Positive Non Violence

Author(s): Kanhaiyalal Lodha, Dalpatsingh Baya
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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spirituality but it evidently can not be the basis of social life. The nonviolent society that we talk about today, whenever it comes into being will stand on the basis of positive non-violence. As long as the members of the society will not be imbued with the sentiment of understanding others' pain and with a heart to try to remove it, the society may well nigh not be there at all. For the society to exist it is necessary that there be a feeling of affection between its members; that there be a realisation of others' pain as one's own and that there be an effort to mitigate it on everybody's part.
Generally, affection is misunderstood as attachment. However, there is a subtle difference between affection and attachment. While affection is without any selfish interest and desire for a counter favour, attachment is with desire and there is an element of selfishness at its root. It demands counter favours. Affection has a feeling of looking after the others only. It is for this reason that various synonyms of nonviolence, given in the Praśnavyākaraṇa sūtra have the synonym of ‘rati' or affection also. By rati we do not mean the sensual attraction or desire based attachment but desireless affection. Actually, affection becomes affection only when it has no expectation of any counter favour and becomes universal in nature. As long as we do not have the realisation of equality with other living beings and a sense of respectful coexistence with them as well as a feeling of their pains as our own, the non-violent consciousness does not come into play. A feeling of affection is the fundamental basis of non-violent consciousness. It is the feeling of attachment wherein there is no feeling of even a trace of aversion. In such attachment all the living beings of the world are like the self. There is no feeling of the other'. Actually, such attachment is not considered attachment at all. Attachment always thrives on the basis of the aversion. In the absence of aversion, selfishness, and expectation of counter favours the attachment converts itself into affection or universal love. This affection is the basis of social structure. The states of hatred, enmity, contempt, and aggressiveness are always against the social structure. They are the other face of violence.
Praface
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