I should like to speak a few words today on the subject of Christ's phrase, "Resist not evil." Often one wonders at this saying, and it is not always given the right interpretation. In order to give an interpretation to this, the first thing is to explain what evil means. Is there any particular action or is there any particular thing which one can point out as evil? No doubt man is always apt to point out a certain action as evil, but nothing can be evil as a fixed principle. Then what is it? It is something which is void of harmony, it is something which lacks beauty, it is something which is missing love in it. Beyond and above all it is something which is not fitting in the accommodation of life. What fits in the accommodation that life offers cannot be an evil. It is the character of evil that is signified by its not being fitting in the accommodation.

Evil is likened to a fire. The nature of fire is to destroy everything that comes in its fold. But at the same time, the power of evil is as great as the power of the fire, and yet evil is as weak as fire. For the fire does not endure; so evil does not last. As fire destroys itself, so evil is its own destruction.

Why is it said, "Do not resist evil?" Because resistance gives life to evil, non-resistance lets it burn itself. In the form of anger, passion, greed, stubbornness, one sees evil; in the form of deceit, treachery. But the root of evil is one, and that is selfishness. In one person's heart perhaps the evil is manifest on the surface, in another person it is in the depth.

And there is a saying in the East, "Do not invoke the name of Satan, or he will rise from his grave." An inconsiderate or thoughtless person always falls into the error of wakening this evil, even if it were asleep, for he does not know the music of life. Every person therein is a note, and when one feels this way, then he has before him an instrument. The whole world is an instrument upon which a symphony is to be played.

Even in small things one can observe the same law. Very often the great trouble that one has in one's life is not owing to the difficulty of the others, but owing to less comprehension of human nature. If one knew human nature, that would be the first and the last lesson to learn, not to resist evil, for resistance becomes fuel to the fire. If you tell someone, "Do not do this;" if you ask someone, "Why did you do it?"; if you say to someone, "You have done such and such a thing," by all these things you only make the evil stronger, you make the person firmer in his fault.

Everyone in this world can be a teacher, but not a real teacher. A real teacher is the one who always teaches himself, and the more he teaches himself, the more he finds that there is so much to be taught. This self has so many lacks that the whole lifetime is not enough to teach it and the more the self learns, the more it overlooks the evil in others. It does not mean that the evil is not in the others, it only means that one finds that the enemy whom one was seeing outwardly is in oneself. And the worst enemy whom one was faced with in the outer life, one finds in one's own heart. It makes one feel humiliated, but it teaches the true lesson: to find oneself having the same element which one wishes to resist in another.

Life is a place where a gentle movement is necessary. In thought, speech, or action, in everything, the rhythm must be controlled. A law of harmony should be observed in all that one does. One must know that when walking barefoot upon the thorns even they will not allow one to be free from accusation: the thorns will accuse one of having trampled upon them. If the delicacy of living in this world is to that extent, can anyone say, "I have gained sufficient wisdom?", or can anyone say, "I can afford to live in this world without giving thought to this problem."?

The problem of evil is great. Many cannot tolerate hearing its name. But they are faced with it every moment of their life, and therefore not solving this problem cannot help. Besides this, everyone is ready to judge, or to observe, to take notice of the evil of another, not knowing that sometimes the surface of a thing is quite different from its depth. Maybe what seems evil has something good inside it, or what is in appearance good may have a spark of evil inside. And by what standard can we determine evil and good, and who can judge the evil and good of any man? If one can judge, it is one's own evil and good that one can judge. No one except God has the power to judge another. Yes, the sense of justice that is given to man is for judging his own actions, and if he judges himself, he uses it best, because for that purpose the sense of justice was given to him.

When we look at life with a telescope, we shall find that it is nothing but a struggle of living, individually or collectively. And it appears that if there is anything worthwhile in this life, it is what is besides this struggle: the giving and taking of kindness and love, and doing any action of unselfishness. However qualified a person is in the things of the world, his qualification reaches a certain length, it does not go beyond. It is the qualification of the understanding of life, the understanding of the law which is working behind it, that is the whole qualification required; and it is this qualification alone which will diminish the continual struggle that one has in life. It will diminish it in this way: it will give man less to resist, it will make a person more tolerant of the natural condition of human beings.

No sooner does one think that you cannot expect from a person what he is not capable of thinking or doing, than one becomes tolerant. The difficulty is that everyone demands of another person more in the way of thought and consideration, in the way of kindness and love. He wants more justice and fairness on the part of another; and his standard may be so high that another person cannot keep to it. It is the high expectation from every side of what one has to receive from others, it is that which makes one disappointed. And generally what happens is that a person does not only sit quiet after being disappointed, he resists, and so the struggle of life continues.

Compassion comes by the thought, "I cannot expect of a person what he is unable to think or do as I expect it of him." It [that expectaton] is simply like this, to feel that the pear tree must give roses, and the rose tree must give jasmine. Every person is a certain plant, not the same plant. Yes, we may be fond of roses, but every plant does not give roses. If we want roses we must only seek the rose plant. If it is not the rose plant, we must not be disappointed that it is not the rose plant. The plant that does not give roses is not the rose plant. In this way we can correct ourselves of our own disappointment, instead of demanding roses of a tree which is not a rose tree.

What education, what point of view, what attitude in life would be most comfortable and will give happiness? It is this point of view of making an attitude of overlooking evil instead of resisting it. There are three ways of meeting life.

The first is struggling in the sea, the waves of which are rising and falling all the time. A person will struggle as long as life will permit, but the rising and the falling of the waves in the sea will continue for ever and ever; in the end he will be drowned. So it is with man in his life in the world. Man struggles along, being intoxicated in his struggle. But how long will it go on? As long as his energy will permit it. In the end he will be drowned. Yes, in this struggle he might seem powerful, he might seem to have won over others, he might seem to have done things above others. But what it is? In the end that person is drowned.
But there is another person who knows how to move his arms harmoniously in the water; he has got the rhythm of moving his arms and legs in the water. Then he is swimming with the rising and falling of the waves, he is not struggling. This man has a hope of arriving in the port, if only the port is near. If the ideal of that man is not too far, then he is the one to accomplish.
And the third person is the one who walks above, over the water. It is this which is the meaning of Christ's walking on the sea. Life is just like waves; it is making its way continually. If one is disturbed by it, necessarily he will be disturbed by its disturbance. If he can keep calm, he will be calm. The one who allows himself to be disturbed by it will be disturbed more and more every day. The one who does not take notice of it will keep his quiet, which is his own, within himself. The one who sees all things and yet rises above things is the one who will walk on the sea.

No one can at once reach the highest summit of life, of wisdom, in a moment's time. Even a lifetime is too short. Yet hope is necessary. The one who hopes and sees the possibility, he walks to the summit; the one who has no hope has no legs to mount on this hill of wisdom, the summit of which is the desired goal.

Q. How is a person who is at the head of some business or institution to keep the position of not resisting evil in the world?
A. I have seen at the head of certain factories people who have won the heart of everyone working in the factory, and another head of a factory against whom every worker in the factory was speaking. It may be that this latter head of the factory may make a greater profit than the other one. But at the same time in the end he will find that the first is more durable than the next.

These manners of wisdom and tenderness cannot be made as principles for people to be restricted to follow. The place of a knife a brush cannot take, and therefore everyone has to use every manner and action according to the situation. Nevertheless that thought of not resisting evil should be at the back of it.

Q. How can one manage with a person who is really bad?
A. Yes, it is this, that if a person is really bad, that means that the whole surface has become bad. But still the depth cannot be bad. However bad a person, the depth cannot be bad. For goodness is life itself, and a person who is all bad cannot live. The very fact that he is living shows that there is a spark of goodness there. Besides, as there are various objects, there are various persons. Some show softness outside, hardness inside; some show hardness outside and softness inside; some good in the depth and evil on the surface, and some evil in the depth and good on the surface. Because as many souls, so many different varieties there are.

Q. Is there a system to take away the bad?
A. The system is the understanding of life more and more. It is to keep the love element alive, to try to keep a harmonious attitude as much as possible, and then to keep beauty before oneself. Humankind is always progressing, and in that progress there are passing phases.

Q. But I suppose that if it is with grown up people it is much more difficult?
A. It is, but at the same time we should have the spirit that we are never grown up, we should never close our heart from learning, that whatever the age we are always ready to accept what is harmonious and beautiful. The idea is this, that when one thinks that "what I think is right" and one finds out arguments and reasons to make it right; and "what another person thinks is wrong" and one finds out reasons to make it wrong, that person will always remain in the same place. But one who is ready to accept even from a child, if there is anything one says that is wrong one thinks; "Yes, even the child says it, it is a profit for me to accept it."

For God has not only spoken through his prophets, but He speaks through every person if we opened our heart to listen to it. The difficulty is that we become teachers. If we kept ourselves a pupil -- through our whole life we can keep ourselves a pupil, and the teaching will come all the time from within and without. As soon as we become teachers we close our heart from Him Who alone is our Teacher.

Q. If we want to be kind to someone, how can we prevent that person abusing our kindness?
A. Our part is to be kind. That person's part is to use it rightly. It is not our part to see that the other person makes the right use of it. If we think about it we shall forget our business.

Q. How can one help at the same time that person who is doing harm, who does not understand our kindness?
A. Love is a conqueror, and in the end he will conquer. It is not only the person outside that love will conquer. But it will conquer the self of the one who loves, the conquering of which is the conquering of the kingdom of God. The power of love is penetrating; nothing can resist it in the end. And by giving kindness we have not lost anything. It is an element which is never lessened; it is a treasure which is diving. When we see whether the person is worthy or unworthy, in that case we limit our love in a channel. But when we allow that feeling of kindness to flow, then it will develop into a continual flowing condition. And then kindness will work out its destiny without any intention on our part. It is something that the whole life one must learn.

Keep burning the fire I have lighted.
It may seem very small to you,
but one tiny flame, if kept burning, can be the means of illuminating a whole city,
and someday many lamps that shall be lighted at this small fire will give light to thousands.
This fire of truth is now lighted, and its light will never go out.
Your work is to tend it and keep it burning.
The fuel needed is your every thought, your faith, your prayers, and your sacrifices.
You cannot see the result of this.
Light can never be lost.
I have kindled this small fire from which millions of lamps can be lit.
Their number cannot be reckoned,
and millions upon millions of other fires can now be lighted.
When all have been kindled the original fire will die out, and the place thereof be known no more.
Verily the form dieth, and the spirit liveth for ever.
God bless you.