$JES 103 Jain Alphabet Book Level 1 Book

Author(s): JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

Page 17

A IS FOR AHIMSÄ
A is for Ahimsä
Ahimsä means Non-Violence More than 2500 years ago, Lord Mahävir made a simple yet powerful statement about Ahimsä; “All life is just like me. I want to live. So do all living beings. Every living being wants to live and fears death. Each of us wants to be free from pain. So we should carry out all our activities with great care not to harm any living being." "Ahimsä Parmo Dharma" means 'Non-Violence is the highest religion'. The philosophy of Non-Violence is a way of life. We must respect all life forms in order to practice total Non-Violence. A vegetarian diet is one simple way to practice Ahimsä. We should not eat. drink. or wear any product made by hurting, torturing or killing animals. In the picture the raised hand tells us to stop and think before we start any activity, speak to other people, or even think about others. We can hurt someone or commit violence by any of these three actions - words, thoughts or actions. We should stop and think before doing
nything. This way, we will be able to observe the principles of Ahimsä in its true sense. The wheel in the hand reminds us that if we do not watch all our actions, our soul* cannot be freed from the cycle of birth, life and death. Ahimsä (non-violence), Anekantaväd (non-one sidedness) and Aparigraha (non-possessiveness) are the three 'A's of Jainism. All Jains should apply these principles in their daily life. * Soul is our true inner self; the part of us that never dies. See S Note : A is also for Arihanta and Amity (friendship)
JAIN ALPHABET BOOK
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