What is Ahimsa?

ign="center">living things, an action that is against the principle
Copyright (c) 2010 James Holanof Ahimsa. At the national level there are many
In the religion of Jainism there is the principle ofdifferent things that go against the principle of
Ahimsa. Ahimsa is a principle that is highlyAhimsa. Underwater nuclear testing is one of the
regarded and followed by its religious members.biggest examples of the national government
Literary it means being completely non-violent, orgoing against the principle of Ahimsa. This kind of
more accurately exemplifying a state oftesting leads to harmful chemicals and materials in
"harmlessness" or "gentleness." People who arethe water supply for people as well as in the
involved in this practice, mainly nuns and monksenvironment of animals. Thus, this directly violates
but other followers practice this as well, will eventhe principle of causing non violence and
sweep the tiniest ant out of their way beforegentleness, it is not very gentle to pollute the
sitting, in order to keep the small life alive. Basicallyworld with a device designed to kill.
they believe all life is sacred no matter howIt is hard to truly follow the principles of Ahimsa is
"insignificant" one might think that life to be. Sincea person's everyday life. Some of the easiest
they have this belief they are unable to hold jobsways to achieve this, however, is to donate to no
which might involve hurting any life form such askill shelters such as the humane society so they
animals and insects. Thus, they typically hold jobscan keep their animals well feed until they can be
which involve caring for life such as a doctor, anadopted. Another is to recycle materials that are
educator, lawyer, or some form of business.non-biodegradable in order to limit the amount of
They will even open animal hospitals in order topollution, we as people, create on our own
protect them and have been known to helppersonal level. It is even plausible to attempt to
people as well. All over America this principle isdowngrade our carbon footprint by limiting drive
basically ignored as people and animals are killedtime, using public transportation or riding a bike in
every day with little to no regard for their lives.order to stop harmful emissions into the
On the local level in the DFW area, people can seeenvironment which hurts animals and other
the violation of the principle of Ahimsa all over.creatures including ourselves. In my own personal
The first and probably most obvious violation islife, I will continue to donate to animal shelters to
seen in kill shelters. In these types of animalhelp animals, reduce pollution by recycling, and
shelters, animals that are perfectly healthy butattempt to not drive as much.
unable to be adopted are euthanized simplyIt seems that the principle of Ahimsa is a very
because there is no one to take care of them.interesting and useful principle to apply to ones
These kill shelters disregard the principle that all lifeeveryday life. Hopefully, if more people both
is sacred, even if it is a life that cannot be takenindividually and as a state or national whole, are
care of. Another if the act of exterminating "pest"able to understand the beauty behind non-violent
which almost every business has to do becauselifestyles in regard to violence against animals as
of health code regulations. By killing these insectswell as their fellowman.
whether they are bugs like cockroaches, ants,Report this article
beetles, or rodents such as rats, the act ofThis article is copyright
exterminating them violates the standard ofSource:
sacred life and shows harm. At the state levelRepublish this article
there are also a number of violations to the
sacred life principle. The act of states allowingAsk a Question About this Article
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