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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to experience the dignity of our own life. Then we cannot bear to cause pain to anyone and we stop violating the laws of life. The seeds of war cannot grow in such a gentle and aware consciousness.
Vegetarianism helps to initiate this new perception, because it jolts us out of seeing other lives through the cold eyes of the intellect as objects to be annihilated, dominated, or used. According to the Jain teaching, enemies do not exist. There are no opponents, no one lesser or higher. There are only fellow living beings. Each one of us is beloved to someone; none of us wants to be tortured or killed. If we can teach this to our children through our living example, the world will come closer to the peace it longs for.
Rather than waiting for others to change, we start with ourselves. When we diminish the violent vibrations accumulated in body and mind, we start releasing our own healthy and positive energy. This creates a magnetic field around us which attracts vibrations of health, peace, loving kindness, and balance to us.
To those who disagree with us, we listen with understanding and unconditional friendship, honoring the life in each individual. Rather than be dogmatic or argumentative, we live and allow others to live. They have a right to their own thoughts and opinions. But we remain free from creating wars in the name of some patriotic, economic, religious, or other ism; peace will come in time by our valuing life above and beyond all other priorities. With this conviction, we plant seeds of loving kindness and trust nature to take care of them.
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