Ahimsa is not Religion It is way of Life

Author(s): Clare Rosenfield, Linda Segall
Publisher: Clare Rosenfield and Linda Segall

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awareness dawns, we see through a new set of eyes. We feel an uninterrupted connection from our innermost being to the soul force alive in all.
This experience enables us to recognize, in Shree Chitrabhanu's words, "that the universe is not for man alone. It is a field of evolution for all of life's forms. Jainism teaches that life is life, not only in people of all lands, colors, and beliefs, but is of the same sacred quality in all creatures, right down to the tiny ant and humble worm. Consciousness exists in everything which grows, regardless of the size of its form. Though different forms are not the same in mental capacity and sensory apparatus, the life force is equally worthy in all.”
From the moment this awareness becomes a par of our daily life, we find that traits and habits which used to limit us fall away naturally. We are no longer able to invite pain and disease to our bodies through uninformed eating habits. The vegetarian way of life becomes a natural outcome of inner understanding.
At the same time, it becomes imperative for our well-being and continued evolution to forgive, drop, and forget those painful vibrations we may still be carrying in our mind. With courage and compassion, we can remove them. It is a gradual process. If we realize that the hurts and scars from the past came to us by our own invitation, we can stop focusing on blaming and retribution. Once we take responsibility for our own pain, we can transcend it. We can see its purpose-to act as compost, breaking open the harsh outer shell of our heart and helping the soft flower of compassion and kindness to blossom. In this way, the trials of life become fuel for our
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