Golden Steps To Salvation

Author(s): Padmasagarsuri
Publisher: Arunoday Foundation

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Do not harm any creature.
- Yajurveda The Biblical commandment is: “Thou shalt not kill." (This is one of the Ten Commandments.) The Islamic religion gives a commandment to Hajis (pilgrims) stating that they should not kill any animal in the period of their pilgrimage; that is, from the date on which they take up the haz or pilgrimage upto the time of their completing the pilgrimage to Mecca. “Even if a louse is biting you do not kill it. Let it go." This is the commandment. A great Muslim teacher Sheka Sadhi has written, “The ants caught beneath your feet experience the same anguish and torture as you experience when you are caught beneath the feet of an elephant.” In this way all the religions preach ahimsā or non-violence. If non-violence is taken away from any religion nothing great remains in it. All the teachings of all religions are intended to lead us towards ahimsā or non-violence. Ahimsā or non-violence is like a boundless ocean into which all religions flow like rivers and unite and become sanctified.
Just as all the rivers of the world flow into the ocean and become united there, so also all religions of the world unite in the Bhagavathi ahimsā or non-violence.
Now-a-days, it has become a fashion to convene conferences of all religions. The heads of all religions are invited to the Sarvadharma Sammelan (a conference of all religions) and each invitee beats his drum, sings his song, blows his own trumpet and goes away. The organisers spend lakhs of rupees on such conferences; but no results are achieved because unless people practise ahimsā in their lives and give the highest place to it, such conferences are futile. The organisers may get only name but the conferences do not serve the cause of religion. Please listen to the fourth line in Sambodhasattari :
" FAT Affumfra"
Savve dhammā sammilanti All religions unite.