Ahimsa

I have always been a great admirer of Mahatma Gandhi and his guiding principle of satyagraha, a word that combines the Sanskrit words satya (meaning "truth") and āgraha ("polite insistence", or "holding firmly to"). In my early college days actively protesting injustices of the Vietnam conflict and civil rights, I followed Gandhi's and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's examples of peace through passive resistance in the face of oppression. Neither Gandhi's nor King's practices of nonviolence were original, however, as they were both embodied in what had long been integral to ancient Indian spiritual teachings: the idea of ahimsa.

Ahimsa, commonly referred to as “nonviolence” but more literally translated from Sanskrit as “absence of injury” is an ancient concept originating in the Vedas - Indian spiritual and philosophical wisdom dating from as far back as 1900 BCE, or nearly 4,000 years ago. The Vedas, approximately meaning “divine knowledge,” were considered authorless and were originally passed down in oral tradition for centuries. Four Vedas, which make up the Bhagavad Gita, were eventually compiled and written down in Sanskrit by a sage known as Vyasa. Another sage, Patanjali, is said to have studied these Vedic texts and developed what we now know as the Yoga Sutra and the basis of classical yoga’s eight limbs.

Gandhi lived by teaching ahimsa parama dharma: “Nonviolence is our greatest walk of life.” But with our modern-day responsibilities and jobs, we may not live ahimsa as a sole way of life. Instead, there are ways we can live day to day that allow us to see the benefits of ahimsa in practice.

The word “practice” implies something that takes work, time, and refining. Ahimsa as a practice of not injuring others might seem straightforward in theory but is often harder to put into practice and maintain. Inflicting injury does not only mean causing physical harm to other people. Words, tones, behaviors, and even our thoughts can turn into weapons if used destructively. In the Vedas, the ways of delivering harm are kayaka (“of the hand,” or physical actions), vācaka (“expressive,” or words), and manasika (“of the mind,” or thoughts). Though we can consider physical, word-based, or thought-based forms of harm as separate, we should understand that all of them are inextricably linked.

If we live our lives by smiling and saying one thing, only to turn around and say or do the opposite, we also likely imagine a world where others are doing this to us. This contributes to ongoing insecurities and a defensiveness in relationships, which negatively impact our lives and those of our loved ones.

The ahimsa-based practices of pausing, looking ahead, empathizing, and choosing well move us closer to a stress-free life. If we have nothing to hide or regret and live that way as a practice, we live more simply and freely.

As Gandhi said, “If one does not practice nonviolence in his personal relationships with others, he is vastly mistaken. Nonviolence, like charity, must begin at home.” Our homes and interpretations of ahimsa may look a little different from one another’s. The Vedas encourage honoring our own dharma, or path, as we follow principles such as ahimsa.

“I believe and try to teach that ahimsa is foundational in yoga in and of itself, but also is a foundational principle of the other four yamas. For example, with the yama satya, or truthfulness, truth is relative and embodies ahimsa: Be honest but not if it’s causing unnecessary pain or harm. Ask yourself, “Am I looking to speak my truth at any cost, or should I stop at the moment of possibly causing harm?” Another way ahimsa is practiced in the yoga community is by becoming vegan or vegetarian. While having a mostly vegetarian diet is good, going completely meat- and dairy-free doesn’t work for every individual. A kinder option is to teach people to discern what is best for their bodies and their health. And… not shame people for their choices.”—Sangeeta Vallabhan, a yoga teacher in New York City

Equally, we are all co-creators in a community of learning. When I taught high school science years ago, I learned to practice a Gandhian model of nonviolent classroom management that centers on equality and mutual respect. Each group of learners created a list of expectations that all had for each other, including me, the teacher, as one among all in the school community. Students wanted things like ‘teachers and students should be fair and not have favorites.’ We followed these guidelines and counseled each other as needed.

“Primum non nocere, or ‘First, do no harm.’ If what’s best for you ends up coming at a cost to the environment and someone else’s well-being, what you’re perpetuating is a culture of harm even if it’s sold to you with the feel-good rhetoric of ‘self-care.’”—Rumya S. Putcha, PhD, assistant professor of women’s and gender studies at the University of Georgia

When we see ahimsa in action, it keeps us in positive connection with ourselves and the world. I see ahimsa in a news story about an eight-year-old boy helping another eight-year-old boy with autism feel better on the first day of school. I see it when my neighbor helps his wife through illness with love or when I learn that someone is organizing plastic cleanups on beaches. It’s there when I choose a nourishing meal to serve my body in the midst of a busy workday. Ahimsa is present and relevant to all, in each of our unique lives. Bringing awareness to it as a practice is key to its continuation and expansion.

Adapted from an article by Rina Deshpande in yogajournal.com on November 8, 2019