________________
and accommodation of others along with enhanced degree of selfreliance for the individual-self.
Let us therefore interpret this compassionate life-ethics by each one of us in our station of life and within our capacity endeavouring to:
Ø Enlarging constantly and earnestly areas and content of voluntary self-less service to the needy in education, health, disaster relief and other life-sustaining sectors;
Ø Participating actively in gross root programmes for promoting compassion, fraternity and tolerance, eliminating hatred, greed and deceit and above all helping build a non-violent culture and way of life.
Ø Supporting actively all plans and programmes to save Mother Earth and the universe from escalating environmental pollution and degradation with the conviction that a new sense of our communion with planet Earth must enter our minds and hearts.
Ø Evolving a pattern of voluntary self-restraint, abstinence and detachment from material bondages and building up a total community culture of avoiding wasteful consumption, wreck less exploitation of humans as well as natural resource base.
It will be a long, arduous and patient struggle and a formidable task to translate the culture of Ahimsa into living reality in the day-to-day life of the humanity. In this egocentric world, temptation to hurt and injure others comes so easily. Restraining oneself from committing any kind of violence requires self-discipline of the highest order as well as a social mindset conducive to non-violence.
Poetess Marla Glen puts it beautifully:
I just cannot understand this Why it is so hard To take each other by the hand And say that
(262)
Ahimsa: The Ultimate Winner *
For Private & Personal Use Only
Jain Education International
www.jainelibrary.org