Revenge

In the West, the ability to live well is considered the best revenge. Revenge is referred to in the Bible as "an eye for an eye...". In the East, revenge is very serious business, and is a dish that is best served cold. This is a topic that gets more than its fair share of attention in certain warrior codes. If a samurai's master was murdered for whatever reason, he had to fulfill a giri (profound obligation) to even the score, and this could take years. Today, those who may have been victimized come to the martial arts to exact retribution on the next potential abuser. This is actually avenging, which is considered just and even honorable. Revenge is really an admission of pain; that to commit revenge implies bringing some sense of relief or satisfaction. My guess is that to succeed at revenge can only bring more misery.

Revenge is exclusively ego driven and desirous, and the so-called reason for it is usually blown out of proportion. Such is the nature of the ego. When aikido's Morihei Ueshiba spoke of the "enemy lurking deep within", he was obviously using this as a metaphor for the egoic mind. Vengeance of any kind always bears the fruit of karma. Even when a ronin avenged the death of a master, he was obliged to commit suicide (seppuku). Revenge is never sweet.