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Its hard to limit it to a single statement. The first statement is hard to work with, as there is tao in the crisp break of a trigger, which does both. Such a light action, with barely any effort at all, but with world changing consequences.

I was looking more for others opinion on responding to violence with violence and how it relates to Zen. Here is a short story that shows a different response to threats. A similar theme is seen in Hakuin's Gates koan. During the civil wars in feudal Japan, an invading army would quickly sweep into a town and take control. In one particular village, everyone fled just before the army arrived - everyone except the Zen master. Curious about this old fellow, the general went to the temple to see for himself what kind of man this master was. When he wasn't treated with the deference and submissiveness to which he was accustomed, the general burst into anger. "You fool," he shouted as he reached for his sword, "don't you realize you are standing before a man who could run you through without blinking an eye!" But despite the threat, the master seemed unmoved. "And do you realize," the master replied calmly, "that you are standing before a man who can be run through without blinking an eye?"

As a part of Zen or basic Taoist practices, peace is assumed to be at the center of our lives. Peace is assumed to be desired by all living things, and being sapient, we actively strive for it. Every day, people seek to avoid conflict. Though Zen or Taoism, people seek yet another type of peace. However, perfect peace is a myth. Whenever you have someone who seeks to avoid conflict, someone else will seek to exploit them. Peace is a goal, and is not an end or a means to an end. Conflict will occur. When someone who seeks peace is confronted with violence, either by an individual or by the state, how should they respond? We can look at the situation though natural rights, where every living thing has the right to defend its self against violence, and to that end, must engage in violence. Violence begets violence. We have a moral right to defend ourselves against danger and tyranny, but at the same time, it runs against to everything we hold dear. If you knew that in the immediate future that your life would be in danger, would you act to stop the situation before it arises, thus acting in violence without an active threat? As practitioners of zen and the tao, what is your take on violence? If you were in danger of your life, would you defend it? Or would you accept your death?

Hello everyone, First post I guess, so I suppose I will say hello. Hello. I found out about the Tao Te Ching working at my campus job, which is at a library. Found a copy, and it had really nice pictures, so I took it home and read it. Black and white, mostly landscapes. I enjoyed it, and it got me thinking, and then thinking some more. Then I decided I wanted to talk to others, so now I am here. I guess you would call me a secular taoist, or philosophical, I don't really follow the metaphysical parts, as they don't really interest me. I am from the west, and there are not many people intrested in this here. Have a nice day