The Middle Path: Freedom from Extremes Responding Consciously to Terrorism
By Gurudev

The terrorist act of September 11 is a most horrific example of an extremist crime against humanity. This was not just a terrorist attack on New York City, Washington DC, and America, but an attack against all humanity. My heart goes out to all those whose loved ones, relatives and friends were victims of such a senseless, brutal and destructive act.

The tragic death of thousands of innocent people, the deep suffering it brings to their families, and the domino effect it has had on the nation and the entire world is overwhelming. An incident of this magnitude automatically creates anger and a desire for revenge. This is a natural human reaction. This is a first reaction. We must realize that the source of our initial reaction of anger and revenge is the same anger and desire for revenge that motivated the terrorists. Clothed in the guise of religion, the terrorists came at America from a deep wound of anger and retaliation for pain they believe America has inflicted upon them. Do we want to retaliate with the same anger and revenge? How would that make us any different from them?

There are two kinds of action: response action and reactive action. Response action is appropriate to the occasion in an attempt to not only protect ourselves but to defend ourselves from terrorism in the future. Reactive action comes from revenge, anger, and fear.

Anger, fear, and revenge that arise from the lower centers of consciousness are what we call evil or dark forces. These forces are dark because they blind our ability to think and act objectively and clearly. They are dark forces not just when they come from the enemy but also when they are magnified and multiplied through reactive retaliation.

There was a man who worshipped the Lord with an intention to take revenge against his enemies. After many years of intense practice, the Lord appeared to him and told him that He was pleased by his devotion. The Lord said, "How may I reward you for your devotion? Whatever you ask for, I will give you, but I will give twice as much to your enemy." The man replied, "My Lord, please take the sight from one of my eyes." This is how anger becomes so blinding. He does not hesitate to inflict pain on himself in order to take revenge on his enemy.

So the basic quality of an evil force is that it creates a blinding impact on the victim. It triggers an evil reaction toward the enemy. Those who live by the belief of "an eye for an eye" may end up losing both eyes. In attempting to extinguish evil with evil, you multiply its force. It is like extinguishing a fire by dousing it with gasoline. Fire cannot be extinguished with fire.

We must go deeper within and meditate on response action. We must pray for the guidance to respond appropriately. In the wake of the assault, spiritual organizations and groups have been conducting prayer services and holding vigils, but the question each one of us must ask is "What are we praying for? Where is the prayer coming from? What is the prayer for? What is the driving force of the prayer? Can anger, fear and revenge be the source of the prayer? The purpose of prayer must be to remove distortions from our emotional perceptions and to initiate right action that is objective, unbiased and clear.

The ultimate effect of the terrorist attack is progressively unfolding and not yet known. We don't even know how an overly aggressive retaliation could multiply the destruction. Most probably if this turns into some type of war, will we feel remorseful and responsible for the choices we make now? By karmic law, pain and hurt you inflict upon others invariably returns back to its source like a boomerang.

We must look at the whole issue of what has transpired and take the conscious middle path. If instead we take extreme measures in reaction to extreme attacks, we do the very thing we despise. The terrorists acted out of blind anger. To go against that kind of enemy, to fight violence with violence, is futile and could lead to global devastation. Reaction that retaliates against the dark forces is caught by the same force it condemns. This would be an unconscious act. Consciousness means taking deliberate action … not out of fear, not out of anger, not in reaction. It is action without emotion. Only conscious compassionate action can truly resolve conflict.

We must all pray and meditate to convey our message of compassion to those who are making critical decisions so that we may put an end to terrorism rather than start a world war. Prayer and meditation help us regain internal balance so our actions become solutions, rather than igniting the problems, where the fire becomes an inferno.

We must hold all life as sacred, both our own and our enemies, even if terrorists do not share that belief. It is not America's prosperity and power that makes us civilized, it is this belief in the sacredness of all living beings. Otherwise we have lost even before we begin to fight. With war, even if we win, we create an enemy, as in our most recent war in the Persian Gulf. If we lose, we lose to the enemy. There is no real victory in war.

We must remember from repeated experience that the uncontrolled blinding rage in war leads to defeat whether it is between two individuals or two nations. So the rage I see among our political leaders seems dangerous. Our strategies must be to extinguish terrorism not start America's "new war." Any overly aggressive action on our part could instigate untold violence. Brutal logic arising out of anger and revenge can be blind. Such actions become indistinguishable from terrorism itself.

So meditate and practice your sadhana. Breathe, relax, and observe your emotional reactions. Let go of your fixations. What has happened to you in your past leads to the way you may be reacting to the present situation. Whether the attack is global or personal, your first reaction is always personal and based in your past. When you meditate, it brings you to a new level of clarity, which solves the problem rather than multiples it. There is no reaction that is universal—it is always personal.

Go inward and invite whatever comes. Ask: What is my motivation? Before you act externally, work internally, then put your practice into action. Live in balance and freedom. When you meditate, you move from a place of compassion. Acting from compassion allows us to take appropriate actions toward what has occurred without taking our actions in a direction that none of us ultimately wants.

Meditation creates the middle path. The middle path transcends the duality of extremism and opposites. It sees with the light of clarity, objectivity and understanding. Find that place in yourself and you will create the right response and the right action. The more people meditate, the greater the global impact of compassionate clear action that will bring a resolution to the current crisis. Collective meditation emanates a widespread healing vibration, but consciousness always begins with one person—you.

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