Self-conquest is far better than the conquest of others
DHAMMA REFLECTION: Self-conquest is far better than the conquest of others.
This is a beautiful Buddhist teaching because it turns our attention away from trying to control other people and toward the much deeper work of understanding and mastering ourselves.🌿 Buddha’s Teaching: The Victory Within
“Self-conquest is far better than the conquest of others.”
In life, we often think of victory as defeating someone else. We may want to prove that we are right, stronger, more successful, or more capable than another person. When someone disagrees with us, we may feel the need to win the argument. When someone hurts us, we may want to hurt them in return. When someone succeeds, we may feel that we must succeed even more.
But the Buddha offers us a completely different understanding of victory.
The greatest victory is not the victory over another person. It is the victory over our own anger, greed, jealousy, pride, fear, impatience, and harmful desires.
It is easy to point out another person’s mistakes, but much harder to recognize our own. It is easy to criticize someone who makes us angry, but much harder to remain calm when anger rises inside us. It is easy to demand respect from others, but much harder to practice respect when we feel disappointed.
Self-conquest does not mean suppressing our emotions or pretending that difficulties do not exist. It means becoming aware of what is happening within us and learning not to become controlled by every thought or emotion that appears.
When anger arises, we can pause before speaking. When jealousy appears, we can observe it instead of allowing it to control our behavior. When pride becomes strong, we can remember that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. When we make a mistake, we can accept it, learn from it, and begin again.
This kind of victory may not be visible to the world. Nobody may applaud us when we choose patience instead of anger or forgiveness instead of revenge. Yet these quiet victories can transform our lives.
A person who conquers others may gain temporary power, but a person who conquers himself gains something much more valuable: inner freedom and peace.
Therefore, whenever we face a difficult person or difficult situation, perhaps we can ask ourselves:
“Am I trying to defeat this person, or am I learning to master myself?”
The answer may reveal where our greatest victory truly lies.
— Raksmey Koy
Art of Inner Peace
www.artofinnerpeace.com
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