Idea of Ahimsa and Asceticism in Ancient Indian Tradition

Author(s): Bansidhar Bhatt
Publisher: B J Institute

Page 45

4. REFORM RELIGIONS AND AHMSA
(a) Reform religions and something introductory:
It is now clear that the Brahmanical asceticism developed parallel to the Vedic rituals and it was Indo-Aryan in character. It is also clear that the Vedic ritualists anticipated the dread of killings and showed even aversion to it, and that out of the magico-ritualistic ahimsa of the priest-sacrificer axis, emerged in due course, the ahimsa as a doctrine, and so also from within the Vedic ritualism itself, emerged some concepts of the renunciatory vis-a-vis the Upanisa dic thinking, even before the two reform religions, viz. Buddhism and Jainism came into existence. Due to individualization and interiorization of the rituals, the entire ritualism was absorbed by the individual and the ahim sa tendency increased among the brahmin-household ers who desired to live an ideal life as an ascetic for some time and who simultaneously defined in this context what a true sacrifice and the true brahminhood should be (Schmidt-1 pp.650 fol.). The priest-sacrificer axis was replaced by, and centralized in one individual self evolving in a new thinking: Man's freedom from fear in this world and the next one, rests fully on attaining the union of his self with the self of all living beings, on seeing him in all and all in him - in his self - by means of a himsa - to live and to let other live.
Such reinterpretation of rituals and establishment of higher internal values became principal reformative issues of the Brahmanical religious scriptures, e.g. Upanisads, dharmasutras,
s, the MBH, etc. and subsequently the teachings of Gotama, the Buddha and Vardhamana the Mahavira, the two reformists, who lived in about the 4th century B.C.1
(b) Buddhism :
The meat-eating in Buddhism is not absolutely restricted. The Vina ya texts dealing with disciplinary rules for the Buddhist monks and nuns allow meat and fish, considered as one among the five superior and delicate sorts of food. A monk or a nun, healthy or otherwise is allowed to eat meat and fish. The Vina ya texts contain a list of certain kinds of meat which is prohibited
1. Cf. Heinz Bechert: "Die Lebenszeit des Buddha ..." Nachr. Akad. • Wiss., Gottingen 1986 Nr.4, pp.129-184, also "Die Datierung des
Buddha ..." by H.Bechert (Saeculum 39.1, 1988).