Idea of Ahimsa and Asceticism in Ancient Indian Tradition

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

Page 81

THE IDEA OF AHIMSA
8. AHIMSA MISCELLANY
(a) ahimsa, a negative concept ?
We wind up the issue of vegetarianism. We have discussed almost all principal sources of ahimsa and shown its origins and developments in the Brahmanism and early Buddhism and Jainism as well. Here, we wish to deal with some other issues, e.g. ahimsa and its negative concept, its practicability, etc. etc. Since it will be interesting to know about them now, at this stage of concluding the principal theme of ahimsa as a doctrine.
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First, we will explain how the concept of ahimsa with its privative prefix, though giving a negative meaning, i.e. noninjury, implies only a positive sense. The well-known Dutch scholar Jan Gonda has discussed this aspect of the ahimsa and rightly observed that the term ahimsa denotes not only negative sense of non-injury to living beings, but a positive concept also, i.e. subjective-fellow-feelings and compassion - da ya towards all living beings. This is a basic idea underlying almost all Indian religions. Similar concepts with a negative sense due to the privative prefix, are not wanting in any language. The term: amṛta means "immortal", rather than "not-dead". It means: "free from death", but in reality it stands for "life", "vitality", "eternal goal or spiritual liberation", in contrast with the term: mara - "death" in Buddhism. It indicates also "no re-death or re-birth" in Indian philosophy. Other similar word is aja - "unborn", "the supreme reality" (Gonda-1. pp.97-98; also: cf. Della Casa. p.192; Schreiner. p.295,fn.12).
So also, the word: abhaya which though literary means "abstention from fear", but stands in reality for "safety" or "security". Even the word "secure" in English which contains a privative prefix se (without), has originally a negative sense: without (se-) worries (cure)", but it denotes a positive aspect, viz. "secure", "safe", or "confident” (Gonda-1.pp.98-99; Della Casa. pp.191,192). Similarly, the word: ajara, avyaya, etc. with a privative prefix have negative meanings, e.g. "not of old age", 'not liable to change", but denote positive concepts, e.g. "ever young", "steady", respectively (Gonda-1. p. 105). In Indian religions, the term: asteya, though with a negative sense, expresses a positive aspect, viz. "respect of other's property". Such terms are many, e.g. anâdi, ananta, avidyā, akṣara, etc.