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AHINSA The Non-Violence
Manubhai Doshi, Chicago, IL
Samayä Savvabhooesu Sattu-Mittesu Vä Jage table for the survival. Lord Umäswäti therefore defines violence as Pänäiväyaviraee Jävajjivae Dukkaram.
'Pramattayogät Pränvyavaropanam Hinsa'. It means that the - Uttaradhyayan Sutra deprival of life on account of non-vigilance is violence. For all
practical purposes, non-violence is therefore defined as avoiding (Equanimity towards all beings in the universe, to all possible violence. As such, Jainism exhorts every one to underthe friends as well as the foes, is Ahinsa;, (though)
take all necessary activities in a way that does not cause avoidable it is hard to refrain from hurting the living beings
violence. For our requirement of food also, it asks us to take only
vegetarian food and that too of the type that does not involve for the entire life.)
multi-organism.
This is only a physical and rather superficial aspect of the The first Sunday of October, we celebrate as Ahinsa Din or concept. But Ahinsä has a deeper and subtler significance. Physithe day of non-violence. This is in token of the birth day of cal non-violence, we observe primarily for the sake of pity. True Mahatma Gandhi who was born on October 2 1869. He gained
Ahinsä requires the elevation of that sense of pity to the level of freedom for India by conducting a non-violent struggle for inde sympathy and compassion by developing sensitivity for others. As pendence against the Britishers who had occupied India. His prin- believers of Ahinsä, we cannot remain content with not hurting cipal mission was to extend the observance of Ahinsa in every walk
others and stay insensitive to their pain and misery that may be of life. He said that Ahinsa was his life as well as breath. The cel caused by other factors. True observer of Ahinsa has to develop the ebration of his birth day as Ahinsä Din is thus in tune with his sympathetic attitude. He should get rid of the feelings of anger, concept. It would however be worthwhile to examine that con- arrogance, animosity, jealousy and hostility that defile the mind cept at some length.
and generate the violent instinct. Ahinsä or nonviolence literally means not to hurt. Though Such feelings mainly arise because of wrong perception. In having thus a negative derivation, it has very positive connotation. the life, we come across different situations from time to time. We The concept of Ahinsä is based on the fact that every living being happen to perceive some of them as favorable and some as unfawishes to be happy and tries to avoid pain. Hurting results in pain. vorable. If we perceive any situation as painful, unfavorable and Therefore in order to avoid giving pain, we should refrain from
against our interest, we react to that with sense of dislike, hate, hurting others. For most of the people, this approach is restricted aversion, abhorrence etc. and try to change it to our liking and to the realm of human beings. There are some who go beyond satisfaction. There is nothiug wrong in trying to change it, as long that and would not like to hurt the animals as well. But their as we do it calmly, peacefully and without hurting others. But if concept is usually limited to the domesticated animals. 2500 years situations do not change favorably, we happen to feel perturbed or ago, Lord Mahävir extended the concept of non-violence to all the distressed and blame or curse the unfavorable situations for that. living beings. He could visualize that not only the minutest in- We may also attribute motives to the persons concerned with those sects, but most of the seemingly inanimate objects like vegetation situations and indulge in wrath, anger, animosity and hostility toalso are one-sensed living beings. They have life and undergo the wards them. sense of pleasure and pain. He therefore urged to refrain from We fail to realize that our perception might be wrong. As a hurting even such one-sensed beings.
matter of fact, the situations that we perceive as painful, might be As long as we live, we happen to hurt many living beings. The pleasurable to others. We also fail to indirectly responsible for such air that we breathe and the water that we drink contain minute situations. The wrong perception arises because we fail to think organism. Even the vegetarian food that we may take is prepared dispassionately and also because we might be feeling that our self from plant life which has to be destroyed for the sake of our food interest would be at stake, if the situation does not change favorably. The question would then arise: 'How is it possible to observe non- Our concept of self interest however generally happens to be violence?' The plain answer is that it is impossible to stay totally parochial. We therefore nurse grudge for the people whom we non-violent, because indulging in some sort of violence is inevi- perceive as acting against our interest. We fail to realize that the
22 / JAIN DIGEST. Spring 20004
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