Eastern Religions and The Act of Revenge

The Unforgiving Sword and the Turned Cheek: A Chronicle of Revenge in Eastern Religions and Christianity
The act of revenge, and its societal acceptance, has been shaped by complex theological and philosophical frameworks across the globe. While the Christian ideal of “turning the other cheek” presents a radical call for forgiveness, Eastern traditions like Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto offer a diverse and nuanced spectrum of views, ranging from absolute condemnation of vengeance to its acceptance as a necessary, and sometimes honorable, duty. This chronicle explores the evolution of these perspectives, supported by historical and cultural examples.
Buddhism: The Poison of a Vengeful Heart
At its core, Buddhism unequivocally rejects revenge. The pursuit of vengeance is seen as a manifestation of anger and ill will, which are “poisons” that create negative karma, bind individuals to the cycle of suffering (samsara), and prevent the attainment of enlightenment (nirvana). The Dhammapada, a collection of the Buddha’s sayings, states, “‘He abused me, he struck me, he overpowered me, he robbed me.’ Those who harbor such thoughts do not still their hatred.” The ideal is to let go of resentment not for the sake of the offender, but to free oneself from the torment of anger.
Historical Evolution and Examples:
Despite these pacifist teachings, the history of Buddhist societies is not without violence. The most notable examples are the sōhei, or warrior monks of medieval Japan. From the 10th to the 16th centuries, powerful monasteries like Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei maintained private armies. These monks engaged in armed conflict with rival temples and even with the ruling samurai class, often over political and territorial disputes. Their actions were a stark contrast to Buddhist precepts, yet they were a formidable political and military force for centuries. This demonstrates a significant divergence between the philosophical ideal of non-violence and the practical actions of religious institutions entangled in worldly power struggles.
Taoism: Overcoming Through Non-Action
Taoism, with its central principle of wu wei (effortless action or non-action), advocates a path of yielding and harmony with the Tao, the natural order of the universe. The Tao Te Ching suggests that a direct, forceful response to aggression is counterproductive. It advises, “The soft and yielding overcome the hard and strong.” Revenge, being a forceful and disruptive act, is contrary to the Taoist ideal of allowing things to resolve naturally. A Taoist sage would not seek revenge but would rather remain detached, allowing the aggressor’s actions to bring about their own downfall.
Historical Evolution and Examples:
While Taoist philosophy champions passivity, it has also been used to justify rebellion against what were seen as unjust and disharmonious rulers. The Yellow Turban Rebellion in the late 2nd century CE was a massive peasant uprising with strong Taoist roots. The rebels believed the Han dynasty had lost the Mandate of Heaven and that a new, more just era was beginning. Their use of violence was framed not as personal revenge, but as a necessary action to restore balance and harmony to the world, a key Taoist concept. The Daodejing itself contains passages that can be interpreted as advice for rulers on how to conduct defensive warfare, suggesting that violence, while not ideal, is sometimes a necessary tool for survival and restoring order.
Confucianism: The Duty of Filial Revenge and Social Order
Confucianism is primarily concerned with social harmony, righteousness, and the proper conduct of relationships. It does not advocate for “turning the other cheek.” Instead, Confucius taught that one should “Repay injury with justice, and kindness with kindness.” This implies a measured and fair response to wrongdoing rather than passive acceptance.
A crucial aspect of Confucian ethics is xiao, or filial piety, which demanded absolute loyalty and respect towards one’s parents. This created a powerful moral imperative for revenge in certain circumstances. The Book of Rites, a classic Confucian text, states that a son should not live under the same heaven as the murderer of his father. Avenging a parent’s murder was not just a personal matter but a sacred duty to restore the honor of the family.
Historical Evolution and Examples:
This concept of filial revenge was a potent force in Chinese and Japanese society. The famous Japanese tale of the 47 Rōnin is a powerful example. In 1702, a group of masterless samurai avenged the unjust death of their lord, Asano Naganori. Knowing their actions would result in their own ordered suicide (seppuku), they chose to fulfill their duty of loyalty, a core Confucian value. Their act was celebrated as the epitome of honor and dedication, and their graves became a site of pilgrimage. This story highlights how, in a Confucian-influenced society, revenge could be seen as a highly moral and honorable act when tied to the virtues of loyalty and filial piety.
Shinto: Purity, Pollution, and Vengeful Spirits
Shinto, the indigenous faith of Japan, is less a system of moral philosophy and more a set of beliefs and practices centered on the worship of kami (gods or spirits) and the importance of purity. Wrongdoing and death are seen as sources of pollution (kegare), which can anger the kami. Shinto does not have a strong doctrine on interpersonal revenge; rather, it focuses on purification rituals to cleanse oneself of defilement.
However, a significant aspect of Japanese folklore and religious belief is the concept of onryō, or vengeful spirits. These are the ghosts of people who died unjustly or with powerful emotions of anger and resentment. These spirits are believed to be capable of causing natural disasters, plagues, and other calamities.
Historical Evolution and Examples:
Historically, some of Japan’s most powerful vengeful spirits were once living historical figures. Sugawara no Michizane, a 9th-century scholar and court official, was exiled due to political intrigue and died in despair. After his death, a series of plagues and lightning strikes hit the capital, which were attributed to his vengeful spirit. To appease his ghost, he was posthumously pardoned, promoted in court rank, and eventually deified as Tenjin, the kami of scholarship. This demonstrates a unique evolution where the response to perceived injustice is not human-led revenge but the appeasement and deification of the wronged spirit to restore harmony and protect the living from supernatural retribution.
Comparison with Christianity
The perspectives of these Eastern religions stand in stark contrast to the foundational teachings of Christianity. Jesus’s call in the Sermon on the Mount to “turn the other cheek,” “love your enemies,” and “pray for those who persecute you” was a radical break from the “eye for an eye” principle of the Old Testament. Early Christians were taught that vengeance belongs to God alone.
However, the historical evolution of Christianity shows a significant compromise with this ideal. As Christianity became the religion of the Roman Empire, theologians like Augustine of Hippo developed the doctrine of the “just war,” which permitted violence in the defense of the innocent and to punish evil. This provided a theological justification for state-sanctioned warfare. The Crusades, holy wars fought to reclaim the Holy Land, were framed as righteous acts of vengeance for perceived injustices against Christians and an affront to God’s honor.
This created a lasting tension within Christianity between the ideal of personal forgiveness and the reality of collective, state-sanctioned retribution. While an individual Christian is called to forgive, Christian nations have historically engaged in wars of conquest and revenge, often with the blessing of the Church.
In conclusion, while Christianity presents a singular, though historically compromised, ideal of absolute forgiveness, the Eastern traditions offer a more varied landscape. Buddhism’s rejection of revenge is rooted in the individual’s spiritual journey, Taoism’s in cosmic harmony, Confucianism’s in social duty and hierarchy, and Shinto’s in the balance between the human and spirit worlds. These diverse frameworks have created rich and often contradictory histories, proving that the human struggle with the impulse for revenge is a universal, yet culturally distinct, phenomenon.