Ahimsa Crisis You Decide

Author(s): Sulekh C Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 78

Mental violence to others happens when a person, through his attitudes or actions, evokes feelings of anger, fondness, or greed (just a few examples) in another person. In other words, he intentionally disturbs the mental peace (the bhava prana) of the other person.
When we intend to hurt or harm others, we give birth to kashayas (sins) such as anger, deception, pride, greed, love, and hate. Thus we always first commit violence to the self in the process.
This mental himsa is like starting a fire. It always sparks further himsa.
A second category of himsa is vaani or verbal himsa. Here, a little spark quickly becomes fire. What is in mind comes out in speech.
The third way to perform himsa is through physical (kaayaa) himsa. Here, the fire becomes an inferno, destroying everyone in its path. Here, too, the mental and verbal himsa unite with the physical to become partners.
A Jain scripture, the Dasavaikalika sutra states: "No sin accrues to one who walks, stands, sits, sleeps, eats, and speaks with vigilance."
Since mental/bhaava himsa is the most dangerous, because it can lead so quickly to other forms of himsa, a good rule is to control it so that it doesn't spread to verbal and physical levels.
Here's an example of how the mere intention to harm (mental himsa) is can be more dangerous and harmful than verbal and physical himsa:
In a town, one butcher makes his living by going into the forest, catching and killing birds, then selling their meat. One day, he takes his vast net into the forest, spreads it on the ground, sprinkles lot of bird feed on the net and hides quietly in the bushes and waits for the birds to come and eat the bird feed. Many hungry birds show up and start eating. At the same time, an ahimsak happens to walk by and sees the birds on the
An Ahimsa Crisis: You Decide
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