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Life Style of Non-violence
Muni Dulahraj
Once Gautama asked Mahavira, ‘Bhante! What is God?' The Lord replied, 'Truth is God.' 'Sachham Bhyvvam.'Where there is truth, there is non-violence. Where there is truth, there is peace. Truth, Non-violence and Peace are intertwined. They cannot be separated.
Truth manifests in life when one practices self-restraint.
The way of practicing self-restraint is of two-fold the practice of self restraint by a householder and the practice of self-restraint by a recluse. The Dharma in both is the same. Because this two-fold division is based on the ability of practice of an individual. The essence of Dharma does not differ. Practice of restraint by a house-holder means a practice with some exemptions because he has manifold duties to perform in his life-social, individualistic, national and other duties. As such he cannot abstain completely from violence or possessions
The second category of Dharma is practised by a person who has completely renounced the wordly affairs and has become a recluse. Even though he lives amidst a society, he is not entangled in the worldly affairs. His main aim is to be free from all the bondages and to attain emancipation. He practices non-violence more fully. There is no exemption.
Now, first of all let us try to understand the definition of non-violence. Violence and non-violence go hand in hand. The existence of both depend upon one another. Hence, we can say that from time immemorial, nonviolence was practiced in opposition to violence.
The main point is to know the foot hold of Ahimsa. There are two main factors on which the definition of Ahimsa is based. Some thinkers say that to save a living being is Ahiṁsā. To me, non-violence is the purity of heart, the equanimity. Non-violence is to be free from all the emotions and tensions, it is to limit the limitless cravings. Non-violence is to discard the
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