Ahimsa the Science of Peace

Author(s): Surendra Bothra
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 72

This comprehensive knowledge is helpful in pinpointing the malignancy and taking steps to cleanse the feelings. Any one out of these 108 sub-classes is enough to malign the soul and none of these come alone. There is a chain reaction starting with inception of just one of these. The purpose behind following the path of Ahimsa is to limit, and then stop the continuing tarnishing of the soul. It can only be achieved by striking at the root causes, the passions. It is a process of total change in attitude and does not end merely by avoiding a few of the said varieties of violence.
The avoidance of any or all types of violence is not the goal but the means in the cleansing process. As the degree of purity of soul increases it becomes easier to drift away from violence of a certain degree. Ultimately even the tiniest part of the urge to commit violence is wiped off. As a means Ahimsa is always progressive, but the moment it is made a goal it becomes just a ritual.
From these basics has evolved an applied system of Ahimsa, which has been included in the codes of conduct of the Jains. The codes for the mendicant or ascetic have been made very strict and are called Maha-vrats. Those for the worldly are comparatively lenient and are called Anu-vrats.
Ahimsa, as defined by Jains, covers widest possible field. It is also basic to all the other vows. As such, understanding and applying Ahimsa into conduct makes the following of other vows simple. Proper understanding of Ahimsa automatically gives insight into the other four conducts. Application of Ahimsa essentially covers the application of other four codes.
When the applied form of any basic principle is formulated an important factor comes into play; circumstance. This
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