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Ahimsă
Ahimsā Paramo Dharmah Nonviolence is the highest religion
Non-violence, ahimsā, is the central doctrine of Jainism. Jainism is therefore sometimes called the nonviolence religion or culture. Nonviolence also plays an important role in Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and other religions. However with none of them has this principle has been given such a central position as in Jainism, especially in the practice of religion. All actions Jains do are directed towards avoiding harm to other living beings. This includes physical violence, but also verbal violence, and - most important of all mental violence because that is where the cause of all misery is born. This has enormous consequences for daily life, for society and for our worldview. Through the millennia Jains have put emphasis on this principle and have thereby influenced the whole world. And they are still doing so. Basically human nature is kind, considerate and compassionate, as we can see in children and most grown-ups, and also in our anatomy and physiology, but too often we follow our beastly nature, and then become a thousand times worse that any animal can ever
be.
Throughout human history this teaching of nonviolence as the first principle has covered humankind with a protective shield. Everywhere in the world there were and
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