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60
NONVIOLENCE
To-day there is much hypocrisy and a tendency to hide one's wrong-doing or to see that no evidence is left to prove the crime and punish the wrong-doer. However, a person who practices Dharma needs no evidence to prove his thoughts, words and acts. Whether the thought, word and deed are proved or not, they exist because his conscience is alert and he knows what his thoughts are, what he has spoken and how he has acted. Dharma or religion, therefore, tries to establish a standard of behaviour for men and for society, where conscience and character are supreme and where there is no room either for hypocrisy or pretence.
The practice of Dharma is for one's spiritual wellbeing and not for proving anything to others. If we were to look at Dharma from this point of view, we would understand its value both for the individual and for society. In terms of this criterion of Dharma, the Law of non-violence is not only valuable but practicable both for the individual and for society.
If we want the younger generation to follow Dharma, the older generation should be very clear about the concept of Dharnia or religion. The younger generation finds that those who insist on the practice of Dharma always have a big gap between what they profess and what they practice. It is this that makes the younger generation, both in affluent societies and rational circles, lose respect for religion. The formalities and rituals associated with Dharma are just its externals and are not the heart of Dharma.
All the leaders of religion and the saviours of
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