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The Role of Ahimsa in Healthcare Ethics : 59
see"). Hence, the six classic systems are regarded as six points of view from which the single orthodox tradition may be considered. Common ethical concepts are enunciated which provide a basis for their orthodox character avidyä, karman, dharma, saṁsāra, jīvanamukti. A knowledge of these key concepts quickly reveals that, individually and collectively, they supply the underpinnings of ahimsä.
We take a single example from the Yoga System of Patanjali. It emphasizes yogic training for saving knowledge in terms of the Eightfold means (aṣṭānga) of Yoga.20 Among these eight accessories, two stand out for their ethical import -yama (restraint) and niyama (observance).
The first ingredient of yama is ahimsa, which then provides the ethical framework for all other virtues. Ahimsa is more than on-violence, it is non-hatred (vairatyāga). Its scope is universal. It is "not limited by life-state, space, time and circumstance." Just as ahimsa is normative for goodness, it is also normative for evil.21 "Sins are the causing of injury to others and all the rest." Moral ramifications of evil deeds are analysed in respect to agent, cause, scope, and consequence. Medical implications of this analysis can be far-reaching: [Sins] are done, caused to be done, and permitted to be done; they are preceded by desire, anger, and ignorance; they are slight, middling, and intense; their result is an infinity of pain and unwisdom."22
This brief excursus into the origin and development of ahimsā highlights the fact that non-violence is like a golden thread that runs through the entire fabric of Indian religion and culture, woven over some 3000 years of history. The texture of this thread is spun in the spirit of renunciation, which is the most characteristic path for attaining mokṣa. The progressive practice of renunciation internally produces peace of mind and externally transforms behaviour. This gradually produces empathy for all life, timelessly captured in the maxim: himsam mā kuru (do no harm). The Indian maxim
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