Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

"Follow the three Rs: 1, Respect for self. 2, Respect for others. 3, Responsibility for all your actions." - 18 Rules of Living, from His Holiness the Dalai Lama

And this will be the Dalai Lama's last word of advice for practitioners of defensive gun use. You are always responsible for yourself, for others, and - most especially - for all your actions.

Carry that weapon accordingly.

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

Another result of spiritual development, most useful in day-to-day life, is that it gives a calmness and presence of mind. Our lives are in constant flux, bringing many difficulties. When faced with a calm and clear mind, problems can be successfully resolved. - Tenzin Gyatso, The Fourteenth Dalai Lama (A Human Approach to World Peace)

Why not? Why not carry a classic Model 1911, or a modern variant such as the superb CZ-75, with a round in the chamber and the hammer cocked & locked? You know you want to. And yet, nearly everyone who carries a handgun will resort to the simple and problem-free double-action pistol or revolver, or the only slightly more touchy striker-fired pistol.

It's because a single-action pistol cocked n' locked is, well, just a little dangerous, and having one on you requires constant care and attention. Carrying a Glock is comparatively carefree, but carrying a fully loaded 1911 requires mental discipline.

Training the spirit is, as His Holiness knows, the surest way to be calm and clear-headed in our daily lives. Develop those resources, and you'll soon be carrying that 1911 in the manner John Moses Browning intended.  

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

I want to make it clear, however, that although I am deeply opposed to war, I am not advocating appeasement. It is often necessary to take a strong stand to counter unjust aggression ... War is violence and violence is unpredictable. Therefore, it is better to avoid it if possible, and never to presume that we know beforehand whether the outcome of a particular war will be beneficial or not. - The Reality of War, Tenzin Gyatso, The Fourteenth Dalai Lama

This one might not be 100 percent original with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, but it is nevertheless absolutely in accord with his philosophy.

His Holiness knows that, like war, interpersonal violence is a reality. To slightly misquote Leon Trotsky, you may not be interested in violence, but violence is interested in you. Should it come to you, and if you are not a pacifist, your choices will quickly be reduced to appeasement or defensive violence. Even calling the police, should you have the opportunity to do so, is to employ defensive violence by proxy.

Taking a strong stand and employing violence in defense of yourself or others may be the better choice. There is no moral contradiction in that.

    

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

So, when a problem first arises, try to remain humble and maintain a sincere attitude and be concerned that the outcome is fair. Of course, others may try to take advantage of you, and if your remaining detached only encourages unjust aggression, adopt a strong stand, This, however, should be done with compassion, and if it is necessary to express your views and take strong countermeasures, do so without anger or ill-intent.

You should realize that even though your opponents appear to be harming you, in the end, their destructive activity will damage only themselves. In order to check your own selfish impulse to retaliate, you should recall your desire to practice compassion and assume responsibility for helping prevent the other person from suffering the consequences of his or her acts.

Thus, because the measures you employ have been calmly chosen, they will be more effective, more accurate and more forceful. Retaliation based on the blind energy of anger seldom hits the target. - Tenzin Gyatso; The Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Compassion and the Individual

Now, this is trademark Dalai Lama wisdom. Does His Holiness know defensive gun use inside and out, or what?

Choose your measures calmly and they will be all the more effective, accurate, and forceful for it. Aim center mass. Consider. Then double tap if needed.

By following those steps, and acting only after due reflection upon your desire to practice compassion balanced with the responsibility you assume for protecting yourself and others, you will be well prepared to survive not just a violent encounter but also the legal consequences of using deadly force.

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

"The practice of patience guards us against losing our presence of mind. It enables us to remain undisturbed, even when the situation is really difficult. It gives us a certain amount of inner peace, which allows us some self-control, so that we can choose to respond to situations in an appropriate and compassionate manner, rather than being driven by our disturbing emotions." - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

The ability to practice patience and presence of mind, and consequently to control ourselves in moments of great disturbance and emotions, is perhaps the greatest tactical tip His Holiness can impart. And practitioners of defensive gun have no greater need for calm responsiveness to dynamic situations then when executing room clearing drills.

To 'slice the pie' is a game of inches and nerves that challenges even the most experienced shooter. To slowly, cautiously, view an uncleared area ... turning the corners degree by degree ... silently edging forward while maintaining a margin of safety ... revealing as little as possible of your presence ... considering all angular obstructions where a perpetrator might be hiding in ambush. That is truly a situation where self-control is vital to achieving happiness and avoiding unhappiness.

Is it any surprise that HH would excel at that technique?

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

“I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion and elimination of ignorance, selfishness and greed.” ― Dalai Lama XIV 

"Attachment to what appears real is what keeps us from clear-mindedness." - Dalai Lama XIV

By all means, let us eliminate ignorance and keep to clear-mindedness on the subject of stopping power, the fabled unicorn that leads so many handgun users into self delusion.

Science, experience, and human reason all tell us that there is no particular stopping power in any cartridge that can be fired from a handgun. Unless struck in the head or spine, an assailant can continue to act and threaten others after being hit with multiple rounds.

We know this. And yet, how much marketing, questionable statistics, ballistic gelatin, internet arguments, and cash have been expended to make us believe that which only seems real? All that is ignorance, selfishness, and greed.

His Holiness would have us reject that which is not real, and instead modestly cultivate the fundamental skills of defensive gun use. Mastering those basics is a surer route to inner peace and contentment. 
   

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

"Human potential is the same for all. Your feeling, “I am of no value”, is wrong. Absolutely wrong. You are deceiving yourself. We all have the power of thought – so what are you lacking? If you have willpower, then you can change anything. It is usually said that you are your own master."

"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."

Readiness is all (as Shakespeare knew), and making yourself ready for whatever comes is an all-important attribute for anyone who prepares to use a gun for self-defense.

As His Holiness models in this meme, the shooter must make himself or herself ready. And not just for a timed drill on the range with your hands up and facing away from the targets, but ready for whatever life presents us with as we go about our daily business.

That was never more true than in this day of lone wolf terrorist attacks on public venues and the targeted killing of police in our cities. You are responsible for creating happiness for yourself and others through your own actions. Therefore, and although I realize this may seem counterintuitive, HH would have you practice with and carry the most effective handgun you can conceal.

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

“The foundation of the Buddha’s teachings lies in compassion, and the reason for practicing the teachings is to wipe out the persistence of ego, the number-one enemy of compassion.” - Dalai Lama XIV

Why is His Holiness laughing? Without intending offense to owners of Kimber 1911s or any other pistol with a four-figure price tag and twice that in customization, please consider what HH says about ego.

So far as I understand it, the term "ego" actually originates outside of Buddhism, in Western psychology, and it refers to the psychological construct that is our identity. In both Western psychology and Buddhism, the term refers to the self, to "I."

When you invest your ego in a firearm you fall into spiritual error. Plus, you fool yourself, because, as every shooter knows deep down inside, the more you 'improve' a pistol the less reliable it becomes. The plain GI Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911A1  that I was issued in the 1980s U.S. Army was near-perfect in reliability, yet it rattled when I shook it, barely had any sights, used worn plastic grips, and had practically no finish left on the slide. Carrying that pistol taught me to give up ego when it comes to defensive gun use.

His Holiness knows why he is laughing. A custom Kimber with all the most expensive improvements is a gun you show your friends. A plain Glock or a humble J-frame .38 is a gun you show your enemies.

Dalia Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

His Holiness considers life in its entirety, in the physical as well as the mental, emotional, and spiritual. In this tip, he brings all those aspects together. 

During a defensive gun use, or drill, there comes a point at which the shooter begins to fear he is running out of ammo and knows he must reload quickly. Above all, he knows he must avoid fumbling with or even dropping the fresh magazine. This is a moment that could induce panic.

At that point, HH gives some plain common sense advice: rely on the tactile feel of the reload in your hand to guide your actions, and your physical senses will complement your mental and spiritual efforts and give you reassurance and a sense of calm.  
   

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

Be unflinching. Don't let yourself be distracted. Face the danger and always keep your eyes on the threat.

That's the way His Holiness faces his persecutors in China, and that's the way you ought to deal with it should you ever need to use a firearm in self-defense.

       

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

“In the present circumstances, no one can afford to assume that someone else will solve their problems. Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged.” - H.H. the Dalai Lama, The Path to Tranquility: Daily Wisdom (Compass)

His Holiness is not just goofing on a scene in Blackhawk Down. He is, in fact, illustrating the universal value of Responsibility. There can be few human activities which call for greater individual responsibility than defensive gun use.

Range safety rules can be imposed, and overseen. Gun manufacturers can design mechanical safeties and do their best to engineer accidents out of their products. Legal council can provide user manuals full of cautionary advise and even - as Ruger owners know - engrave warnings right on the barrel.

But all of that is external to the individual gun user. The individual holding the gun bears total responsibility for his actions, and truly his trigger finger must be his safety.

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

This one is easy. What other handgun would His Holiness choose but the simplest of them all?  

Simplicity is extremely important for happiness. Desiring little and being satisfied with what you have is vital, whether it's as basic as food and shelter or as specialized as defensive gun use.

There are hundreds of pistols to choose from and an almost infinite number of accessories, modifications, and customizations available for them. Prices range from as low as a few hundred dollars to as high as a pretty good used car. Once you pick one, there are tons of after-market products you might acquire to enhance your choice.   

And then, there is the Glock. Plain and utilitarian, and near-perfect right out of the box. Reliable all day long. Little to fiddle with, and not many options for adding on later.

Find the profound in simplicity! 

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

Focus. That's the word I most associate with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Focus on the main thing, on whatever is the main thing at that moment. Doing so requires calm. No frantic scrambling, no panic, no confusion. Calm. 

"I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe."

That's the mental discipline you must bring to defensive gun use. Center yourself, breathe, be unhurried, and with all deliberation do the most important thing you need to do at that moment - i.e., put the front sight on the target.

Do not rush. It is paradoxical that slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is first of all a promoter of human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline. Basically, he is the best Range Safety Officer imaginable. Wearing eye and ear protection at all times on the gun range is the best way to achieve happiness and avoid suffering.

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

I like the pragmatic way The Dalai Lama deals with life. He's an absolutely peaceful guy, yet without the absolute pacifism of some moral-posturing fanatics. Call it contingent pacifism.

This is what I take away from what I've seen of his advice to his followers, as it may pertain to defensive gun use:

One should never initiate violence, that much is clear. But it is also clear that one should protect himself or others when attacked unjustly, even if the only way of doing so is to use defensive violence. The person who uses defensive violence must bear the consequences of his actions, such as the risk of taking on karmic soul-debt, but nevertheless must act if he judges that the risks are worth facing to prevent a greater evil.

So then, violence is something The Lama can understand even as he disapproves. I am completely down with that.

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

The 14th and current Dalai Lama is beloved for his clear moral vision and for the pithy bits of wisdom he delivers with a preternaturally calm demeanor. Plus, he is all the rage right now with advocates of defensive gun use.

In May 2001 the Lama spoke to high school students in Portland, Oregon, at an "Educating the Heart Summit." As reported by the Seattle Times, The Dalai Lama said acts of violence should be remembered, and then forgiveness should be extended to the perpetrators. But if someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, he said, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun. Not at the head, where a fatal wound might result. But at some other body part, such as a leg.

The Lama's thinking on defensive gun use has evolved since then, apparently, because now he's a center mass guy.

As a public service, here is the first Dalai Lama Tactical Tip: