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Summary of the Paper
The Emergence of Ahimsā in Indian Thought
Kayla Keehu The practice of ahiṁsā within the Indian traditions has a long and obscure past, one that is as complicated and difficult as the history of India itself. In tracing the origins of this concept, the question that is soon addressed is: From what tradition did this practice originate? In attempting to answer one must venture far back in history, looking at an assortment of texts and trying to construct a timeline based off of ancient writings from oral traditions. From this timeline it becomes clear that ahiṁsā as both a practice and a teaching came out of the Śramaņic tradition, as opposed to the tradition of the Vedas. The religion of Ancient India is often characterized by the beliefs and practices of the Vedic Period, along with the Brahmin who took charge. Fire rituals and blood sacrifices to various deities for the gain of material wealth, sons, and long life were performed, with seemingly little interest in otherworldly matters. Because practices such as these were widely accepted, it becomes clear that the practice of ahiṁsā had other roots, ones that were possibly more indigenous to India than the practices descending from the Aryans. The Śramaņic tradition arose in contrast to the mainstream Brahmanical religion, emphasizing meditation and ascetic practices, as opposed to external rituals. Jainism and Buddhism both emerge from this tradition, with their so-called founders Pārsvanātha, Mahāvīra, and Siddhārtha Gautama becoming wandering mendicants in their paths toward spiritual awakening. These leaders taught ahimsā as one of the foremost important aspects to spiritual liberation as one of the ways of reducing the accumulation of karma.
