Ahimsa. literally means “harmlessness”. Ahimsa refers to the deliberate decision to avoid hurting other living creatures, either directly or indirectly.
- The Jains put a strong focus on ahimsa, believing that all activities have karmic repercussions, but that the karmic consequences of deliberate evil acts are much more severe than those of accidental bad deeds.
- Ahimsa was introduced deeper into Indian culture by the Jain and Buddhist commitments to it, and it has been an essential element of Hindu practice for well over two thousand years.
- Patanjali cites ahimsa as one of the yamas (restraints) in the Yoga Sutras, and therefore advocates it as one of the fundamental foundations for religious life.
Animal sacrifice, which was one of the most significant kinds of religious ritual as recorded in the Vedas, the earliest Hindu texts, is said to have declined as a result of this dedication to ahimsa.
Ahimsa was one of the guiding concepts of Mohandas Gandhi throughout the fight for Indian independence in the twentieth century.
Gandhi's dedication to ahimsa mirrored his belief that means and goals are karmically connected, and that the methods one uses would define both the nature and tone of one's ends.
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