Harmony

You talked about the harmony of the opposites. I feel that hate kills love and anger kills compassion. The extremes are fighting inside me. How can I find the harmony?

Buddha is compassionate. He is a warrior. He comes from the kshatriya race, a samurai. He must have led a very angry life -- and then suddenly, compassion. Mahavir comes from a kshatriya clan. In fact, this looks absurd but it has a certain consistency to it: all the great teachers of non-violence have come from the kshatriya race. No Brahmin has preached nonviolence. We know of only one Brahmin, who is known as one of the avataras, Parusharam. He was the most violent man the world has ever known -- a Brahmin, the most violent! The twenty-four teerthankaras of the Jains are all kshatriyas, Buddha is a kshatriya. They talk about non-violence, compassion; they have lived violence, they know what violence is, they have passed through it. Even if a Brahmin tries to be nonviolent, his non-violence cannot be more than skin deep. Only a kshatriya, a warrior, who…

The hidden harmony is better than the obvious.

OPPOSITION BRINGS CONCORD. OUT OF DISCORD COMES THE FAIREST HARMONY. IT IS IN CHANGING THAT THINGS FIND REPOSE. PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THAT WHICH IS AT VARIANCE WITH ITSELF, AGREES WITH ITSELF. THERE IS A HARMONY IN THE BENDING BACK, AS IN THE CASE OF THE BOW AND LYRE. THE NAME OF THE BOW IS LIFE, BUT ITS WORK IS DEATH. I was reading a pamphlet. They say, "Kill man! Murder every man! -- because if man lives, there can be no freedom for woman." But if you kill man, can you be there? The game needs both. Lilith disappeared, then the game could not continue, so God had to create a woman. That's why he tried one bone of man himself this time, because to bring a separate woman would again create trouble. So he took a rib out of Adam and created a woman. Hence, there is…

I feel a lot of hate inside me. What can I do about it?

This duality is a natural thing. If you love, then you have to hate. There are people who go on preaching: "Love the whole world!" But you cannot love the world unless you discover another world to hate. I don't think this planet Earth can become one until we discover enemies on some other planet. The moment we discover an enemy somewhere -- and we are trying very hard to find one -- then the whole world can become one. When India is fighting Pakistan, there is no fighting within India; India becomes one. There is a very deep patriotic feeling for India because now that love balances the hatred toward Pakistan. But when there is no war, then Hindus fight Mohammedans, and Brahmins fight Sudras, one state fights another state, one party fights another party... and the thing goes on. But if there is an enemy somewhere, then the…

It is all jolly fine for everyone to do their thing but what should be an attitude when our 'things' conflict? I am always giving in for the sake of harmony and to do one's thing under constant threat takes the joy out of it. But harmony is not in itself my thing.

FIRST, IF CONFLICT IS YOUR THING then let it be so. Then don't try to impose any false harmony on top of it because false harmony will never be true, it will never be satisfying. It is ugly. A true conflict is beautiful -- more beautiful, far more beautiful than an imposed harmony, because deep down the conflict continues. You are deceiving nobody, you only think you are deceiving. The reality cannot be deceived and you have to suffer the consequences. If conflict is your thing then let it be so. That is the message of Tao. It has nothing to do with harmony, it has to do with let-go. If conflict is your thing and you allow it, then that is harmony for you -- because you will be in harmony with your nature. It is difficult because you immediately make ideals. You think Tao is harmony. It is,…