Training in Nonviolence

Author(s): Mahapragna Acharya
Publisher: Anuvrat Global Organization

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Training in Nonviolence
'mine' and possessiveness, which is becoming a problem. The feeling of nonviolence automatically arises where feelings of compassion, non-attachment towards material objects and non-acquisitiveness are awakened. People say that at the time of the freedom movement the whole country rose to support Gandhiji but I do not agree with that. People have strong feelings when it comes to gaining independence and having a strong urge for freedom. They automatically start backing a leader. This is not true for India alone. People rose to support Mao tse-Tung in China, Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam and Nelson Mandela in South Africa. The people of India were not behind Mahatma Gandhi but they were behind his charismatic personality, his devotion to duty and self-confidence. Alas! The character of India would have been very different, if only Indians could touch the soul of Gandhi ! Five Essential Conditions
The question is; where can nonviolence develop? For development there are five essential conditions. The first condition is to be calm and placid. This translates to the development of the calmness of mind and poise. Nonviolence can develop only where there is a state of calmness. The second condition is tolerance. If an ascetic wants to be nonviolent, he will have to think of enduring the prescribed twenty-two hardships or difficulties (parisah). Without these he cannot practise nonviolence. The third condition is humility and the fourth is complete commitment to truth. Nonviolence can never develop in a person who is not dedicated to truth. People dedicate themselves to an individual and his dress, to an establishment, to a caste, to a class, to gender and community, but are not dedicated to thoughts and principles. Under these circumstances nonviolence does not become a part of one's life. The fifth condition is faith in righteous living or exemplary behaviour.
A man should live an exemplary life. He should practise what he preaches. Today man's life is bereft of practice and application. How many people are there who believe in practising what they say? All great men whose lives were marked by truth, nonviolence, compassion and friendliness lived a life of righteous conduct. They made their lives human laboratories. Whatever they found as a result of their experiments, they made it a part of their lives and presented the same to the world. Today there are more detailed explanations and fewer practices. Practical Experiments and Training
Acharya Tulsi began to perform various kinds of experiments after propounding anuvrat (basic vows). He placed before myself and also before the whole nation and society, very important things and said that mere principles do not yield any good. A principle can be laid down, it can be listened to because it is good to hear, but it is forgotten soon. Even science has proved, that if a thing is confined to the conscious mind it does not last long. The entire mechanism of change lies in the unconscious mind. The potentiality of bringing about a change exists in the unconscious. A thing that doesn't permeate the self and fails to reach the unconscious mind is not followed and implemented in practical behaviour. It is for this reason that it is very necessary to experiment and to train in nonviolence.
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