Pacifism and Passivity are not the same. That will not come as much of a surprise to the finely tuned linguists that read this blog. I, on the other hand, am just beginning to work out the difference.
Pacifism is usually defined as not regarding war as a solution to problems. This is often in the context of international conflicts, but I am using it to define the Buddhist approach to life and one's own mind and problems. Passivity, on the other hand, has much more the sense of torpor, of taking no action.
Taking an attitude of Peace
The Buddhist approach is not one of conquering your life, but accepting who you are. The practice of meditation is the practice of peace, making friends with yourself (self in the sense of the thoughts and feelings that you experience) by looking inward without reserve or judgement. While the attitude is one of peace, action is required to start and accomplish the practice.
Many people assume that meditation is about stopping thoughts, about somehow 'gaining' peace through some kind of mental gymnastics or trance. While the practice of meditation does bring about some kind of peace, this arises due to a subtle combination of action and inaction. One allows one's own experience in all its colour, but brings the mind back to the present moment when distracted. This requires discipline. The paradox is that it is discipline to continually come back to naked mind, which requires no maintenance.
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