Protecting Others from Harm

[I vow to act] with whatever means are necessary according to the circumstances to stop someone who is doing harmful action. …When a person or a group is causing themselves or others pain and difficulties, really unlawfully or immorally treating great numbers of sentient beings badly, we should not just accept that, saying we are Buddhists and therefore passive people. We should oppose them skillfully.

– Zopa Rinpoche ¹

Stop people from harming others. Use whatever means are required by the circumstances to stop the harmful actions, but remember to care both for the people whose harmful actions are being stopped and for the people who are escaping harm.

This principle is easy to understand but difficult to practice. It requires me to find the motivation and courage to act rather than stand by and do nothing. It requires me to care about the well-being of my enemies. It requires me to avoid making excuses for my own harmful actions or the harmful actions of my allies. It requires me to learn skillful methods that stop harmful actions without resorting to force, aggression, or violence.

1. Zopa Rinpoche (2000). The Bodhisattva Vows. Compiled and translated by the students of the Amitabha Buddhist Center in Singapore. Published by Constance Miller, Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition Education Services, July 2000.