Following up further on Rene's thoughts on the hero:
Only recently has killing an enemy become a blemish on a
warrior's character. Even in the very enlightened society
that produced Taoism, not to kill an enemy would generally be
considered foolish. Likewise in the Tibetan tradition of
warriorship, in Japanese Zen Buddhism and in Hinduism. The
samurai learned meditation from the Zen monks. How does this
tie in with the Buddha's teaching against harming living
things? The point, as I interpret it, is that kindness is not
the same as foolishness, and that if you do nothing against
someone (animal or human) who means you harm, you are
foolish.
I am not even going to get started on the Norse, whose heroes
were incredibly violent thugs and hooligans.
Back to the topic, which was?
Regards,
MrT
=====
"The skill of man is unequal to the formation of a new man
from old materials, but the battered tenement may, with care,
be long sustained by props" -- From Becklard's
Physiology.
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