I am occasionally asked how I reconcile being a Buddhist with my status as a gung fu sifu and how I could possibly defend myself by hitting and hurting an attacker. When it is genuinely posed, I think the question is unintentionally naïve. Sometimes it has been posed with aggressive or envious intent by some. These people will usually not wish to hear and try to understand any answer as they are not asking for an answer but to embarrass or humiliate. However, they would receive the same answer as I posit below. Those who think a devout Buddhist martial arts practitioner must wander around dressed like the monks of the defunct Sil Lum temple (the modern temple is but a re-creation) and muttering ridiculous fortune cookie platitudes have been watching too many TV shows or martial arts movies.
I am not a violent person. Neither I nor any of my students are violent. I can say without false humility we are good, nice people. But we are not weak! We can certainly defend ourselves and in doing so would look quite dangerous and violent to an onlooker - but the intention in our minds would not be that. I select my students very carefully so as not to teach anyone with character flaws. I especially avoid those with inappropriate attitudes. I avoid associating with many martial artists because they are patently possessed of inappropriate attitudes. Whenever I have been attacked I have not reacted in anger. Anger is a mindkiller! It will destroy your equanimity.
The Dalai Lama, himself, speaking at the "Educating Heart Summit" in Portland,
Oregon, when asked by a girl how to react when a shooter takes aim at a
classmate (May 15, 2001, The Seattle Times) replied: "If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun. Not at the head, where a fatal wound might result. But at some other body part, such as a leg."
The logic is that it would be what the lamas refer to as “idiot compassion” to refrain from defending yourself under the foolish pretence you may hurt another. Of course you will! The rationale is: (a) if you fail to defend yourself you will be hurt, possibly permanently incapacitated or killed – you owe it to your family and loved ones to prevent this; (b) if you fail to defend yourself the attacker will be reinforced in their criminal behaviour and go on to attack and hurt others – if you don’t stop them and hopefully teach them a lesson; (c) the attacker’s karma is such that he has been brought under your hand for a lesson – administer it in accordance with your karma; and (d) how can you continue to do your Buddhist practices to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings if you are distracted by injury, disability or dead?
When we defend ourselves we have to act in an uncivilised, even savage, manner because attempts to avoid or evade the necessity will have failed and we must match the attack of our attacker and prevent them attacking us or our loved ones or someone we have a duty of care towards. We employ the minimum force required by the situation to stop the attack and the possibility of re-attack.
To allow oneself or others to be attacked without the appropriate defence is not compassionate – it is foolish and dangerous.