Why does gandhi believe in ahimsa

The Buddha also taught us to show love and compassion to others in place of hate and violence, and not just love for our friends but equally for our enemies, or those who seek to do us harm. One cannot become enlightened without compassion; killing is the fundamental opposite of compassion. The only exception might be — in the opinions of some — a mercy killing such as euthanasia for terminally suffering beings, or defending another innocent being from harm.

But when I refer to killing, I am referring principally to war, murder and killing. The Buddha spoke about non-violence in many sutras, some of which I list below.

The Buddha taught through his activities and actions as much as through his words. Scenes from sutra stories of Buddha demonstrating how Buddha applied non-violence to practice. There are countless passages in Sutra, where the Buddha is even more explicit — that killing is wrong even where it looks like there is no other choice.

This statement seems to be the most extreme form of non-violence possible. The Buddha is clearly saying here that even if someone is killing you, hating him would be contrary to the Dhamma. To many non-Buddhists and maybe even some Buddhists themselves, this seems illogical. How can one not hate — and not only that, have compassion for — someone who is hurting them, or who wants to kill them? But in order to do this, it would obviously require the highest compassion.

How should Buddhists react to people such as killers? It is clear from the teachings of the Buddha mentioned above, that Buddhists should embrace non-violence towards others and condemn killing and harming others as something terrible that will also result in bad karmic consequences for the killer.

Angulimala became a serial murderer, killing innocent people and terrorising many others. Shakyamuni saves Angulimala from himself. The mass murderer tries to take Buddha as his th victim.

He was a wanted criminal by the state, killer of people. He was someone who was viewed as irredeemable evil, with no hope that he could become better. The Buddha refused to believe this and went to talk to Angulimala, even though he was warned by almost everyone not to do so.

Angulimala saw the Buddha coming and ran towards him in waving a knife. He eventually called out to the Buddha to stop. Angulimala asked how it was possible since the Buddha was still walking. Buddha famously replies:. Angulimala relents and realising the error of his ways, he takes refuge in Buddha, and becomes a monk.

But I know that I have still before me a difficult path to traverse. I must reduce myself to zero. So long as a man does not of his own free will put himself last among his fellow creatures, there is no salvation for him. Ahimsa is the farthest limit of humility. Now, after becoming familiar with philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, in which Ahimsa is nucleus, we have to discuss its application in current conflicts.

Through the ages, conflicts, though temporary in nature and subject to transformation by cooperation, are inevitable in various walks of human life including international field. Ahimsa-the non-violence-a value permanently present in human nature, in its different forms and through its many supplementary values show the way to overcome the situation of conflicts, or in other words transform conflicts into cooperation. As everything in the world is subject of constant change, and conflicts also are not the exception, the nature of conflict too changes from time-to-time, no matter if conflicts are inevitable and the basis or root cause of them seems to be the same in one way or the other, Gandhian non-violence accords solution to all problems; it is capable to transform conflicts into cooperation to make the way of life peaceful and developing, if it is applied according to demand of time and prevailing circumstances in space.

Citizens of the world are continuously coming close to one another in different ways, and in all walks of human life; day-by-day, the tempo of mutual cooperation is increasing. Even at international level dependence on each other is too so much increasing that no nation, how mighty or resourceful it maybe, can dream of its development by remaining indifferent and in the state of isolation.

Today, none of the nations can remain without being the least affected from any change or from a series of events occurring at global level. In such an unprecedented situation, and I must admit, benevolent too, problems or conflicts in all the walks of life, at all levels in general and at international level in particular, affecting and involving more and more people, and for this reason the solution or transformation of them demands collective efforts.

In other words, I can say that, now, we would have to march forward together, especially to resolve international problems or to transform global conflicts in larger interest. Now, those days have gone when a particular group of people or inhabitants of a country indulged in false vanity over the superiority of their history or geography. It is the time, now, to face and remove all complications by accepting the situation as it warrants. Now, along with a spirit of nationalism, as I believe, it is necessary even to strengthen globalization, a mature international understanding is utmost essential; development in mutual cooperation is the need of the hour.

But, how can we succeed in this regard within the scope of Gandhian philosophy or in other words within the domain of Ahimsa-the non-violence? It is an important question, especially in completely changed situation. No doubt, for the fulfillment of requirement for a mature understanding and cooperation, the only way as per the expectation [of Gandhian philosophy] is that the non-violent activities be applied to resolve dispute and conflicts, but they should be adopted by making them befitting in accordance with the prevailing condition, because only then concrete results would be feasible; and to make them fully practical in international sphere, it is absolutely necessary for parties involved in dispute or a particular conflict that they come forward on the basis of following three fundamental points:.

Today, as all of us know, there are a number of problems at international level, of which some are of very serious nature and they are in existence for decades. I do not want to count them here, but we all are aware that they, from time-to-time, give birth to conflicts.

Consequently, they not only affect the parties directly involved particularly, but, more or less, they affect other nations also, and solution to them some times seems to be impossible or very-very difficult. But, if during the resolution to a problem or transformation of conflict the three fundamental points, as mentioned above, are honestly kept in mind by parties in the process, in my opinion, there should be no doubt of success. But, for it parties concerned need to have great courage, high morality and mature understanding, for which the philosophy of Gandhi or his Ahimsa-the non-violence calls upon the whole world.

British Broadcasting Corporation Home. Jains believe that the only way to save one's own soul is to protect every other soul, and so the most central Jain teaching, and the heart of Jain ethics, is that of ahimsa non-violence. In practical terms the biggest part that ahimsa plays in the lives of lay Jains today is in the regulation of their diet. Ahimsa is often translated simply as non-violence, but its implications are far wider; it is more than not doing violence, it is more than an attitude, it is a whole way of life.

And for modern Jains the concept also includes the positive elements of working for justice, peace, liberation, and freedom, if doing so does not involve violence. Mahatma Gandhi was a famous advocate of Ahimsa, as it informed his policy of passive resistance, satyagraha combining the Sanskrit terms for 'truth' and 'holding firmly' - which he adopted towards the occupying British forces during the period leading up to Indian independence.

Some Jains have criticised this as being a subtle form of violence. You may think that there is a high degree of self-interest in the doctrine of ahimsa, because in Jainism harm done to other beings is considered harm to oneself since it attracts much karma and thus hinders the soul 's journey to liberation.

But this is merely an appearance - the level of detachment that a Jain seeks to cultivate eliminates self-interest. Literally translated, Ahimsa means to be without harm; to be utterly harmless, not only to oneself and others, but to all forms of life, from the largest mammals to the smallest bacteria. Jains believe that life which equals soul is sacred regardless of faith, caste , race, or even species.

Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture or kill any creature or living being. In following this discipline Jain monks may be observed treading and sweeping in their temples with the utmost of care so as to avoid accidentally crushing crawling insects, or wearing muslin cloths over their mouths in case they should accidentally swallow a fly. This is controversial among Jains and both the points below are disputed.

Despite its being rooted in these Religions, the special contribution of Gandhi was:. To make the concept of Ahimsa meaningful in the social and political spheres by moulding tools for nonviolent action to use as a positive force in the search for social and political truths.

Gandhi formed Ahimsa into the active social technique, which was to challenge political authorities and religious orthodoxy. It is worth noting that this 'active social technique which was to challenge political authorities', used by Gandhi is none other than Satyagraha.

Truly enough, the Indian milieu was already infused with notions of Ahimsa. Nevertheless, Gandhi acknowledged that it was an essential part of his experiments with the truth whose technique of action he called Satyagraha.

At the root of Satya and Ahimsa is love. While making discourses on the Bhagavad-Gita, an author says:.

Truth, peace, righteousness and nonviolence, Satya, Shanti, Dharma and Ahimsa, do not exist separately. They are all essentially dependent on love. When love enters the thoughts it becomes truth.

When it manifests itself in the form of action it becomes truth. When Love manifests itself in the form of action it becomes Dharma or righteousness.

When your feelings become saturated with love you become peace itself. The very meaning of the word peace is love. When you fill your understanding with love it is Ahimsa. Practicing love is Dharma , thinking of love is Satya, feeling love is Shanti, and understanding love is Ahimsa. For all these values it is love which flows as the undercurrent. Tapasya Self-Suffering : it remains a truism that the classical yogic laws of self-restraint and self-discipline are familiar elements in Indian culture.

Self-suffering in Satyagraha is a test of love. It is detected first of all towards the much persuasion of one whom is undertaken.

Gandhi distinguished self-suffering from cowardice. Gandhi's choice of self-suffering does not mean that he valued life low. It is rather a sign of voluntary help and it is noble and morally enriching. He himself says;. It is not because I value life lo I can countenance with joy Thousands voluntary losing their lives for Satyagraha, but because I know that it results in the long run in the least loss of life, and what is more, it ennobles those who lose their lives and morally enriches the world for their sacrifice.

Satyagraha is at its best when preached and practiced by those who would use arms but decided instead to invite suffering upon them. It is not easy for a western mind or nonoriental philosopher to understand this issue of self-suffering. In fact, in Satyagraha, the element of self-suffering is perhaps the least acceptable to a western mind. Yet such sacrifice may well provide the ultimate means of realizing that characteristic so eminent in Christian religion and western moral philosophy: The dignity of the individual.

The three elements: Satya, Ahimsa, Tapasya must move together for the success of any Satyagraha campaign. It follows that Ahimsa - which implies love, leads in turn to social service. Truth leads to an ethical humanism. Self-suffering not for its own sake, but for the demonstration of sincerity flowing from refusal to injure the opponent while at the same time holding to the truth, implies sacrifice and preparation for sacrifice even to death.

For Satyagraha to be valid, it has to be tested. When the principles are applied to specific political and social action, the tools of civil disobedience, noncooperation, nonviolent strike, and constructive action are cherished. South Africa and India were 'laboratories' where Gandhi tested his new technique. Satyagraha was a necessary weapon for Gandhi to work in South Africa and India. Louis Fischer attests that: "Gandhi could never have achieved what he did in South Africa and India but for a weapon peculiarly his own.

It was unprecedented indeed; it was so unique he could not find a name for it until he finally hit upon Satyagraha. South Africa is the acclaimed birthplace of Satyagraha. Here Satyagraha was employed to fight for the civil rights of Indians in South Africa. In India, Gandhi applied Satyagraha in his socio-political milieu and carried out several acts of civil disobedience culminating in the Salt March.

Another wonderful way of seeing Satyagraha in action is through the fasting of Mahatma Gandhi. Fasting was part and parcel of his philosophy of truth and nonviolence. Mahatma Gandhi was an activist - a moral and spiritual activist. And fasting was "one of his strategies of activism, in many ways his most powerful.