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the process of regeneration of life will shift to the scale of eons and more. Given these stakes, we cannot brand this destruction inevitable and accept the prevailing conditions.
We should not forget that not to oppose evil amounts to supporting evil. A sincere endeavour never becomes worthless under any conditions. If nothing else, it leaves an imprint of its existence on the fabric of space and time, a seed that sprouts whenever the conditions are right and conducive. Even if favourable conditions are absent now, we must strive for the goal, no matter how difficult the endeavor may be.
As long as we continue to define ahimsa in sacralized, ritualistic terms as non-killing and non-hurting, it will remain a matter of sentiment and will continue to be governed by the flickering state of the human mind. The definition should not be confined to this narrow verbal meaning, but should be elaborated as Mahavir did-as a way of life in which balance is emphasized and discerning attitude or vivek is made the means of implementation. This is imperative because ahimsa is neither an exact term nor static. It is relative as well as dynamic. It varies from person to person and time to time depending on one's spiritual level and circumstances. When it comes to defending the country, the duty of a citizen changes - he may have to resort to violence. When it comes to his treatment of his fellow humans and animals, his duty shifts to protecting living beings. At one place he is governed by courage, valour and aggression, and at the other by compassion and sympathy.
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The discipline of ahimsa at every level does not mean that a criminal is not to be punished. It is a dynamic principle, as given by Jains, and its application is also dynamic. Ahimsa literally means absence of himsa. Thus, when in
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