Violence and Order/Justice

Violence and Order/Justice

Coming off of our discussion about sacred duty and violence in the Gita, I was intrigued by the story of Prince Dirghayu that the Buddha told during a schism among his disciples (p. 39-43). En route to his execution, the King Dirgheti's imparts some final advice to his son:

O Dirghayu, my son! Do not look long, do not look short, for not by hatred is hatred appeased; hatred is appeased by not-hatred only! (p.40)

Even when Prince Dirghayu has the opportunity to kill the king that had his father executed, he does not do so because of his father's advice that hatred can only breed more hatred. The oath between the Prince and the king not to do any harm to each other eventually restores order and justice because the king gives the prince back his father's kingdom. This story seemed to me extremely similar to the Gita. We have a son who must take a stand to defend his father's kingdom from injustice. In the Gita, Krishna says that it is Arjuna's sacred duty to fight his brothers. In this story of the prince, he is rewarded for making peace out of hatred. Can these two religious teachings be reconciled?