"There is no conquest greater than self-conquest : If one man conquers in battle a thousand times a thousand men, and if another conquers only himself, the latter is the greatest of the conquerors."
- The Buddha
What does self-conquest mean?
- When you are about to speak harshly to someone, can you stop?
- When you feel anger rising within you, can you stop?
- When someone scolds/hits you, and you want to scold/hit them back (tit for tat), can you stop?
- When you're getting impatient, upset, agitated, can you stop?
- When you're jealous, resentful and suspicious, can you stop?
- When you want to lie, gossip, speak ill of others, can you stop?
- When you're tempted to buy new clothes/shoes or bags even though you don't wear the 3000 pieces that's in your wardrobe, can you stop?
- When you want to hurt, harm, kill and/or destroy, can you stop?
- When you want to take what is not given or belongs to others (steal), can you stop?
So what does self-conquest means?
It means 'STOP'.
Just as The Buddha said to Angulimala, the serial killer,
"I've stopped. Why don't you stop?"
"Whoever lives contemplating "the Impurities", with senses restrained,
In food moderate, full of faith, full of sustained energy,
Him Mara overthrows not, as the wind does not overthrow a rocky mountain."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 8
"By effort, by vigilance, by restraint, by control
Let the wise man make for himself an island
Which the flood cannot overwhelm."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 25
"He who is calm in body, calm in speech, calm in mind,
Who is well-composed
Who has given up worldly things
Is truly called a peaceful one."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 378
"A wise man who has cut off, uprooted and removed jealousy etc
And has rid himself of moral defilement,
Is, indeed, called a good-hearted man."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 263
"He who wholly subdues evil deeds both small and great,
Is called a monk because he has overcome all evil."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 265
"Indeed, not by any means of transport
Can one go to a place one has never been before (ie. Nibbana);
But by thoroughly taming oneself,
The tamed one can get to that place (ie. Nibbana)."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 323
"Good is restraint of the eye; good is restraint of the ear;
Good is restraint of the nose; good is restraint of the tongue;
Good is restraint of the body; good is restraint of the speech.
Good is restraint of the mind.
Restraint everywhere is good.
He who is restrained in every way is freed from all suffering."
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 360 & 361
"Stop a little, a little nice.
Stop a lot, a lot nice.
Stop completely, completely nice."
