty of a man". And: "He who falls in battle without surrendering his weapons attains to Everlasting Heaven" (20:25). Likewise, in the Christian Gospel (Luke 22:36), Jesus tells his followers to sell their clothes and buy swords (presumably for purposes of self-defence). He also tells them: "But those enemies of mine who would not submit themselves to my rule, bring here and slay them before me" (Luke 19:27). And again: "You shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that you be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass" (Matthew 24:6). In other words, it is admitted that violence and wars are sometimes necessary and cannot be avoided. In this particular case, Jesus was referring to the Jewish uprising against Roman Rule in the years 66-70 CE. Statements of a similar nature may be found in the Scriptures of Judaism, Islam and other faiths. Thus the great Guru and Prophet of the Sikhs, Govind Singh, said: "When all other means have failed, it is righteous to draw the sword". And the Quran declares: "Fighting is obligatory for you, much as you dislike it. But you may hate a thing although it is good for you, and love a thing although it is bad for you" (2:216). Fighting in a righteous cause is good for a number of reasons. It is good because it is conducive to the establishment of Universal Order and Justice (Dharma) and hence constitutes a fulfilment of Divine Will. It is good because it enables the fighter to overcome selfishness and fear which is one of the greatest obstacles in life in general and in Spiritual life, in particular. It is good because the hardships endured by a fighter, including injury and death, constitute a sure means of cleansing oneself of sins that would otherwise be difficult to eradicate. For this reason it has been said that those who lay down their earthly life in the cause of Dharma (Divine Law), shall receive the greatest honours. The same position may be found among the Ancient Greeks and Romans for whom laying down one's life for the sake of one's country and one's faith was not only a religious duty but a great honour. Thus speaks the celebrated poet Horatius: "And how can man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers and the Temples of his Gods?". RIGHTEOUS or JUST WAR (DHARMA YUDDHA), therefore, mus be admitted to be a well-established universal principle. Forceful action in the face of adversity is often the only means of establishing good. On the other hand, misguided kindness may actually result in evil. If, for example, unreformed criminals are pardoned or released from prison, they will invariably return to crime which could have been prevented had they been treated less kindly. Therefore, the Shiva Purana declares: "Kindness towards violent enemies is not ultimately conducive to good. He who is kind to such ones is really unkind even though his unkindness is concealed by apparent kindness. It is therefore established that kindness does not always result in good" (Vayaviya Samhita I, 31:39-42). The fact is that peace-fanatics can do just as much damage to themselves, their families and their country as compulsive warmongers. On the other hand, it is beyond dispute that war that results in peace and justice is to be preferred to peace that results in conflict and injustice. All major Spiritual traditions hold both violent and non-violent action to be legitimate according to the requirements of a given situation. This is a position with which the Yoga Tradition itself is in complete agreement. After all, Spiritual life and, for that matter, true Democracy, are not about complacency and implicit acceptance of disorder and crime but about having the courage to fight evil and defend justice in the same way, for example, as a living organism fights disease. For this reason, it is every man's duty to uproot evil and cultivate what is good, that Dharma (Divine Law) may be established in all quarters of the Earth. Yoga therefore teaches that it is every responsible person's duty to actively support Universal Order on Earth either by peaceful means, if possible, or by forceful means, if necessary. From among India's most noble warriors (both human and Divine) who are celebrated for their heroic deeds, we may mention Lord Murugan (Karttikeya), Lord Rama, King Skanda Gupta and Shivaji Maharaj.   The Iraq War As the Coalition-led war in Iraq (2003-2004) has been the cause of much controversy among nations, it will be pertinent to take it as an illustration for the practical application of Yogic principles. While some have declared it to be illegal, others have seen it as a righteous war that was necessary in order to remove an evil dictator from power. Among those who opposed the war, we may mention the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan. Firstly, Mr Annan is an economist by profession and not a lawyer. He cannot therefore make any legal pronouncements. Secondly, the UN has been exposed by former UN ambassador, Dore Gold, and others, as one of the most corrupt and dangerous organisations in the World that cannot claim to hold the moral high ground it seeks to establish for itself. Thirdly, the UN is quite happy to accept the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the Turkish occupation of Kurdistan and the Pakistani occupation of Kashmir, among many other illegal actions perpetrated by a number of rogue nations all over the World. Fourthly, the UN has manifestly failed to offer any viable alternative to war in Iraq. In these circumstances, it is difficult to see how Mr Annan can object to Anglo-American actions. Indeed, on strict logic, dictating to a sovereign country when it should or should not conduct military actions (in self-defence or in the defence of others) against another country, amounts to denying the sovereignty of that country. Sovereign nations who have their own, lawfully elected leaders, cannot be expected to put their interests in the hands of a Mr Annan. One can make a moral judgement as to whether or not a particular military action is justified. The problem with that is that human morality is a highly subjective thing, all the more so when it is tainted by political, cultural, religious or financial commitments. From a Spiritual perspective, there cannot be any objection to military action carried out for the purpose of removing an evil dictator from power and preventing the deliberate oppression and murder of millions of innocent people. Yoga, therefore, has no problem with the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq. However, the way in which the post-war situation is handled by the invading forces is a different matter. It will remain to be seen whether the Coalition is as adept at making peace as it is at making war.   The War on Terrorism The same principles that apply to Iraq are also applicable to the war on International Terrorism: It is right to invade, attack or otherwise punish countries that are patently sponsoring terrorism and threatening World Peace, Stability and Unity. India, the Holy Land of Yoga and all Dharmic Faiths, has for centuries had to defend herself against attacks by the forces of foreign terrorism. The main sponsors of terrorism in the World today are Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Saudi Arabian forces have been attacking India since the Middle Ages. NOTE: It is important to understand that Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of India until 1947 when they were surrendered to the forces of radical Islam by the Communist (Congress) rulers of India in collaboration with the British colonial authorities. These Indian territories are now under Muslim occupation and are being used as a base for attacks on India and other countries (al-Qaida is an Arabic word for "base"). The main objectives of the Arabia-Pakistan-Bangladesh axis are to drive all Hindus out of the formerly Hindu Kingdom of Kashmir (North India) and cause as much disruption as possible to the economy of India. This is done through massive infiltration by extremist Islamist elements as well as attacks on buses, trains, schools, temples, financial centres and government buildings. The fact is that if the problem is not urgently resolved, India will soon fall into the hands of terrorists and the World will sink into a state of unprecedented Spiritual and material darkness. The situation is further complicated by Communist China's anti-Indian activities such as the occupation of Tibet and sponsoring terrorist groups who now practically control large areas in the Eastern parts of India, including Nepal. Other countries such as North America and Britain need to revise their own anti-Indian policies. American and British people must ask themselves whether selling arms to India's aggressive neighbours (e.g., Pakistan) and imposing Western culture on Indian people constitutes an act of friendship towards that country. In addition to these external attacks against India we may observe that elements within India's own ruling classes - which are largely dominated by Soviet-style left-wing organisations - are equally engaged in anti-Indian acts of subversion, sabotage and collaboration with the Enemy Forces. Given that there is no political will to resolve this problem, the only solution is for Spiritual leaders and the armed forces in their capacity as true guardians of India to assume leadership and immediately proceed to defend the nation against her declared enemies. The Forces of Global Atheism, Communism and Islamic Terrorism must be driven out of the Holy Land of India which is the Glorious Abode of Righteousness and the Bastion of the Supreme Eternal Law (Sanatana Dharma) on Earth.   <<  Yoga Council Home   ||    Questions & Answers >>