What was ahimsa

The non-Jains sometimes make fun of me, but all I do is to stare back and keep eating. Does it have meat, fish, eggs, animal fat, gelatin, etc. The rise of health consciousness in American society as a whole has vastly improved the status of vegetarians. This is our way of life. And science is confirming that vegetarianism is far healthier.

Violence can also be exercised by, for example, business choices. This is another aspect of the ethic of ahimsa with which Jains in America must grapple. Businessmen who own restaurants must carefully choose whether or not to serve meat. Whereas violence checks this energy within, and is ultimately disruptive in its consequences, ahimsa.

When Gandhi speaks of ahimsa as a law, we should take him at his word. Indeed, it was a law for him like gravity; and could be demonstrated in the midst of human affairs. And I know of no single case in which it has failed. To practice nonviolence in mundane matters is to know its true value.

It is to bring heaven upon earth. I hold it therefore to be wrong to limit the use of nonviolence to cave dwellers [hermits] and for acquiring merit for a favored position in the other world. All virtue ceases to have use if it serves no purpose in every walk of life. Violence, he felt, only made the pretense of a solution, and sowed seeds of bitterness and enmity that would ultimately disrupt the situation.

One needs to practice ahimsa to understand it. Four Vedas, which make up the Bhagavad Gita, were eventually compiled and written down in Sanskrit by a sage known as Vyasa. Ahimsa is part of the first of the eight limbs known as yama , or practices of self-regulation designed to free us from being victims of our own human impulses. Yama practices are likened to cleaning techniques for our minds, bodies, and spirits that allow us to live more conscious, liberated lives.

In addition to being a yama in yoga, ahimsa is also a foundational principle of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Instead, there are ways we can live day to day that allow us to see the benefits of ahimsa in practice.

We also recognize that this theory is often so much harder to put into practice—and maintain. As I was writing at a coffee shop in New York City recently, three women came in and sat next to my table on what appeared to be a work break. They laughed as they shared comments on the weather and talked about their jobs and upcoming travel. Soon, one of the women said she had to get to a meeting and headed back to the office while the other two stayed behind, all of them waving and smiling.

When she was out of sight, though, the remaining two women began talking poorly about the person who had just left. In a few minutes it went from a few whispered comments to bonding in laughter over criticisms between sips of coffee. The pain from injurious words that flushed through each of their faces, minds, and bodies was palpable. To make this balance work, we can consider that ahimsa is the central practice of the five yamas , and that the other four yamas and niyamas are in support of that.

Learning how to delicately balance truthfulness while not being painfully honest with others is a real art of yoga. Think of the many situations in life when your so-called truthfulness could cause pain to others, including simple examples, such as your comments about a meal served at a friend's home or what you might say if someone asked you about their physical appearance or clothes when dressed for some special occasions.

If your mind is not in the moment and quiet enough to artfully maneuver around such a situation, which would you choose, to be painfully honest or mindfully honest for the sake of not hurting the other person?

Sure, we'd like to be proficient enough to practice both non-harming harmlessness and non-lying in perfect balance, but until we master this skill, we need to be ever mindful of the most important practice, which is to first and foremost to cause no harm.

The same method can be applied to practicing the rest of the other Yamas and Niyamas. One by one, we can get mastery over each and this will ultimately lead to mastery over all of them in letter and spirit.

Sign up for Beyond Breath - a free online session on Breath and Meditation and take a first step towards self care and ahimsa today! She can be followed on Instagram , Twitter , and Facebook. National Website Menu. Talk to a Teacher Courses Entry Level Courses. Talk to a Certified Teacher Call United States. What are you looking for? Find Courses. Search Courses By Location. Search Courses By Name.