AHIMSA - THE INNATE NATURE OF THE SOUL

AHIMSA- THE INNATE NATURE OF THE SOUL

One of the most important guiding principle and the backbone of Jainism is AHIMSA (non violence )

We (jains)  have been inured since childhood, to refrain from violence and sinful acts.

With the aim of nurturing humanity within us, our elders have often reminded us

"Be cautious! Do not step on insects while walking. 

"Do not stone stray dogs. He too experiences pain..."

"She is your sister. Always protect her. Don't ever hurt her...” and similar statements are heard.

Often, we hear statements like, "If you kill a living being, you bind grave sins (paap), and you will have to go to hell to repent for your sins"

Keeping all this in mind, there is one question which should ring a bell in our head.

Is non-violence merely the act of NOT hurting somebody?

Or Should I practice Ahimsa (non-violence) from the fear of going to hell?

 

Nonviolence is a very broad philosophy, and these concepts account for a mere fraction of it. Let us understand the true definition of Ahimsa through a few pertinent questions which enclose us in a cloud of confusion.

 

What is non-violence?

 Ahimsa is a virtue of the soul, a seed which is born from the magnificent tree of compassion and empathy. Non-violence is our Swabhav, the innate nature of the soul. This philosophy of Ahimsa believes in the unity of life and regards all living beings as equal. Cruelty is not only an aspect of external behavior, but it is also an inner evil tendency.

 

What are the mediums of practicing non - violence?

 

The Jain philosophy decodes three Yog’s which serve as a medium for the soul to carry out activities. These are - Mann Yog, Vachan Yog and Kaya Yog.

 

The Mann Yog:  refers to the mind or the intellect, which is the seat of all our thoughts. Unconsciously, it is one of the strongest mediums through which all of us become violent to a large extent. Examples of the violence born out of cyclone of our thoughts are "He deserves to fail. He is so arrogant. He will not succeed for having cheated on me.” Such evil thoughts ultimately construct our destiny as the violence which erupts from our thoughts creates certain negativity within us, which is the root cause of our sorrow.

 

The Vachan Yog: refers to our speech; our words which often touch others in a positive and negative manner. Harsh words have the power to pierce the soul even more fiercely than a sword. Just as you do not want your sentiments to be touched by obnoxious words from others, similarly others will loathe the same. Words have a very strong impact on a person’s mind and emboss impressions deep within. Hence, it is very important that we choose our words wisely. Ill speech creates negative vibrations and disrupts peace.

 

The Kaya Yog: refers to the physical activities. Non-violence through the physical body has adverse effects. E.g. it be hitting your child for his misbehavior; slaughtering an animal for food; we easily understand that this form of violence causes immense pain and agony to the one who is victimized. Violence through actions is easy to recognize and thus, it is easier to refrain from violent actions.

 

Nonviolence; is it a mere action?

 

Even as human beings, none of us have the ability to hurt another living being or become the cause of someone's death. For example, when we unknowingly stamp on an ant, do we have the ability to kill the ant by virtue of our action? No, the ant will die only if its Ayusha (lifespan) has terminated. A living being cannot be killed by virtue of somebody's action if its own Ayushya Karma has not ended. Whatever happens to us is a reaction of our own actions or Karmas. Hence, no one can bring us to death, including ourselves, unless our Karmas do not bring it to action. Therefore, even when someone attempts suicide, they will not be successful if their Ayushya karma (karma that determines the life span of a living being) is not finished. Some survive even after accidentally falling from a high rise tower, while some succumb to death even with a minor fever.  This can be associated to Newton’s Law which states: “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”. We bear the fruits of our own Karmas.

 

So now, the question which arises is that if our death is pre decided by virtue of our Karma, then on what basis does our soul bind sins related to violence? Here, it very necessary for us to understand that we do not bind our Karmas by virtue of how much we hurt someone, but due to the loss of our own consciousness. We can hurt someone only when we forget our intrinsic nature, our Swabhav or lose the purity of our soul. In other words violence can be defined as lack of alertness.

When you experience the pain which is caused to any other living being, violence cannot enter your heart as you become naturally empathetic. Hence, when we try to sum up the philosophy of nonviolence in one word, it is “Alertness”.

“Lack of alertness, and not violence, is the root cause of all our Karmas.”

 

Example: When a person (A) is driving; he may face a mishap due to his reckless driving. His recklessness stems from the lack of his alertness. And this lack of alertness is the root cause of someone’s pain and thus, it is the reason that he binds the Karma of violence. There may be another person (B) who consciously drives the car and tries to ensure the safety of all other vehicles and persons on the road. However, there occurs an accident unfortunately. Is he accountable for it? This person cannot be blamed for the mishap as it happened unfortunately due to someone else’s fault.

Our consciousness is the prime reason of all our Karmas.  Parmatma Mahavira became an Omniscient or attained Kevalya or Keval Gyan only because he identified completely with his true inner nature. His consciousness transformed Him into an ocean of compassion and an embodiment of Universal Love. Every soul is destined to achieve the same fate, by molding his consciousness in terms of thoughts, words and action. It is the process to purify your soul by shedding all vices. It is only when we make a conscious effort to stay in our true innate nature; we will be able to achieve these virtuous qualities which will ultimately bring us to the horizon of immense joy and eternal peace.

Peace, happiness and liberation are not destinations to be achieved but a journey to be slowly treaded and experienced in every moment of our lives!

All these explanations are translated from the jain holy book - AAGAM which is written in gujrati and Hindi

Hope you enjoy reading!