Cultivating Compassion: Understanding Ahimsa for Spiritual Growth

Often associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings, ahimsa forms a core principle of various spiritual traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The essence of ahimsa lies in cultivating compassion, empathy, and kindness towards all living beings, fostering harmony within oneself and the world. While we tend to think of ahimsa in terms of not being violent, the essence of this principle goes a lot deeper than that.

Violence in Food

Violence manifests in several forms, with one of the most prevalent being in our food choices. It is wonderful to adopt a plant-based diet as that minimises the violence on animals, considering that all animal related products today subject the animals to a considerable level of violence. However, that is not all there is to it.

Overeating or wasting food also perpetuate violence towards other beings and the environment. Overindulgence not only harms our bodies but also disrupts the natural balance of the ecosystem. By adopting mindful eating habits and embracing a plant-based diet, we can reduce our ecological footprint and promote ahimsa in our daily lives.

Violence in Action

Beating or killing another living being isn’t the only type of violence that exists. Sabotaging someone’s reputation is violence, so is chopping down a tree. Cheating someone or taking a bribe is violence, borrowing money and not returning it too.

And here is something we rarely stop to consider – inaction against injustice is violence too. Not standing up for what is right perpetuates violence and does make you a party to it.

When violence percolates into our actions, typically healing and therapy are the only way out as there is no control over all aspects of expression – thoughts, words and deeds. Sincere participation in sessions is usually the only way out.

Violence in Words

The old adage ‘Sticks and stones..’ really needs to change because words do break people, situations and relationships. Are your words designed up uplift, protect and nuture, or even protect your own boundaries, or are they insidiously designed to help you get your way even if it comes at the cost of hurting the other? We often lie to ourselves about this. We often communicate to manipulate rather than really seek a win-win.

For a long time, my mantra was the question ‘are you coming from a space of love or fear?‘ because I started to realise that a lot of my communication was ultimately motivated by fear. When we speak out of love, that is ahimsa, and when we speak out of fear, it only generates more fear.

One point worth mentioning here is how ahimsa does not mean hurting the self, either. An approach to life where one hurts oneself in order to keep from hurting another is a poor approach and rejecting the divinity in one’s own existence. A healthy approach involves learning to stand up for oneself and others while not hurting another (or oneself) in the process.

Violence in Thought

This aspect is very subtle and only relevant to people who are already on a spiritual pathway and had a strong sadhna – spiritual practice for a few years, because for such people, thoughts take on a lot of power. Here non-violence needs to be practiced even in thought, because wishing someone bad pollutes our systems and pulls us back. When we think negatively about someone, essentially we empower them with our negative energy, which gives them more power to hurt other people. So essentially, our negative thoughts too go a long way in making the world a more violent place.

In the End…

Practicing ahimsa requires a conscious effort to align our actions with our values, striving to minimize harm and promote peace in every aspect of life. By embracing non-violence, we not only contribute to our spiritual growth but also create a more compassionate and harmonious world for future generations. Let us heed the wisdom of ancient sages and sow the seeds of ahimsa in our hearts, fostering a brighter and more compassionate world for all beings.

Author: Ashwita Goel learned meditation as a child and has practiced energy healing for 27 years. She has helped thousands of people overcome phobias, trauma, limiting beliefs, find confidence, enhance performance and improve their relationships through online sessions.

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