How to deal with Adversaries Spiritually in modern Living?

Namaste everyone. I'm not sure if this is the correct section to post this.

I was looking for some guidance on a matter, and wondering what the Hindu Approach is to dealing with Enemies and Adversaries. For instance, for the christians they follow that christ says to pray and love your enemies. Stoics have an almost similar thought along the lines from Marcus Aurelius words of having compassion for your enemies.

It has me thinking, that no matter how "spiritual" or God-Fearing a person is, Human nature is still Human Nature. Our adversaries pray to the same god we do when we go through our trials and hoping that God/dess will work in their favor. How does one pray when dealing with a trial against an adversary? To have compassion love and understanding? Surely our adversaries dont show the same courtesy in return when dealing with the trial, because of Ego they would do and work in anyway to undermine your life.

What is the correct understanding from a Dharmic perspective for modern day living in how to deal with an Enemy, but still staying true to the principles and teachings in the way God wants us to live? In The bhagavad Gita, Krishna was on the side of Dharm, but aside from him they were all ordinary people set against each other who all probably prayed to the same God anyway. That they would win, that they were right, that they would have triumph against their adversary, and to protect them from their adversary. This dilemma is what i have trouble grasping with both morally and spiritually

I just want to have the right attitude as to what scripture and god advises against such people in difficult times, rather than being being guided to react in Ego and Hatrid.

At the end of the day we are all God's children, God has no bias, God is Fair and Just according to our individual karma's. I understand God's lila but It's difficult to remind oneself of this in the chaos of life, and think God might favor a certain person or side or situation.(surely many people would like to justify thinking so in his name)

Any guidance and experience one can share for some proper perspective?

Is it really possible to have the compassion of a Saint even towards people who dont deserve it or want to inflict harm on you?

Thank you .

Namaste Spirit Seeker,

I am not sure if I can answer your question, as its a very complex one due to complexities of the world, politics and defending oneself and traditions so I wont address those issues. It may need a full understanding and application of what is the right method and application of varn asharama dharma. But I find the outside world as a whole very confusing and hard to understand.

In Bhagavad Gita for example and the message of the shastra and saints is that real knowledge comes when the mind is balanced in a state of equanimity, sama dharshana one sees the truth residing equally within all beings, from the brahmin to outcaste. He laments neither for the living or the dead, he sees happiness and distress, deals with heat and cold and all external activities with the same balanced mind, so there we have the level of the equanimity explained, but this vision is based in seeing a deeper more solid reality behind all the forms of the world.

Also Krsna promotes the sattvic or goodness quality of mind as a basis of attaining or realizing true knowledge and gives no other name for bad qualties other than tamas or ignorance or rajas passion acting without mindfulness, rajas and tamas bring suffering and sattva attracts liberation.

The enemies are seen as the kleshas unwholesome and negative states of mind, this keeps us bound to the limitations. It is the kleshas that is the root of unwholesome life styles, so the saint if were talking of saints will always work to reduce the influence and ruling of these enemies, how he acts in every situation I dont know, as one needs the same level of quality of mind and consciousness to fully understand.

In Krsna Lila Krsna kills many asuras or ones who have not seen the light, in many different scenarios Krsna kills many asuric characters, but usually what happens is that the asuric characteristics were eliminated and they attained liberation from that state of being. If a person in ignorance kills people it causes suffering and further bondage and continuum of klesha. A teaching within these lilas is that only Krsna the Self can remove all the deep rooted asuric conditions, only contact, Yoga with the Atma can remove all evils from inside our own conditioned being.

Namaste SS,

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Originally Posted by Spirit Seeker

Is it really possible to have the compassion of a Saint even towards people who dont deserve it or want to inflict harm on you?

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Yes, it is possible and you can very well achieve it. As rightly mentioned in the above post by M1D, Bhagwad Gita teaches us how to behave in any situation. The ideal state is that we are not perturbed by what the other people act, say or think towards us. We should choose our own path. They are responsible for their Karma and I am responsible for mine.

I will tell you, what I believe in and what I do.

a. I love helping friends and relatives who need my help and I help even those who I know that they don't have good feelings towards me but when they come to me for help, I do help them too.
b. I have some acquaintances and some among family members who don't have friendly or a feeling of love for me. I maintain a safe distance from them until they fall into some real trouble and need help. I don't talk to them even when they want to talk to me and I make it clear why I want to keep a safe distance from them and I also make it clear that I don't harbour any any illwill against them but I don't want to get hurt again by their behaviour.

So, my way of dealing with difficult people is quite straight and simple :
a. Maintain a distance and ignore them in your life as if they don't exist
b. Don't hesitate to come forward to help if they really need help
c. Make it clear to them in no uncertain terms why you want to maintain a safe distance from them. Be ready with all previous records of their inimical behaviour towards you to be narrated in front of them when they demand an explanation. This narration should be done without any prejudice or any feeling of hatred towards them. It should be 100% fact-based without any dilution with your bias. You must be completely friendly but unattached when you narrate those instances. Remain unattached to them after this narration. Be on guard against their behaviour even if they promise that they regret their behavior and want to amend ... let it show in action and deed. Be patient.

OM

Namaste devotee et al.

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Originally Posted by devotee

...Bhagwad Gita teaches us how to behave in any situation. The ideal state is that we are not perturbed by what the other people act, say or think towards us. ...

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Indeed... I particularly like BG 12.13-15. I try to keep it in mind and act accordingly, however, I fail miserably. :(

One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor [specially entitled, has special rights, a "snowflake"] and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is tolerant, always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in devotional service with determination, his mind and intelligence fixed on Me—such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.

He for whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anyone, who is equipoised in happiness and distress, fear and anxiety, is very dear to Me.

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

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Originally Posted by Spirit Seeker

Namaste everyone. I'm not sure if this is the correct section to post this.
I was looking for some guidance on a matter, and wondering what the Hindu Approach is to dealing with Enemies and Adversaries.
Thank you .

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Let me pass on what I have learned ( and practice to the best of my ability)...

Setting the stage
This is first from my teacher’s master¹, as we always start with the wisdom of the Realized. He informs us of this:
“In truth then victory is really this; for the one who has no risk of inner defeat. In truth, by the suppression only of outer (usual) enemies no one can become permanently victorious; because from those enemies there is no lasting suppression. True knowledge of victory occurs then from obtaining control over internal enemies. Really, only by the permanent subjugation of internal enemies is the subjugation of the external enemy achieved; because the inner enemy gives rise to the creation of the external enemies.

The internal enemies are kāma (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (delusion), mada (intoxication) and mātsarya (jealousy). This is really the ṣaḍaṛvarga, the group of six inner enemies (ripubala) which create any external enemies of the world; therefore if you wish to experience happiness and peace one must gain victory over all one's gross enemies, then you should cut off the place of birth of the six subtle enemies, kāma (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (delusion), mada (intoxification) and mātsarya (jealousy). Without gaining victory over the ṣaḍaṛvarga (group of six) enemies (ripubala) then you cannot completely eradicate the external enemies. This is fixed.
This is the proven experience of those who have gained victory over these internal subtle enemies, that if the birthplace of the external enemies becomes destroyed and all enemies have become eradicated then afterwards no enemies remain and in truth this is considered to be a real victory. For him the true and lasting store-house of happiness and peace is opened.”

Now, what is one to do?
We get an approach from the vijñāna bhairava kārakā’s & its high authority. It is bhairava (śivaḥ) giving knowledge to śakti (pārvatī, bhairavī), and he says this in the 101st śloka ( I offer devanāgarī script only for my practice and for those that wish to inspect this verse):
कामक्रोधलोभमोहमदमात्सर्यगोचरे।
बुद्धिं निस्तिमितां कृत्वा तत्तत्त्वमवशिष्यते॥ १०१
kāmakrodhalobhamohamadamātsaryagocare |
buddhiṁ nistimitāṁ kṛtvā tattattvamavaśiṣyate || 101

Note that the same ‘enemies’ outlined by svāmī brahmānanda sarasvatī-ji from above, appear in the 1^st line of this verse:
kāma-krodha-lobha-moha-mada-mātsarya-gocare ( gocara = the field of the senses, the range, the pasture of where these enemies arise).

So, let’s review what this says with the help from svāmī lakṣman-jū and jai devah singh.
When the fire of desire, wrath, greed, confusion, etc. rise in you ; when your body is full of hatred towards another , what can you do? Buddhiṁ nistimitāṁ, put your attention/awareness on the intellect evenly without interruption or any agitation, make it motionless. Do not let your mind be agitated. Nistimitāṁ that is offered here means motionless, without agitation.

The practice, the ~technique~ is to do this when anger or any of the other ‘enemies’ just begin to rise. When they just begin to bud, before they flower and open. Catch it quickly. What then will occur ( when done successfully)? The Reality (tat) underneath them will subsist, it will be exposed. The term in the verse above is avaśiṣyate.
ava+ śiṣyate = favor (ava) + śiṣya = śiṣṭa = left remaining. So, what is favorable remains. Yet more importantly this term śiṣṭa also means cultured, disciplined. By this approach one’s mind/intellect becomes cultured, disciplined. But for what? to hold to this pure awareness that is ‘favorably remaining’ after this approach is groomed/cultured with practice.

See the point? It is taking an opportunity that seems unfavorable and turning the event into a spiritual discipline (for now we can call it a dhāraṇa). Yet the key is this, one must catch these enemies just when you have an inkling that they will arise... the impulse that one will occur ( the budding of it). As we engage with others we know what makes us mad. So we can anticipate that stimulus to that ‘madness’. So, you can be on the alert. This now a tool to circumvent this anger and other enemies , and at the same time make it a spiritual practice. This is how practical the 101^st kārakā can be used.
The ‘dhāraṇa' is to engage this practice when these enemies (ripubala) raise their heads, at their very first sight. In the beginning they may have manifested to their fullest (gain their advantage), but with time and awareness one can catch them as or before they bud. One must pay attention.

http://www.gardensablaze.com/Poppy.jpg

One more approach
we will leave this to the next post.


शिवःकरोतिसर्वम्
śivaḥ karotisarvam

1. My teacher’s teacher (guru) was named Rajaram Mishra at birth ( 20th December 1868) . He was Indian born in Gana close to Ayodhya, in Uttar Pradesh. His guru ( svāmī kṛṣṇānaṇda sarasvatī) named him brahmacari brahma chaitanya. Then his guru once again renamed him svāmī brahmānanda sarasvatī, who became the Śaṅkarācārya of Jyotirmath. My teacher was born Mahesh Prasad Varma (Jabalpur, India), later to be named bala brahmacari mahesh.

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté


One more approach

As mentioned in the last post, there is another way for those that might need an additional tool when dealing with unpleasantness in others that may come your way.

I mentioned my teacher's master in the last post, svāmī brahmānanda sarasvatī, Śaṅkarācārya of Jyotirmath (from 1941-1953). He gives us an additional approach that is simple and easy to apply. He offers the following:

"Indifference is a very big astra¹ (weapon). Anybody uttering unpleasantness or being disrespectful in any way then be indifferent to him, that is to say; withdraw one's own thought from his direction."

Now this too can apply to the ṣaḍaṛvarga, the group of six inner enemies (ripubala) mentioned in the post above. It they arise, if they bloom in your awareness, be indifferent to them. Just withdraw one's awareness from them, do not engage them.
Seems simple.

Think of walking down a crowded street. At times people are walking beside you, with the same gate ( footsteps) as you. You may walk together, you may notice each other, but there is no engagement, no conversation. Like that, one can have the same relationship with the ṣaḍaṛvarga, the group of six inner enemies (ripubala), or with people that are unpleasant to one's nature. This approach too may be used as the early practice ( the starting point) to develop the dhāraṇa that was offered from the vijñāna bhairava kārakā-s in the post above.

शिवःकरोतिसर्वम्
śivaḥ karotisarvam

1. astra अस्त्र - a weapon in general ; rooted in 'as' a missile weapon , bolt , arrow ; to throw , cast , shoot at ; to drive away

Shiva is the very powerful god and is mantra also.
Read Benefits of Mahamrityunjaya Mantra Japa