Conflicts arising out of differences in ideology & actions are normal in social life. Eastern non-dual philosophers have explained the rational behind this reality and also provided instructions to disciples and pilgrims on the path to their higher selves to live with and overcome the mental & physical turbulence associated with encounters & associations with people of such natural dispositions.
Sw. Prabhavananda, a direct disciple of Sw. Brahmananda, has explained the situation in great details in his book the Sermon on the Mount. In the chapter titled “Resist Not Evil” the revered Swami explains the parallelism between Christ’s teachings and the Advaita teachings on non-violence, in the context of living harmoniously, even when the associations could be acrimonious.
The Pilgrim had the fortune of listening to commentaries on this book by various direct disciples of the author. His preceptor has explained with various aphorisms the meanings & relevance of this book in one’s daily life.
I will quote a few paragraphs from the book, assuming that one who reads would interpret it from a higher plane of intellect. Only then would the essence of such instructions be relevant & practical.
.. for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
The Sermon on the Mount by Sw. Prabhavananda
Sw. Prabhavananda explains that non-resistance & certainly non-retaliation, has been preached in every religion, but for most it is nearly impossible to understand and follow. Misinterpretations by some scholars have led to mass destruction of human lives over time. Only the man who has realized the Self & attained that level of perfection could turn both cheeks just by his own nature. For the rest, our Karma forces us in various ways to react. Our ego refuses to give in under such circumstances. Our intellect craftily justifies our actions and favors us with right-doing.
The facts of birth and death, and of life itself, contradict any theory of equality & uniformity. […] When it comes to questions of good & evil, the differences between men must be taken into account: they must face situations differently.
The Sermon on the Mount by Sw. Prabhavananda
There is reference to the article “The Religious Ground of Humanitarianism” by Paul Elmer More, where the author reconciles this difference by making a distinction between worldly & spiritual virtues. He said “To apply the laws of the spirit to the activities of this (materialistic) earth is a desecration & denial of region, and a bewildering & unsettling of the social order”.
Elmer More goes on to provide a practical approach to the day to day social conundrum thus. “… as we meet those who are not inspired by religion virtues, we cannot, in our relations with them, practice virtues like humility & non-resistance …; for if we did, the very structure of society would be undermined.” He advises practice of Aristotelian or cardinal virtues of justice, temperance, prudence & fortitude.
Sw. Vivekanda stated the following:
[…] according to our mental constitution or the plane of existence in which we are, duty & morality may vary. The important thing is to know that there are gradations of duty & morality, that the duty of one state of life, in one state of circumstances, will not & cannot be that of another.
The Sermon on the Mount by Sw. Prabhavananda
Non-resistance is the virtue, while resisting the evil is only a stepping stone.