Essays From The Master

Mercy, in the western context, stems from the idea of one’s past being done away with and one is allowed to begin anew and it has a religious basis. Mercy, in an eastern context, is putting one’s self under the debt and morality of another, again to gain a second chance. In either context, mercy and thus a second chance cannot come during combat and is only as good as what one does with it. If one gets mercy and does nothing to change said mercy is both invalid and wasted and if said mercy comes from a religious basis and even if one does change through it, it does not mean that others will accept it. One can see the full idea of mercy in the transforming of snake venom into a cure for the same i.e. from poison to medicine, based on how the venom is manipulated. What some call mercy in a martial context is actually two things, the first is having the discipline to only use the force needed and secondly having the wisdom to choose only to use the amount of force that is needed. If one has the choice as to how much force to use than one is in control of the situation to that degree and to that same degree one is responsible for what one does in the situation and for what one allows others to do. The more one knows, and can do, the more options one has and likewise the more responsible one is because they are the one with the greater power. If by controlling the force one uses one can inspire an attacker to seek mercy and thus become a better person the mercy the person finds still comes from within.

While one cannot offer mercy one can use one’s understanding and thus one’s discipline and wisdom to control what one does and thus how one influences what one’s target does or is allowed to do. By using understanding rather than showing mercy one could actually inspire the aggressor to seek mercy. To affirm that one is granting mercy is to invite self-righteousness into one’s path which can lead to naiveté or vanity, and thus the eight enemies of the path. Mercy in a social context is the group allowing a member’s bad conduct to be set aside with the hope and price that the member will make the needed changes to enhance the group. In a social context mercy is a clean slate and it demands that those that grant it allow the receiver the benefit of the doubt. If those in the group always bring up the past then the group is not offering any kind of judgement rather the group is weaponizing the illusion of forgiveness while holding the member seeking it in bondage. If one uses understanding rather than offering mercy and then sees change then forgiveness can be offered but again if the forgiveness comes with debts and terms it is not forgiveness but bondage as a form of revenge. If one forgives one’s self but does not do the work to set the guilt aside and change what one does one is indulging in self-righteous self-punishment which sets up an excuse for one to fail i.e. the cannot let go of whatever it is. If one forgives one’s self but makes no changes one is not forgiving one’s self but rather giving one’s self permission which shows one did not need forgiveness because one did not feel guilt. If one seeks forgiveness to avoid punishment one is not seeking to change but rather giving into one of the eight enemies of the path i.e. fear.

If one’s fear of punishment is not enough to prevent an action then the punishment is a part of the price in doing the action. If one is willing to pay the price for the action, or inaction, then the reward of said action must be worth more than the cost of said punishment. Set aside the concepts of mercy and forgiveness in favor of understanding and one gains freedom from having to seek either one if one is willing to accept that responsibility. In combat one cannot allow for worry about mercy or forgiveness because one is under threat and so again it is understanding that is called for and the same can make mercy or forgiveness after the fight unneeded.