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Non-Violence in The 21st Century

By Mr. Manish Modi

 

"The Rishis who discovered the law of non-violence were greater geniuses than Newton, greater warriors than Wellington. Non-violence is the law of our species as violence is the law of the brute." (1)

Today, with the spread of education, people are willing to give up age-old prejudices and biases in the pursuit of spirituality and global peace. They want to find true peace. They are no longer willing to accept distortions and artifice in the name of religion. They are keen for peace and non-violence. If they are logically explained about violence in all its forms, they will master the concept of Ahimsa and its meaning, its importance and its value.

All religions of the world teach us that violence is a sin and non-violence is a virtue. Nevertheless, despite this common teaching, one cannot claim that all religions perceive violence in the same light.

Scholars of the world who have studied scriptures belonging to different religions, covering the past 2500 years, and have considered various codes of conduct, histories, and ethical teachings, are of the opinion that, the definition of violence and levels of acceptable violence are unique to each religion.

The concept of non-violence in the Vedic era is one in which thousands of animals are sacrificed during the yajñas. Vis-à-vis today, there is no animal sacrifice made in the yajñas.

It is difficult to briefly trace the evolution of Ahimsa. Clearly, the concept of non-violence occupies an important position in the world's theological hierarchy. The ethico-epistemological structure of each religion grants a tremendous importance to non-violence. No religion in the world teaches violence. Yet, the levels of violence that are acceptable to the followers of each religion are very different. This is because the etymology and understanding of the word non-violence varies between religions, cultures, regions and civilisations.

What is the Jain perspective on non-violence? What are its recurring motifs, and what has been its impact on other religions, mainly Hinduism? One response is that of the great scholar Lokmanya Tilak. Tilak states that: "In ancient times, innumerable animals were butchered in sacrifices. Evidence in support of this is found in various poetic compositions such as the Meghaduta. But the credit for the disappearance of this terrible massacre from the brahminical religion goes to Jainism." (2)
First, we ascertain the real meaning of non-violence, differentiating between non-killing, non-injury, motiveless violence and premeditated violence. To illustrate the Jain position, we will apply the epistemological proposition of Anekanta that considers the relativity of Truth or Reality.

What is Anekanta? : Anekanta is a system of considering an object in all its modes. Anekanta holds that reality is multi-dimensional, dynamic, and operates at different levels. Thus, Anekanta is truly a dynamic tool for considering reality, which by itself is dynamic.

How does Anekanta work? : Equipped with Anekanta, the Jain appreciates reality in all its aspects. She or he is equipped to understand other people's viewpoints. This makes her or him a better listener, more sympathetic and more receptive to others and their viewpoints.

He or she is willing to consider any phenomena in its entirety. She or he is diligent enough to examine all precedents, willing to approach any issue with an open mind and unwilling to jump to an instantaneous conclusion.

Faced with a complex moral question, he or she is willing to consider the conundrum in all its aspects. She or he is willing to think for her or himself, consider the issue from its various viewpoints. He or she is willing to put himself or herself in other people's shoes and see the issue from their viewpoints.

Such a rational and ethical approach is bound to lead to less violence, less anger and consequently, less anguish.

In my humble opinion, there is a direct relationship between anger and anguish. The more anger you have, the more anguish you will feel. The less anger you have, the less anguished you will experience.

A sane rational man or woman is not only logical, but also applaudable and will find a non-violent solution and hence a lasting peace.

Only the non-violent settling of problems creates a lasting peace. Aggression, belligerence and violence will only beget a temporary truce fraught with tension.

Reasoned, fair, non-violent and mutually agreed-upon solutions always bring a lasting peace, and a peace among equals.

The relations of India and the United Kingdom have changed. India, the former colony, and UK, the former coloniser, have become at peace with one another, because the Indian National Movement had been largely an exercise in non-violence and self-restraint. If India had gone instead for a bloody revolution and indulged in senseless violence, millions of lives would have been lost and bad blood would have been created for generations.

The victors of the First World War imposed a dishonourable defeat and a peace among non-equals by mortgaging the human rights and economy of the Germans, and consequently, trampling on their self-respect. Two decades later, Germany was held responsible for another World War. Had the victors of the First World War imposed less rigorous and damaging terms on the German people, or created a peace among equals, perhaps there may not have been a Second World War!

The Jain interpretation of non-violence Many people, including Jains, mistake vegetarianism for non-violence. This perspective is both true and false. It is true, since vegetarianism may be viewed as the external manifestation of inner non-violence. However, it is false, since, vegetarianism by itself does not convey the essence of non-violence.

How does one define non-violence? : Non-violence is the external manifestation of confidence, inner purity and wholeness.

A person who is strong, complete and whole from the inside, and confident in his or her outlook is most likely to respect the rights of others. She or he will not knowingly trample upon another person's rights, nor will she or he injure her or his self-respect. He or she will behave at all times with dignity and consideration. She or he will consider other people's needs, with reason and empathy.

Someone who is insecure, biased, afraid, and not willing to think for him or herself, therefore lacking in self-respect, will never respect another person's rights, and will behave in a prejudiced and immoral way.

What causes prejudices and bigotry? : We believe they are caused by economic or political conflict, an expression of frustration, conformity to existing norms, xenophobia and illusions of purity and racial grandeur: the tendency to judge people by categorising them. We now examine these causes closely.

Economic or Political Conflict : When resources are limited and the means of livelihood is hard to come by, we may experience in ourselves a sharp rise in bigotry and regional chauvinism. We feel that we must compete for any scare resources. We are trying to qualify for a job, gain admission to an educational institution, or qualify for a spot on some special team. Yet, we who cannot achieve our ambitions can become conflicted and instead, achieve negative attitudes towards others.

An Expression of Frustration and Insecurity : When we are thwarted, we may express our frustration by speaking poorly about specific groups of people, calling the group's or groups' members cheats or crooks, or badmouthing the members. When we are insecure, we see any setback as an end to our personal hopes and dreams. We feel that our lives are shattered and tend to take out our frustration on the people who seemingly have defeated us or that people's ethnic group or their community. We, whose hopes apparently
have been dashed, feel that we have been denied what we deserve, and instead of trying to critically review our own position, we turn to bigotry. In this confused haze of bigotry, we find it nearly impossible to see the truth, unless our inner strength is developed which can only come from a rational worldview.

Conformity to Existing Norms : One of the most common causes of prejudice and bigotry is conformity to existing norms. Since we have inherited bigotry from their families and the societies to which they belong, we think meanly or poorly of specific groups of people, of specific communities, without thinking of the ramifications of this, the bigotry.

Since Pakistan and India are so often in conflict with each other, many of us in India fall prey to thinking ill of Pakistanis. I use myself as an example.

The first time I met a Pakistani, I was willing to hate him on sight. However, since we were both working in a country, not native to either of us, we were forced to work together as a team. As time went by, we got to know each other and we became good friends. This person eventually became my closest friend.

I had previously considered myself a rational person. Yet, I had been undeniably willing to hate another person whom I did not know at all, simply because I condemn the policies of the nation of which that person was a citizen. I had transferred my hatred for another country into hatred towards its citizens

Xenophobia and Illusions of Purity and Racial Grandeur: The Tendency to Judge People by Categorising Them Our tendency, often, is to sort through the world by objectifying others and subsequently, categorising them into groups based on race, nationality, colour of skin, religion, caste, creed, native language, et cetera. Our tendency to judge others, based on the ethnic group, to which they belong, is not only misleading, but clearly, WRONG. Simply put, we are all different. We are all unique individuals. We think differently, act differently, and respond differently because we FEEL differently.

We are reminded of a few groups in recent years and centuries: The Nazis, the Khmer Rouge, many Europeans and Americans. They had illusions of racial purity and they felt morally justified to exterminate millions of Jews, Cambodians, and Indigenous peoples, respectively, in order to carry out `racial cleansing.' As a group, what is our destiny?

We now consider the Jain texts to see how many ways the term Ahimsa or non-violence is interpreted. What is the Jain understanding of Ahimsa, or non-violence?
Ahimsa is a profound understanding of all living beings and the feeling of natural compassion towards them. Empathy is key.

Svami Kartikeya says :
"jo vavarei sadao appanasamam param pi mannanto," (3) the translation of which is, he or she who behaves with compassion, knows others to be just like him or her self.

We, who empathise with all living beings, behave compassionately. We are able to recognise that living beings have aspirations and feelings, and we are able to respect all living beings, including ourselves. We understand that all living beings are different, yet, deeply interconnected. Logic permits us to know that there is no other, and simultaneously, that we are all unique. There is no enemy.

Our actions affect all living beings as much as the actions of all living beings affect us. Therefore, we need to ensure that our actions do not restrict the vitality and expression of all living beings and make sure that we do not kill nor injure a living being through tethering, beating, piercing the skin, overloading or withholding food and drink.

Acarya Samantabhadra describes Ahimsa :
"Ahimsa bhutanam jagati viditam brahma paramam," (4)

Ahimsa is the supreme truth for all human beings in this universe. Ahimsa is the foundation of a virtuous life. Neither the individual nor the society can live in peace and happiness without non-violence. Ahimsa is the key to asceticism. In conclusion, it is claimed that violence, falsehood, avarice, loathing, and so on, are the universal causes of suffering. The perpetrators of such acts cause great harm to themselves and to others.

The first victim of violence is the perpetrator or, our self. We feel the miseries brought about through the karmic influx as a direct result of our acts of violence. To recapitulate, violence only leads to unmitigated suffering.

Jainism is rooted in a reverence for all forms of life, characterised by a non-violence based on a true understanding of reality, and finds strength in forbearance and freedom from worldly desires through ascetic practices. By practicing Jainism in letter and spirit, one respects other people, does not harm them nor injure them, does not lie to them nor steal from them, does not lust after their possessions and wealth, and is impelled by Jainism's teaching of:

"Parasparopagraho Jivanam" ~ Tattvarthasutra 5:21 : The purpose of souls is to assist each other. One makes the world a better, safer and more peaceful place in which to stay.

Special problems that the 21st century has brought in, are terrorism, increased religious fundamentalism, intolerance and an increasing focus on consumerism.

The inclusivist approach of Anekantavada can help in these situations.

Non-Violence means we have to abstain from violence/abuse of living and non-living beings.

Refraining from violence of living beings Practising kindness, truth, non-stealing, chastity, humility and poverty will help us become non-violent humans.

Practising veganism shall help us control the blatant exploitation of animals that goes on in this world.

And the Jain approach of Aparigraha can help control this headlong race for using up all the material resources in the world.

Aparigraha would also lead to a more ecological way of life.

Spirituality and meditation would help allay the increasing violence in our day to day lives that seems to have become a common feature of modern civilisation.

Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti

References ; (1) Rolland, Romain. "Mahatma Gandhi", pg. 48, (2) Tilak, Bal Gangadhar. Letter, Bombay Samachar. Mumbai: 10 Dec, 1904, (3) Kartikeya. "Kartikeyanupreksa". Verse 331 (first half), (4) Samantabhadra. "Brhatasvayambhustotra". Verse 119 (first half)

Bibliography : Amrtacandra. "Purusarthasiddhyupaya". ed. Premi, Nathuram. First ed. 1904. Ninth ed. Agas: Shrimad Rajachandra Ashram, 1997 Divakar, Sumeruchandra. "Jain Shasan". Varanasi: Bharatiya Jñanapitha, 1950

Dobrin, Arthur. "Religious Ethics: A Sourcebook". Mumbai: Hindi Granth Karyalay, 2004
Dobrin, Arthur. "Ethical People & How They Get To Be That Way". New York: Ethical Press, 1998
Dundas, Paul. "The Jains". London: Routledge, 2002
Kuhn, Hermann. "The Key to the Centre of the Universe". Mumbai: Shri Jain Sanskriti Sanrakshak Sangh, 2003
Jain, Mahendrakumar. "Jain Darshan". Varanasi: Shri Ganesh Varni Digambar Jain Sansthan, 1974
Rayanade, B. "Jain Philosophy: Religion & Ethics". New Delhi: Bharatiya Vidya Prakashan, 2002
Tatia, Nathmal. "That Which Is". London: HarperCollins, 1994.

 

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Author : Mr. Manish Modi
E-Mail : manishymodi@gmail.com

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Mail to : Ahimsa Foundation
www.jainsamaj.org
R250909