Ahimsa in Jainism

In Jainism, ahiṃsā means nonviolence and not wanting to hurt any living thing. It is one of the most important ideas in Jain teachings. Because of this belief, many Jains choose to be vegans or vegetarians, and they try to live in ways that do not harm others.

The idea of ahimsa in Jainism is special because it talks about how hurting others also hurts our own spirit. Jains believe that all life, even tiny plants and small creatures, is sacred and should be protected. They think that helping to keep all life safe is the best kind of kindness a person can give.

Ahimsa is more than just not hitting or fighting. It also means not even wanting to hurt anyone, even in our thoughts. For thousands of years, Jains have worked hard to follow this teaching of peace and kindness toward all living things.

The Metaphysical Foundation: Karma and Spiritual Survival

Jain texts teach that living beings have different senses and life principles. These include the five senses, energy, breathing, lifespan, the ability to speak, and the mind. The more senses and life principles a being has, the more it can feel pain.

Jainism teaches that harming beings with more senses, like people or animals, creates more karma than harming those with fewer senses, like insects or plants. Because of this, Jains try very hard not to hurt any living being. They believe it is important to avoid causing harm to all forms of life, especially to those with more senses.

The Vow of Ahimsa: Ascetic and Lay Practice

See also: Five vows

In Jainism, both ascetics and regular people (śrāvaka) must follow five important promises called vows (vratas). Ascetics follow these vows more strictly.

The first and most important vow is Ahimsa, which means not to hurt any living being with actions, words, or thoughts. There are two kinds of Ahimsa: thinking about not hurting others and actually not hurting them through actions or words.

Jainism teaches that being untruthful, stealing, being unchaste, and being greedy can also hurt others, so these are also important vows to follow. For example, taking things that were not given can hurt the person who owns them. Being unchaste can hurt many living beings.

For ascetics, following Ahimsa is very strict. They must avoid hurting even tiny insects. They sweep the ground before walking, and some wear masks to avoid swallowing tiny insects. They are very careful with everything they do to avoid causing harm.

Regular Jains follow these vows in a less strict way because of their daily lives and jobs. They try to cause as little harm as possible. They avoid eating certain foods that might hurt plants too much, and they choose jobs that do not require hurting living beings. They also avoid using products made from animals, except when the animals have died naturally.

Philosophical Nuance and Analysis

Important constituents

Jainism teaches that being completely nonviolent is very important. However, because tiny living things are everywhere—in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and even in plants—it is impossible to avoid harming some of them completely. Even breathing might move tiny creatures.

In Jainism, what matters most is not just what we do, but our thoughts and feelings. If we do something that might accidentally harm a living thing but we are very careful and have pure intentions, it is considered less wrong. Being careful and thoughtful is very important for Jains.

Carefulness

Being careful is a big part of being nonviolent in Jainism. If a monk or nun is not careful, even small actions might accidentally harm living things, and this is still seen as wrong. Being watchful and thoughtful helps prevent accidental harm.

Mental states and intention

In Jainism, true nonviolence means not just avoiding physical harm but also not wanting to harm anyone. Even if we do not physically hurt someone, if we really want to hurt them, it is still wrong. Good intentions are very important.

Knowledge

To practice nonviolence well, Jains believe we need to know which things are living and which are not. Understanding this helps us avoid harming living things.

Anekantavada

Main article: Anekantavada

Jainism teaches that truth has many sides. What seems true from one view might not be the whole truth. This idea helps Jains respect different viewpoints and understand that others might see things differently.

Dravya hiṃsā and bhāva hiṃsā

Types of violence

Jain householders may sometimes accidentally cause harm, and this is grouped into different types:

1. Sankalpinī hiṃsā or intentional violence – This is doing harm on purpose, like hurting someone for fun or out of anger, and it must always be avoided.
2. Virodhinī hiṃsā or Self-defence – It is okay to protect oneself from someone who is trying to do harm.
3. Āṛambhinī (Graharambhi) hiṃsā or domestic or household violence – Small harms that happen while doing normal home tasks, like cooking or cleaning.
4. Udyoginī hiṃsā or Occupational Violence – Harms that might happen while working, such as farming or building.

While intentional harm must always be avoided, the other types of harm should be kept to a minimum and done without anger or greed.

Ways of committing violence

Jainism teaches that harm can happen in many ways, not just through physical actions. It can happen through thoughts, words, or actions, and even by planning or encouraging others to harm. The feelings behind the action—such as anger, greed, or pride—also matter.

The rationale of nonviolence

In Jainism, nonviolence, or ahimsa, is not followed just because a god told people to do so. It is also not only because it helps everyone live better together. Instead, following nonviolence helps a person grow spiritually and find inner peace. The people who have reached the highest level of spiritual growth, called Arhats, showed that living without hurting others leads to their own spiritual success. Anyone who follows this path can also achieve similar growth.

Another important reason for nonviolence is that hurting others also hurts the person doing the harming. Even if the act seems to only affect someone else, it actually harms the inner self of the person who acts with violence. This is because every act of violence ties the soul to harmful energies called karmas, which prevent spiritual growth. The idea of nonviolence in Jainism is not just about feeling sorry for others; it is about taking responsibility for one’s own spiritual health.

Jainism also teaches that every soul, including humans, animals, plants, and tiny creatures, has been born many times in different forms. Because of this shared cycle of rebirth, all living things are connected. The belief that all lives are linked and should help one another supports the practice of nonviolence. In the end, the reason for ahimsa is to protect both others and oneself from the harmful effects of violence, leading to better spiritual outcomes for everyone.

Ahimsa in Practice: The Daily Disciplines

Main article: Jain vegetarianism

The Jain way of eating is very strict and helps them follow their belief in not hurting any living things. People who follow Jain teachings eat only vegetarian food and avoid certain foods like potatoes, onions, and garlic. This careful choice of food shows their deep respect for all life.

Jain monks and nuns follow the strictest rules about food. They avoid eating root vegetables such as potatoes and onions because taking these plants from the ground can hurt tiny living beings. They also stay away from foods that might contain even small parts of animals. Some Jains choose to follow a vegan diet because they believe that getting dairy products can be hard on cows. Jains do not eat honey because getting it can hurt bees. They also avoid eating food that has been left out overnight, as it might have harmful tiny creatures in it. Instead of potatoes, many Jains use plantains in their cooking.

Misconceptions

Jain teachings talk about many wrong ideas people have about not hurting others. They strongly disagree with old beliefs that said it was okay to hurt animals during special ceremonies. Jains believe that all living things should be treated with care, no matter what.

Some people think it is okay to kill animals if they seem dangerous or if they are very old and sick. But Jains teach that killing is never the right answer, even if it seems like it might help. They also say it is wrong to think that killing someone who is peaceful or in deep thought will help their spirit in the future. All of these ideas go against the important Jain belief of not causing harm to any living being.

Fruits of nonviolence

Main article: Karma in Jainism

In Jainism, doing harmful acts has different results based on the feelings a person has when they do them. Sometimes, a person might do something harmful but not really mean to, and other times, they might mean to do harm but not fully succeed. When people work together to do something harmful, the results can be very different for each person.

Jains believe that the results of our actions, called karma, are always certain. These results might not happen right away, but they will happen eventually. Most of our everyday actions have small effects because they are influenced by only mild negative feelings. However, actions done with strong negative feelings create a deeper connection to karma. This deeper connection doesn’t always show results right away. It waits for the right time, place, and conditions to appear before it has an effect. If those conditions never appear, the karma will still have its effect by the time it can no longer affect the soul. The timing of when karma affects us depends on the type of action, how strong the feelings were when it happened, and our situation at the time.

Modern reception

Ahimsa, a key belief in religions from India, is very important to people who follow these faiths.

Mahatma Gandhi thought Jainism explained ahimsa, or nonviolence, better than any other religion. He believed that if people around the world practiced nonviolence, Jainism would be highly respected, and Lord Mahavira would be seen as a great teacher of this idea.

In 2015, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, wrote the Jain slogan, Ahimsa parmo dharma, on Facebook’s Real Wall during a visit to their headquarters. Indian religions Mahatma Gandhi Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi Facebook