<p><strong>Imagine that you were in immediate danger, like being killed by someone , robbed or raped.</strong></p>

<p>I could answer this from theory (canonical references) or practice.
How closely a practitioner is able to attain the theoretical ideal might be another question, but here are some canonical references:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Theravada:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.088.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Punna Sutta</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/nonviolence.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Non-violence -- A Study Guide</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><p>Zen:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.google.fr/search?q=the+moon+cannot+be+stolen" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Moon Cannot Be Stolen</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/story/thiefandmaster.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Thief and the Master</a></li>
</ul></li>
</ul>

<p><strong>i was robbed ... Thats why my curiosity how to deal with those situations</strong></p>

<p>So maybe you should be interested in how you are now, after that fact:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.kindspring.org/story/view.php?sid=63753" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Two Monks and a Woman - a Zen Lesson</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.01.budd.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Dhammapada -- The Pairs</a> (note especially verses 3 through 5)</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>However, if you were about to be raped or robbed or killed, how would you react?</strong></p>

<p>I think that Samana Johann <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/7500/samana-johann?tab=profile">is a monk</a> and therefore has virtually nothing you could rob him of.</p>

<p><strong>unless we are talking about calmness to think better how to counter-attack</strong></p>

<p>I think that monks' code of behaviour includes elementary self-defence practices, e.g. trying to avoid places where thieves and murderers are known to be.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.31.0.ksw0.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">recommendations for laypeople's behaviour</a> include a lot of prudence: not going out drinking at night, avoiding bad friends, saving money to guard against future misfortune, etc.</p>

<p>By the way "think better how to counter-attack" sounds to me like it might be bad advice.</p>

<ul>
<li>Good (better) advice is maybe to be inoffensive (and so to avoid conflict)</li>
<li>Buddhism maybe doesn't teach much "self-defence" (instead it's more likely to teach a "non-self" doctrine)</li>
</ul>

<p>A few little bits of "self-defence", which I learned not from Buddhism but from (Taoist) Tai Chi (as a "martial art"), included:</p>

<ul>
<li>Run away!</li>
<li>Don't attack first</li>
<li>Defend yourself, when necessary, "without thinking"</li>
<li>Don't get stressed (stand, keep breathing, avoid getting hit, keep your equilibrium or balance)</li>
</ul>

<p>If you can stay calm it may be better to think about how to de-escalate, how to avoid making things worse (making an enemy) -- not how to counter-attack.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-21T23:59:05.767Z
2017-10-21T23:59:05.767Z
ChrisW
<p>Equanimity is one of the central points of buddhism practice. I am curious what would happen to that state in cases of extreme disturbance.</p>

<p>Imagine that you were in immediate danger, like being killed by someone , robbed or raped.</p>

<p>I guess Equanimity would not be helpful on those cases, unless we are talking about calmness to think better how to counter-attack. 
But that would require action, and not only being observer, how equanimity states.</p>

<p>With base of these circunstances, i would like to hear your opinions.
What would happen to an equanimity state in case of extreme disturbances?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-21T17:14:49.157Z
Usually "opinions" (or "subjective" answers) should be based on *references*, or based on personal experience (something that happened to you *personally*).
ChrisW
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-21T18:22:11.490Z
i was robbed, and nowadays news about killings and raping are more and more common. Thats why my curiosity how to deal with those situations, in a buddhist perspective
nm85
<equanimity>
Equanimity in extreme disturbance cases
# Equanimity in extreme disturbance cases

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-10-21)

Equanimity is one of the central points of buddhism practice. I am curious what would happen to that state in cases of extreme disturbance.

Imagine that you were in immediate danger, like being killed by someone , robbed or raped.

I guess Equanimity would not be helpful on those cases, unless we are talking about calmness to think better how to counter-attack.
But that would require action, and not only being observer, how equanimity states.

With base of these circunstances, i would like to hear your opinions.
What would happen to an equanimity state in case of extreme disturbances?

**Tags:** equanimity

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Usually "opinions" (or "subjective" answers) should be based on *references*, or based on personal experience (something that happened to you *personally*).  
> **username_0**: i was robbed, and nowadays news about killings and raping are more and more common. Thats why my curiosity how to deal with those situations, in a buddhist perspective  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-10-21. Score: 0

**Imagine that you were in immediate danger, like being killed by someone , robbed or raped.**

I could answer this from theory (canonical references) or practice.
How closely a practitioner is able to attain the theoretical ideal might be another question, but here are some canonical references:

* Theravada:

  + [Punna Sutta](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.088.than.html)
  + [Non-violence -- A Study Guide](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/nonviolence.html)
* Zen:

  + [The Moon Cannot Be Stolen](https://www.google.fr/search?q=the+moon+cannot+be+stolen)
  + [The Thief and the Master](http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/story/thiefandmaster.html)

**i was robbed ... Thats why my curiosity how to deal with those situations**

So maybe you should be interested in how you are now, after that fact:

* [Two Monks and a Woman - a Zen Lesson](http://www.kindspring.org/story/view.php?sid=63753)
* [Dhammapada -- The Pairs](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.01.budd.html) (note especially verses 3 through 5)

**However, if you were about to be raped or robbed or killed, how would you react?**

I think that Samana Johann [is a monk](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/7500/samana-johann?tab=profile) and therefore has virtually nothing you could rob him of.

**unless we are talking about calmness to think better how to counter-attack**

I think that monks' code of behaviour includes elementary self-defence practices, e.g. trying to avoid places where thieves and murderers are known to be.

The [recommendations for laypeople's behaviour](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.31.0.ksw0.html) include a lot of prudence: not going out drinking at night, avoiding bad friends, saving money to guard against future misfortune, etc.

By the way "think better how to counter-attack" sounds to me like it might be bad advice.

* Good (better) advice is maybe to be inoffensive (and so to avoid conflict)
* Buddhism maybe doesn't teach much "self-defence" (instead it's more likely to teach a "non-self" doctrine)

A few little bits of "self-defence", which I learned not from Buddhism but from (Taoist) Tai Chi (as a "martial art"), included:

* Run away!
* Don't attack first
* Defend yourself, when necessary, "without thinking"
* Don't get stressed (stand, keep breathing, avoid getting hit, keep your equilibrium or balance)

If you can stay calm it may be better to think about how to de-escalate, how to avoid making things worse (making an enemy) -- not how to counter-attack.


---

