In My Mind’s Zen Garden

I saw a recent article on the web about soldiers doing yoga, and I thought, “wow, there is definitely an irony to this”.

Many of us westerners are doing yoga to get in shape, reduce stress, and find an inner peace. But many people don’t realize that doing the postures (asanas) is just one part of yoga… one of the eight limbs of yoga, actually.

The first limb, the “yamas” teaches a moral code and part of that is “ahimsa”, which is the practice of non-violence. So, it’s ironic to me that soldiers are practicing yoga when one of the basic things about yoga is to practice non-violence… yet, soldiers are usually trained to kill.

Anyway, I think it’s a step in the right direction that soldiers are practicing yoga.

Gandhi believed in fighting for a cause, though he believed in passive resistance and non-violent means to fight for what he believed was right. I guess War and non-violent forms of struggle and resistence are both aimed at achieving the same thing… to preserve justice and truth:

While war and non-violence do sound contradictory, they are both conflict resolution vehicles. I have said time and again that Satyagraha (non-violent struggle) is not same as making peace. It is still a fight that has to be fought as bravely as a soldier in a war — just the weapon is different.

Many people mistake non-violence as compromise or avoidance of conflict. It is not. On the other hand, it is standing up for what is right (truth) and justice. Fighting a violent war is better than accepting injustice. So, really there is no contradiction in fighting a just war, and believing in non-violence. Both are duties to be carried out to preserve justice and truth.
—-Mahatma Gandhi

Still… I believe in non-violent means to solve the problems of the world…