The importance of ‘Ahimsa’- Nonviolence and Compassion
And HOW to cultivate it in our everyday life
Ahimsa- Nonviolence and Compassion
The practice of non-hurtfulness towards others and ourselves
Abstain from intentionally inflicting pain on or killing other creatures in thought, word or deed. Do no harm and to honor the relationship we have with the earth, with each other and with ourselves.
Thought:
Greed, anger, and delusion cause us to act unethically. Our state of mind can affect others nearby and vice versa. A quiet mind calms, an agitated one disrupts. Whenever we direct thoughts towards other people, they receive the energy of these thoughts.
Train yourself to constantly think thoughts of unconditional love and support that will uplift another person.
Word:
Words are just words, let them pass through understanding that the person saying is unhappy and is directing the frustration to you. Reacting to negativity by returning the same will only add more harmful energy to the world. When we accidentally harmed and know its wrong, apologize or take steps to reverse the negative consequences.
Seek to understand the other side of the story and consciously respond in a nonviolent way.
Deed:
If our kindness is strong enough, we can reduce any meanness we encounter by simply being kind towards it. It is better to avoid meanness and be around more kindness in order to strengthen our own kindness. All sensory info will influence our heart-mind and create impressions in it.
Consciously choose to reduce experiences that expose us to violence and replace them with positive input that has the character of kindness and compassion.
Essentially, ahimsa can only be possible if one cultivates a non-judgemental or forgiving attitude.
However, we need to first understand that the core of nonviolence lies in the ability to love and begins with the love of self.
And it all starts with forgiving yourself. Our inability to love and accept all the pieces of ourselves creates ripples- tiny acts of violence that have huge and lasting impacts on others.
Next, allow yourself to embrace pleasure, kindness, and patience; to have the power over making any decisions for yourself. Because when we feel powerless, we forget how many choices we really have over our own lives and wellbeing. Don’t expect anything from yourself or criticize/judge/change anything about you. Stop competing and worrying about your current status, and accept that you are enough just as you are.
Fear of unfamiliarity also creates violence (acts of greed, control, insecurity). Hence, to create a life and a world free of violence, we need to find our own courage.
Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the ability to be afraid without being paralyzed
Actively seek people and experiences we would normally avoid. The world is a fertile place to learn new things about ourselves and about life.
Our inner strength and character (courage, balance, love of self, compassion for self and others) determine our ability to be a person of peace at home and in the world.
“How we treat ourselves is in the truth of how we treat those around us”
How we treat ourselves will influence our treatment to others. Find laughter and delight in yourself, others will be healed in your presence. When we can truly love and accept all of our self, compassion begins to blossom in our hearts and we begin to see others with different eyes, with eyes of compassion rather than judgment; realizing that every human being walking this earth has painful stories tucked in the corner of their hearts.
Compassion is the simple act of kindness and the acknowledgment of all lives to be as important as our own.
“If there is to be peace in this world, there must be peace between neighbors. If there is to be peace between neighbors, there must be peace in your heart.”
Lastly, most of us are guilty of this. We tell others what to do and how they should live their lives thinking we know what’s best for them. But in reality, we’re actually hiding our own sense of self-failure by telling others how to live their lives. “My life is a mess so I’ll feel better If I fix yours.”
Rather, we should trust other’s ability to make their own decision to find the answer they are seeking. To have faith in them rather than feel sorry for them.
To give them the opportunity to learn, to be challenged. Know that we are actually devaluing and insulting others when we worry too much about them.
Be able to differentiate the terms ‘help’ and ‘support’ and discern when should be the right time to help and the right time to support.
Let them free of our needs, free to be themselves, free to see us as they choose.
Stop trying to fix someone else, just listen and have faith. Focus on what you are doing with your own life instead.
A snippet of my own life:
For me, I was also guilty of trying to fix someone else because I thought If I couldn’t fix myself at least I could feel better fixing someone else. I realized I couldn't love myself, and that’s was the main reason why I get cranky and annoyed often, and tend to get offended by criticisms easily.
Takeaway habits to cultivate:
Gratitude towards every situation
Understanding human nature
Curiosity over judgment
Trust in the process
Selflessness- think about others
Essentially, It takes GUTS(C) (literally as well) to cultivate AHIMSA
Questions to reflect upon:
- Catch yourself whenever you have a negative thought, word or deed. Who/what/when do you often feel negative towards? Why?
- Look at your daily activities and environment and think of ways you might be supporting or enabling violence, is there anything you can do differently?
- Is there anything you are avoiding in your own life because you’re constantly interested in other’s lives?
Thanks for reading and hope it was helpful!
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