________________
AHIMSA AS THE KEY TO WORLD PEACE
5
The significance of ahimsa is that you should hurt no one, by word, thought or deed ; and you must not even entertain the desire to hurt any one. For the doctrine is applicable to all the three stages of evil-doing, namely, intention, preparation and the actual commission of the wrongful deed.
He who practises ahimsa 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.
In regard to its scope ahimsa 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 ahimsa 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 justification 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 tire 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
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
