Life as a battle is a common metaphor—even in Buddhist teachings. Bodhipaksa shows how the Buddha turned the language of violence around to show that true heroism is practicing love.
If you look closely, you’ll probably notice that we often see life as a battle in some ways. We might say we “struggle” to keep up with our responsibilities or feel we’re in “competition” with others for approval, status, or power. We talk about “fighting off” a cold or say “forewarned is forearmed.” Suggestions often get “shot down,” doctors look for new “weapons” to fight diseases, law enforcement “fights crime,” and advertisers “target” us with ad “campaigns.” The language of battle is a big part of our everyday talk and reflects our competitive attitudes.
We often measure success by how many victories we’ve had, how well we’ve protected or expanded what we have, and how successfully we’ve fought our way up. Power, money, possessions, and the respect of others are often seen as markers of success in our society.
A verse from the Dhammapada emphasizes a different kind of success:
If one should conquer thousands in battle,
and if another should conquer only himself,
his indeed is the greatest victory.
This verse highlights another form of achievement. The Buddha often used teaching methods that took valued external actions and showed their greater value when applied inwardly.
The Buddha lived in a world that might seem superstitious and harsh to us today. Society was tightly controlled by a social system that judged people based on their birth rather than intelligence or capabilities. Happiness was seen as following one’s caste duties without question. Religious practices included sacrificing animals to please the gods, and it was believed that ethical lapses could be cleansed by bathing in rivers, even if the rivers were polluted. War was common and brutal, with warriors believing that dying in battle would take them straight to heaven.
In this chaotic environment, the Buddha offered supreme sanity.
Repeatedly, the Buddha aimed to challenge the common beliefs of his time in a subtle and intelligent way. Rather than directly opposing those who held mistaken views, which would have caused resistance, he addressed their concerns. He suggested that while battles were cruel and destructive, there was a higher form of battle – an inner struggle against destructiveness, selfishness, and delusion.
Just as the outer world can seem combative, our inner world can also feel like a battleground. Sometimes we struggle with ourselves, feeling like our own thoughts are attacking us and we’re trying to fend them off.
Martial metaphors are common in Buddhist teachings on meditation. Shantideva encourages us to pick up our mindfulness as quickly as we would a sword dropped in battle. Meditators are compared to fletchers straightening arrows, and the Buddha’s monks are likened to warriors fighting against distractions.
However, we must be cautious with these martial metaphors. Although we need to do inner work, which can feel difficult and like a “struggle,” we should avoid bringing ill will into our meditation practice. In meditation, we confront ourselves, and regarding ourselves as the enemy means we can’t win.
The Buddha teaches in the Dhammapada:
Hatred is never overcome by hatred.
It is overcome by love – this is eternally true.
We must meet our thoughts and feelings with love and compassion, not on their own level. When we overcome selfishness, ill-will, and delusion with love, we achieve a deeper and more lasting happiness than any external victory can provide.