From Ignorance to Innocence - Osho - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 2. THE OTHER CHEEK: THE MASOCHIST’S SLAP-UP FEAST
other cheek. But his tastes may be different. He may have enjoyed the first hit, he may enjoy the
second even more; he may be a sadist. Then you are encouraging a sadist to torture people; you
are encouraging violence. Even to allow your own body to be tortured by somebody is to encourage
violence.
No, this stupid ideology has been the downfall of the whole of India.
After Buddha and Mahavira, India never again became the same golden bird it was.
After Buddha and Mahavira begins the downfall. Buddha and Mahavira are absolutely responsible
for twenty-five centuries of slavery in India, because they taught people to be non-violent. They
completely forgot that the other people surrounding the country are not non-violent. You are
encouraging those people, inviting them: ”Come and be violent to us.” That’s actually what has
happened in Indian history for twenty-five centuries. Anybody who wanted riches, women, slaves,
invaded India. There was no trouble, India was non-violent. Most probably they would pass through
kingdoms and there would be no fight at all, no resistance even.
If you look at your non-violence and it has provoked violence, then what kind of non-violence is this?
It has brought more violence in the world than there was before. Before Buddha and Mahavira, India
was never invaded. There had never been any violence because people knew that to invade India
was to just invite your death. But after Buddha and Mahavira’s teachings people became just like
butter – you just cut into them with your knife, and there would be no noise at all. And millions of
people were killed, burned without any resistance, because resistance would be violence.
But you go on missing seeing the point that you are provoking the violence in the other person. Who
is responsible for it? Now turning the other cheek means you are telling the other person, ”Please
hit me a little more, it is not enough; I am not satisfied. Hit me a little more so that I can become a
little more saintly.” And you have only two cheeks. What are you going to do when he has hit you
on your second cheek? What Jesus is saying looks a beautiful statement but it is not at all practical,
pragmatic, scientific.
Reverence for life approaches the whole problem from a different angle.
I will say respect life, yours included.
In fact, you are first to be respectful towards yourself, then only can you be respectful towards
anybody else.
Be loving towards yourself, then you will be able to love others too.
Reverence for life will not allow any provocation to violence. It will not start violence, but if anybody
starts it, it will stop it immediately.
Jesus says, ”If somebody hits you on one of your cheeks, turn the other cheek.” I say, ”Okay, turn
his other cheek – and hit him harder. Give him a lesson! Make it clear to him that it is not so easy
to hit somebody on the cheek – that it comes back, and comes back harder. And if you are capable,
hit both his cheeks at the same time. Why give him the chance to turn the other cheek and become
From Ignorance to Innocence 26 Osho