Satya and Ahimsa

The fine balance of standing in your truth and doing no harm – and not allowing to be harmed!

It's vital to realize that genuinely walking a spiritual path requires a few essential commitments to moral action. Two of the most important are being truthful and doing no harm —Satya and Ahimsa.

But too often, people think doing no harm is only to do no harm to others. In reality, it rightly includes not letting harm come to you —physically, energetically, or psychologically.

Your first priority is to nurture and protect what is sacred that's in your direct care, and the most sacred thing in your care is your own gift of life.

With that comes specific responsibilities, one of which may include those times when you must defend yourself from the aggressions of others.

How you do that is, of course, also important. Becoming aggressive yourself should always be the last resort. Your first response should typically be truthfulness, followed by asking those who violated your sovereignty to either stop their aggression or leave.

If that's not effective, you could just as well walk away from the situation while also asking those persons to stop treading on your rights. With that, compassion and kindness are the ideals. As is trying to understand their motivations.

But, if all that fails, take responsibility to create your necessary boundaries. When you feel you're under some form of assault, deal with it honestly at the moment. —Then, later, once you have the space to think it over, take the time to consider if the aggression was their response to your actions that may have been inappropriate. Or was it, moreover, a belligerent act on the offender's part.

If you find that you were the one in the wrong, own that. Don't be afraid to admit it, and try to make an effort to heal that with some measure of humility.

But, if they wrongly violated your rights or sovereignty, don't be afraid to see or acknowledge that either. And, don't make excuses for their actions.

Once you know the situation for what it is, and you've correctly cared for yourself, or you've said what needed to be said, don't waste any more time brooding or in self-judgment or judging them.

You may never know the entire reason why someone was mean or aggressive toward you. So beware, you shouldn't replace understanding with arrogance or self-righteousness. Stay free, avoid the usual traps of blame and just move on in compassion for the offender and for yourself.

Aaravindha Himadra