Nonviolence

[BenL]

I'm not a particularly violent person, although I harbor thoughts of violence (anger?) at injustice, real and perceived. I'd like to explore the topic in a more formal way. I have looked in the resources area of the site, but there are too many things listed there to know where to start. I wondered if any of you had personal recommendations for reading and practice.

BenL

[BruceChris]

I'll tell you what works for ME. This is not really a book about non-violence per se, it is really more about Love, and spiritual growth. :love: But of course those things do lead one to non-violence.

The book is "A Return To Love", by Marianne Williamson. And this book, in turn, is basically a primer and introduction to the "Course in Miracles". However, I find MW's book infinitely more accessable, and easier to read. :reading: If you find the book intriguing, there are Course study groups in almost all larger cities, and they are almost always much more enrichening than the book alone.

Peace and Love, Bruce Chris

[Joe Brummer]

Anything by Thich Nhat Hanh....but in particluar a book called "Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family and Your Community"


I have lots of nonviolence resources on my website www.joebrummer.com as well.


And for the record, anger is a feeling. It is human to feel anger and can be a great catalyst for change, creativity, passion and art. It can also lead to violence, pain and bitterness. The difference beween the two choices is how much we allow ourselves to breath! (SJB)

[Joe Brummer]

I also just realize you are from Mass., If you are not far from Rhode Island, I would be happy to invite you to our monthly nonviolence meetings.....send me a PM....

[tpdncr4christ]

that always works for me...

[kara speltz]

I'll tell you what works for ME. This is not really a book about non-violence per se, it is really more about Love, and spiritual growth. :love: But of course those things do lead one to non-violence.

The book is "A Return To Love", by Marianne Williamson. And this book, in turn, is basically a primer and introduction to the "Course in Miracles". However, I find MW's book infinitely more accessable, and easier to read. :reading: If you find the book intriguing, there are Course study groups in almost all larger cities, and they are almost always much more enrichening than the book alone.

Peace and Love, Bruce Chris

Oh yes, I love "A Return to Love." I found it much more interesting than a Course in Miracles which I couldn't finish.

Another really good book is Wink's book on nonviolence, "Jesus and Nonviolence - a Third Way."

Another book that's not really about nonviolence but is about staying centered in the face of difficult times is, "The Four Agreements." Whenever I'm finding myself lost in some sort of emotional quagmire, I stop and try to pay attention to which of the 4 agreements, I'm not keeping (sometimes it's all 4 of them:( )

Nonviolence is a process. And hopefully, our capacity for nonviolence grows the more we try to incorporate it into all aspects of our lives.

Kara

[Joe Brummer]

Nonviolence is a process. And hopefully, our capacity for nonviolence grows the more we try to incorporate it into all aspects of our lives.'

I have been studying nonviolence daily for over a year now (not that it means I am an expert). I have read Gandhi, King and Thich Nhat Hanh and others. I have bought curriculum for kids in nonviolence and taught nonviolence to kids. I have developed games and curriculum for middle school kids in nonviolence and then taught those lesson plans. I have taken a 5 week intensive training to become a trainer of nonviolence, and still after all this I don't really feel I live nonviolence in my life the way I wish I did.

Nonviolence will not be found in a book, although the books so help. Nonviolence will not be found in SoulForce either, even though this is a great place to learn more about nonviolence.
Nonviolence isn't something you find in the everyday, although it is lived everyday.
Nonviolence really means seeing every person in your life, including your adversary as "god" in disguise. How would you treat "god"????? That is nonviolence. In the end of it all, nonviolence has freed many from oppression. Nonviolence has has brought down those who thought the "ruled" over the oppressed, but all it really did in the end was show us that in every set of eyes we see are god's. God is watching every move we make, every word we say, every action we take.....and whether we are born again or not he will remember how we treated him. He said, what you do to the least of my brothers...you do to me.

This is what I have learned of nonviolence in my year plus of study.....god is watching you. Sometimes he may be the face in your adversary, the one making you angry and the reason to respond in love isn't because it is right....it is because that face is god's!


When someone scream's out at you, it could be god testing you. Smile and breath!
When someone cuts you off on the road, it could be god testing you. Smile and breath!
When someone disrespects your faith in god, wonder if it isn't god testing your faith in him? Smile and breath.

As long as we practice mindful breathing and mindful words....we treat each face and if they are "god" in our presence. Exaxctly as we should!

[Daniel]

Like others on this thread, I have found myself greatly influenced by the principles that are expressed in A Course in Miracles as well as the Buddhist practice called Tonglen, which, I must confess, I do not practice enough! My view is that while books are helpful, one needs something to do.

Tonglen
Tonglen is Tibetan for 'taking and giving', and it refers to a meditation practice practiced in Tibetan Buddhism.

In the practice, one visualizes taking onto oneself the suffering of others, and giving to others, one's own happiness and success. As such it is a training in altruism in its most extreme form.

Instructions on how to go about this practice can be found here:

http://www.shambhala.org/teachers/pema/tonglen1.php

It helps, I believe, to learn this practice from a meditative standpoint (sitting quietly) before 'taking it on the road.'

And there is another practice called Meta meditation that I have found helpful too.

Use this simple meditation often to create and nurture compassion in your life. This can be practiced in just a few minutes, so try to incorporate it as a part of your daily life.

Come into a comfortable seated position on the floor or in a chair. Sit with the back flat, crown of the head lifted, shoulders relaxed and chest open. Rest the hands in the lap or on the knees. Close the eyes, deepen the breath and release any thoughts from the mind. Gently repeat the following softly out loud or in your mind:

May I be safe from inner and outer harm,
May I be happy and peaceful of heart,
May my body be healthy and strong,
May my life be filled with ease.

Then you may replace the “I”s with “you”s, thinking of a specific person, a group of people or the whole planet.

Finish with a few slow, deep breaths, feeling compassion, love and kindness flowing through your body. Take a moment or two before moving on with the rest of your day.

The Buddhists put these two practices under the heading of mind training, and being a musician, that appeals to me. You may recall the old adage: Q. How do you get Carnegie Hall? A. Practice!

There is another saying I am fond of too:

Practice makes Permanent.

[BenL]

Thanks, everyone, for mentoring me. I am overwhelmed by the beautiful responses. I feel like the pharisee who answered Jesus with "All this I have done since my youth. What more can I do?" and then balked at the answer "Sell all that you have and follow me." (I may have mixed up the characters, but you get the message.) The point is that I feel like I have been faithful, but that more is required of me. That sounds like a stingy response, and I don't mean it to be. I'm just trying to discern whether nonviolence or peacemaking is the call I sense but can't parse. "Blessed are the peacemakers ..." So, thanks for the help. I'm trusting in God, here, as revcobb said on another thread. I'll stop rambling now.

BenL