|
By H. H. Acharya Tulsi A PROFILE OF AHIMSA Violence has a wide scope that includes malice, jealousy, the desire to obstruct the progress of others. Similarly, it also encompasses such tendencies as striking fear in others and engineering adverse situations against them. Nonviolence aims at total abstention from such tendencies and this constitutes its negative aspect. Equality, friendship, self-restraint and such other noble feelings constitute its positive aspect. Here, nonviolence is not interpreted literally in a narrow sense of non killing. Such limitations rob nonviolence of its comprehensive meaning. As to the concept of equality, it admits of no limits. Friendship can flourish only in a climate of equality. It gives rise to a feeling of fraternity. Only when inspired by this fraternal awareness can a man truly comprehend and practise nonviolence. A nonviolent man is he who does not discriminate between the rich and the poor or between a friend and foe. He is free from all dialectics and therefore from 'self-love' and from malice towards others. He shuns killing, doing harm to others, oppressing them and making them dependent on himself. He transforms his thoughts, speech and actions by keeping them immune from all falsehood. Nonviolence is the greatest ideal of life. It fosters many other ideals. Truth, non-thieving, chaste living and greedlessness are its integral path. In worshipping nonviolence one automatically worships all other virtues. Nonviolence acts like an invincible armour which is proof against hatred, ill feeling, malice, revenge, fear and lust. One who is gifted with it leads a carefree life. He remains unruffled by the woeful memories of the past as well as worries or anxieties about the future. He ceases to be a party to taking wrong decisions under any influence to perpetuate his self. It is only in a climate of nonviolence that divergent ideologies can peacefully coexist. The truth is that humanistic values can hardly gain any recognition in a society where nonviolence is neglected. Nonviolence is the best guarantee of humanity's survival, peace and progress. A truly non-violent man is ever awake and is incapable of harbouring any ill will. Nonviolence is to violence what light is to darkness, what nectar is to poison and what life is to death. Comprehending and internalising nonviolence is the greatest achievement of life. NONVIOLENT OPPOSITION Answer: In my view the voice of nonviolence assumes much greater r importance in these circumstances. Water is important at all times but it becomes more so at the time of a famine. Similarly, peace becomes more valuable when a war is being waged. It is natural then to establish the value of nonviolence when violence is rampant. The issue now does not relate to the value of nonviolence but to the assigning of a proper status to it. I think it is a testing time for it a time for experimenting with it. Here is a golden opportunity for it to prove itself, and to show that it can solve the present problems. In the context of India's independence Gandhiji gave central importance to nonviolence. As a result India became free without shedding a drop of blood. At the same time people also developed more faith in nonviolence. But later on it was dislodged from its central position and relegated to the background as a mere policy. It is for this reason that it did not emerge in its full glory. People mistook the weakness in the policy as the weakness of nonviolence. This led to a gradual decline in people's faith in the power of nonviolence. However, the fact remains that violence can never establish itself as a value because it does not reflect our natural state. Storms and tempests can affect people only up to a limit. They cannot be permanent. Nor can they command an important place in their lives. As far as I can see the greatest obstacle in the way of nonviolence being established as a value is the lack of strong faith in it. I see this lack of faith not in ordinary people but in those who claim to believe in it. Therefore, before one talks of non-violent opposition, it is necessary to create an unshakable faith in nonviolence, in the believers of nonviolence. Even so I do not have the slightest doubt about the ultimate possibility of establishing nonviolence as a value. Question: What will be the shape of a nonviolent opposition? At all times both violent and nonviolent means have been used for solving problems. The question here, however, is of tradition. Both Russia and America have the potential and capacity to wage a nuclear war. Even then they make efforts to avoid it. Why? Simply because waging a nuclear war will set a wrong tradition making the future of humankind bleak. Nonviolence is in itself a healthy concept. But it cannot become a tradition until it is rigorously tested as an experiment. As a preparation for the experiment training in nonviolence is of fundamental importance. We will also have to determine some basic factors for considering nonviolent opposition. For this it is first of all necessary to know the prevailing circumstances and spatial and temporal factors. The work cannot make satisfactory progress unless it is first decided as to what will be undertaken first and in what form in the light of the existing conditions. Gandhiji gave many turns to his Satyagrah (insistence on truth or passive resistance offered to uphold truth) Movement. At times he would slow down the movement or even suspend it. This was done only in order to preserve the balance between spatial and temporal factors. Further, in arriving at any crucial decision it is necessary that the leader act both with proper discrimination and objectivity. Objectivity and humility are the pillars of nonviolent opposition. Any preconceptions and show of egoism will be inexcusable. Talking of opposition while at the same time being partisan is itself a form of violence. Finally, nonviolent opposition demands absolute purity of viewpoint and attitude. One has to eschew the temptation to have goodwill for one party and ill-will for another, as also the tendency towards upholding one's own position at someone else's cost. TRAINING IN NONVIOLENCE: A CRYING NEED Another problem plaguing the growth of nonviolence is the lack of a comprehensive methodology of training in nonviolence. While some people emphasize the importance of a change of heart, others lay stress on structural changes. Similarly, while some give importance to the training of individuals, others believe in group or societal training. But all of them betray a fragmented or partial approach. No progress in developing a nonviolent society is possible in the absence of an all-encompassing approach. We would like to see such an approach develop through seeking the cooperation of all and sundry. If the United Nations were to participate in this joint venture, its success could be greatly assured. In our University (Jain Vishva Bharati Institute, Ladnun) we have a Department of Training in Nonviolence. It is undertaking a training programme for the success of which we solicit the cooperation of all those who have the will to do so. It is our hope as well as wish to see this programme shape as an inclusive approach capable of coordinating all other similar programmes. We have prepared an outline of the training in nonviolence and we want to take this opportunity to present it. Our effort has been to give it a holistic character. It has four plans: 1. Change of heart It includes the training of both individuals and society. We feel that though there is a lot of talk about societal changes, training of individuals is no less important. So both have to be addressed simultaneously. Training in nonviolence is no easy task. Every man has an emotional life and the emotions will rise in his heart as billows do in a sea. It is doubtful whether any training in nonviolence can be meaningful without transforming emotions. Poverty, deprivation, ambition- all of them act as a spur to violence. To counter them many social service activities are being undertaken. Even those working in the field of nonviolence are taking interest in these activities. We do not regard them unnecessary or useless. All we insist on is that they be supplemented and/or accompanied by the training of the mind. The task of training in nonviolence is formidable. It is beyond the capacity and competence of anyone individual or organization. It is noteworthy that when it comes to training in violence, innumerable institutions including governments are engaged in it. But governments refuse to concede the need of training in nonviolence for achieving world peace. How can one justify the necessity of training in firing bullets for settling disputes while at the same time denying the necessity of training in not firing a bullet for achieving the same end? It is time even governments gave serious thought to this question. One easy way of training in nonviolence is to make it a part of regular schooling. A child nurtured on the ways of nonviolence will automatically undergo a transformation of lifestyle as an adult, and such an individual can lead a balanced life both at the personal and the social level. We earnestly hope that the theme of training in nonviolence will inspire people throughout the world to think seriously about it, and that out of this inspired thinking will emerge an enlightened way of ensuring world peace. -------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
|
