Ahimsa Beyond The Flesh

“Non-violence [Ahimsa] is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.” – Mahatma Ghandi

When the word ‘Ahimsa’ is spoken, we often associate it with Non-Violence in the form of physical violence. We put Ahimsa into practice by not torturing animals, not polluting the environment and not causing bodily harm to other people. What we often forget is speech too falls under the act of Ahimsa.

“The human voice as a divine instrument is a powerful, foundational tool for living a life of ahimsa. It is the basis of our individuality and creative expression. However, the human voice is our most misunderstood and misused possession. We take our voice for granted, using — and abusing — it for the most mundane, trivial, and hurtful communications, forgetting to honor it as the divine instrument of ahimsa within us.” – Sri Swamini Mayatitananda

Intention is an extremely important part of Ahimsa. Good intentions give rise to positive speech followed by positive actions. On the other hand, we sometimes might hurt people unintentionally with the lack of foresight and sensitivity. We succumb to the untrained, emotional mind that is concerned only with reacting to protect the ego. This leads to a string of undesired consequences that can cause unintentional hurt to people whom we care about. The first step is to acknowledge and be aware of our actions and its consequences, and then learn to control them. The practice is to eventually bring intention and action together in a peaceful and unified manner.

So what if you have been the one at the receiving end of these hurtful words. To practice Ahimsa is to refrain from reacting in a negative manner just to get back at the person, again to protect our own ego. Retaliating by projecting feelings of hatred, anger and spite only hurls back hurtful feelings inwards. Instead, replace these negative feelings with love and forgiveness. That is the best gift you can give yourself.

As Sri Swami Sivananda says,  “Ahimsa or non-injury, of course, implies non-killing. But, non-injury is not merely non-killing. In its comprehensive meaning, Ahimsa or non-injury means entire abstinence from causing any pain or harm whatsoever to any living creature, either by thought, word, or deed. Non-injury requires a harmless mind, mouth, and hand. Ahimsa is not mere negative non-injury. It is positive, cosmic love. It is the development of a mental attitude in which hatred is replaced by love. Ahimsa is true sacrifice. Ahimsa is forgiveness. Ahimsa is Sakti (power). Ahimsa is true strength.”

I remember too something my Guru said that has remained with me ever since. ‘Satya’ means truth in speech. And this is one of the important tenets in yoga philosopy. But he also said that sometimes the truth uttered might cause grievous harm to another’s feelings. Given this case, Ahimsa gains precedence over Satya. The truth should be spoken only for the benefit of others. This applies perfectly to situations involving hearsay and gossip. For example if Person A comments to Person B on how ugly she thinks Person C’s dress is. Should Person B relate this incident to Person C since that was the truth? No, because it will only cause hurt to Person C’s feelings and could spark unnecessary tension between Persons A and C without any beneficial outcome.

It takes a great deal of discipline to control our words and actions. But it all starts with a conscious effort to be aware of our actions and how they affect others. We are only human if  hurtful things have been said or done to other people. Practising Ahimsa involves recognising these patterns, taking responsibility for them, and being able to forgive yourself as well others.