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They detest sorrow and death and desire a long and happy life. Hence one should not inflict pain on any creature, nor have any feeling of antipathy or enmity. One should be friendly towards all creatures. What you desire for yourself, desire for others too. What you do not desire for yourself, do not desire for others too. This is the essence of religion."
The reasons behind the doctrine of non-violence are both altruistic and egoistic and are based on rational consciousness, not emotional compassion; on individual responsibility, not on a social fellow-feeling. Life or soul in whatever form it may be is everywhere is sacred and it is pursuing its own evolution, a path of self-help unaided by any divine being. It is not to be disturbed or disintegrated by any kind of violence. Essentially there is no difference between the souls, be it the soul of an elephant or of an ant. Just as each individual seeks life and avoids pain, so one can infer that all life has the same sentiments. One should therefore avoid actions that injure others, second, all intentional actions that affect other living beings result in the accumulation of karma that adheres to one's soul. The weight of karma contamination is the root cause of transmigration and suffering. So one must not cause harm to other living beings if one wants to attain release from bondage to the cycle of rebirth, which is the logic of non-violence.
Mahavira said, “Nothing is higher than neither Mount Meru nor anything more expansive than the sky. Similarly know that no religion is equal to nonviolence in this world.“
The non-violence is supreme science of living. Non-violence is the essence of religion. It is a doorway of righteousness. It is the real nature of soul. Not to kill any living being is the quintessence of all wisdom.
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