________________
156
He who practises ahimsă must also refrain from employing another to do the hurtful act; and he should not encourage one who has done the deed afterwards, otherwise he would become tainted with the evil as an accessory after the fact, as they put it in the terminology of Law.
JAIN JOURNAL
In regard to its scope ashimsā is not limited to humanity; on the contrary, its application must be extended to all living beings. The Jains rejoice when they read in the scriptures of other religions statements like this; "I require mercy and not sacrifice!" These adequately show how far the scope and the protection is to be extended. Let it be clearly understood that if you have no love for the life in the animal, you will not have it for man either. There is no such thing as a sudden rush of affection for one form of life all at once.
Show no violence to any one; hurt no one; injure none-not even an insect--this is the Gospel of life. For Life is dear to all, and ahimsā actually allows all to enjoy life, unhampered and unmolested by any one else. Ahimsa really means, molest no one, not even your own soul!
Those who hurt or injure others without justfication hurt their own souls first. You cannot injure any one or even entertain the desire to molest him without becoming tarnished with the taint of the contemplated evil. It is even conceivable that the being whom you wish to hurt may escape scatheless; but the action (even the thought) makes a mark on your disposition, engenders, strengthens or modifies an evil tendency in the mind, and in this way affects your own soul by blackening its character. Thus all actions involving himsā (evil-doing) leave a dark stain on the soul of the doer of inequity. The future destiny of the soul is composed of its won disposition or character. Where the character is merciful and marked with love and solicitude and sympathy, the future is excellent and joyful and glorious; but where the heart has become hard, black, cruel, merciless and unfeeling there you have nothing but misfortune and calamity in store for its possessor.
It is not possible to go into detail in the time-limit of a short speech in a gathering like this. The philosophy of ahimsā can be understood only with time and labour. For this reason one of the great teachers of our race said to the enquirer-"Go and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice." He did not explain it even at the time when he said: "If you knew what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice." In Jainism you will find a complete and completely scientific explanation of the whole doctrine.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
