What does the teaching "turn the other cheek" really mean?

It means to moon the other person, or show them your bare ass.

To me, the point of the saying is that if someone attacks you, by either a) ignoring them entirely or b) doing the minimum required to end the attack and nothing more, then in every way you retain the moral high-ground.

Nonsensical RANT

I think of violence as a force, a sort of energy. That sounds silly, but bear with me. When someone throws a punch unprovoked, what they do in my model is create "new violence". The way to negate this new violence is to respond with as equal a response as possible. If someone slaps you camp-ly on the right cheek, if you want to respond you should slap them camp-ly on the right cheek in return as this maintains an equal amount of violence used by each side. If you do no more than match them blow-for-blow nobody can reasonably call you the aggressive one. If you react with more violence than was used against you, you create more new violent energy and lose your status as the fair man, the innocent victim. If your aim is to eliminate violence then you should avoid creating new violence whenever possible.

Obviously this is dependent on people acting purely rationally and without emotion, like a Vulcan. Which we're not.

/RANT

To me the saying means "don't let your emotions take over to create violence, don't over-react".

I think one of the advantages - in terms of longevity - of anything that takes it's roots from the bible is that they're very open to interpretation in a modern day setting :P

A man shouldn't argue with every dog that barks at him. It's an honor to overlook an insult and stay out of a discussion that holds no fruit.

^That's what I always took it to mean.

It's from the bible. I can't remember where but it's Jesus, I think, saying that the "eye for an eye" approach is wrong and that if somebody smites you on the cheek, then instead you turn the other cheek to them and let them hit you there too.

I don't take it that way in my everyday life. I just take it to mean: ignore it when someone has done you wrong. Rise above it, kind of thing.

I take it as someone seeing something bad happening and not doing anything about it. Pretending like you didn't see it or didn't know about it because you don't want to get involved, don't feel it's your place to or that you think you can't do anything about it anyways.

And also your definition.

Do not seek revenge.

It means if someone insults you whack'em dead.

It means if a volley ball coach subluxates your arm don't beat her up tell your parents to take you to the doctors and let them beat her up. : )

It means you shouldn't respond to violence with violence. In essence because you were created by God, I won't lower myself to strike a "loved creation of God" even if you hit me. I will let Him handle the injustice done to me. The bible says to love not only your friends but even your enemies which is challenging.

Actually, back in Jesus' time, turning the other cheek was an act of defiance.

It was like, "ohhhh dude, you hit me! Guess what? You're such a pussy, I'm gonna turn the other cheek!"

Funny how the meaning of such things can change over time, and according to who is interpreting them.

look the other way

It means it someone hits you ,be the bigger person ad walk away and let God take care of them.

You can't fight fire with fire. It means you don't give it second thought and don't feed the negative people/situations you encounter.

It means to look away; to either ignore something that's happening (though I don't think it necessarily has to be a 'problem' or 'conflict'.

Forgive and Forget.

Whatever meaning it is meant to have, I thought of it as supportive of negative behaviour and dominance; it works to the advantage of aggressors in subduing their victims by expecting them to submit to undeserved punishment or violence. It's a doctrine written by people in power who intended to subdue a lower class of people.

It reminds me a little of a more modern and now popular idiom: "Keep calm and carry on." Propaganda that was developed by a government to keep a country cheerful while the whole world was at war.

I do think there is a bit of helpfulness in it, basically in learning to "pick your battles" or like the famous prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr says: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Some situations are really out of our locus of control, so backing down is the only reasonable choice. However, it doesn't apply to all situations and doctrines; like "turn the other cheek" or "it's just the internet--ignore it" which do seem to cater more to the aggressor than the victim.