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into husband's funeral pyre. The British rule did a commendable job by enacting laws and banning all these customs of self-immolation.
FOR AHIMSĀ IT IS ESSENTIAL TO ABANDON HIMSĀ
Here are some questions that may help proper understanding of ahimsā. There are infinite such beings that have no mind or speech and their feelings find no expression. They have no means of indulging in violence. Can they commit violence?
A person is endowed with mind, speech, body and means of violence. He is sitting silent at a place. He is not indulging in any act of violence through mind, speech and body. Can he be called non-violent?
The answers provided by Jain thinkers in Jain scriptures are the result of their profound contemplation about ahinsa. Those who refrain from indulging in any violence related to subtle and gross, mobile and immobile, all types of living beings but have not taken any such vow cannot be called ahinsaka or non-violent although they do not commit any violence. For example, a person gets angry and wants to harm someone but has not yet got an opportunity to do so. But as he has the attitude and desire to cause harm he will be called hinsaka or violent. In the same way those who have not taken the vow of avoiding violence and whose mind is filled with attachment and aversion, by attitude or feelings they are enemies of all beings. They cannot be called benign even for the beings they have had no opportunity to harm.
The attitude of a being that has not resolved to avoid killing a specific being or class of beings has latent violence for that being. For example a person intends to destroy a village completely and commences his act. However, he is unable to kill the people who ran away. But in spite of not killing them it cannot be said that he eschewed violence against those who fled. In the same way those who have not resolved to abandon violence against beings beyond their reach in terms of time, place and other such parameters cannot be said to have avoided violence against them. Therefore, it is essential to resolves to abandon violence in order to save oneself from the sin of violence.
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