Jainism the Creed for All Times

Author(s): D S Baya
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 93

will not be a wholesome one but a form of drudgery. There are positive and creative sides of non-violence, which should not be lost sight of. We must recall that violence is causing hurt or injury to or impairment of any of the ten vitalities of any living being and is, therefore, undesirable. It must, there from, follow that any activity that promotes the well-being of the living beings and their vitalities must be the opposite of violence and must, therefore, be considered as desirable. Therein lies the positive or creative side of non-violence. The acts of charity, service and forgiveness; mercy, compassion and sheltering; helping, cooperating and protecting the helpless creatures must constitute acts of creative non-violence. The Lord (Mahāvīra) when asked by His principal disciple, Gautama, as to who was the true believer, the one who worshipped or the one who served, replied that the one who served was the true believer
According to the Jaina thought non-violence is not a negative command only but also embraces the noble thoughts and acts. Jainism takes non-violence as synonymous to compassion (Anukampā), which is so important a concept that it has been taken as an essential attribute of Samyaktva or right-vision, the starting point of the right path to spiritual emancipation. Compassion is the feeling for the others' pain and misery and a desire and endeavour to do everything in one's power to mitigate it. It is this feeling for the others that actuates creative nonviolence. It is not limited to not tormenting others but also to relieve the tormented ones of their pain and misery. If one studiously avoids hurting others but fails to be moved by their torments and does not act to relieve them, he could only be called heartless.
It is true that the prescriptive non-violence will certainly have some element of violence towards the fine creatures but we cannot shun it by saying that it is poisoned milk. The students of the science of medicine well know that even some poisons when
AHIMSĀ (NON-VIOLENCE): 65