Ahimsa is a state of being that has existed in Indian culture for many centuries. The basic doctrine of Ahimsa is to not inflict pain on any living being physically, mentally or verbally. The goal of Ahimsa is to eliminate the aggressive and cruel natures of humans by replacing them with love, peace and forgiveness. Ahimsa advocates the use of intelligence instead of violence to achieve wanted goals. Ahimsa is not just part of Hindu religion, it is a state of truly divine existence through higher consciousness. The guidelines of Ahimsa are very rigid, for example if a man expresses an aggressive tone of voice or a displeased facial expression he is exhibiting Himsa (violence). Ahimsa encourages acceptance and condemns behaviours that belittle other beings.
The practice of Ahimsa is predominant in Hindu religion because of their belief of dharma, karma and reincarnation. Hindu gurus teach that it is a Hindu’s dharma or duty to be kind and welcoming to all of his brothers and sisters, or the universal community. By performing ones daily duties the Hindu can attain moksha
In my practice of Ahimsa, I experienced great difficulties because my mind is not conditioned of being tolerant of everything that displeases me. I found myself suppressing my opinions because I did not want to say anything that might offend others around me. Although I had thoughts that would be considered Himsa, I recognized that these thoughts were damaging and analyzed why I was thinking this way and changed my opinion. I think a full state of mind of Ahimsa is not a realistic goal to attain, but applying the aspect of acceptance would prove to be effective in improving life. For instance, a great deal of arguments could be avoided through accepting the fact that most conflicts are trivial and not beneficial to our well being in any way. I think the key to achieving Ahimsa is through acceptance of all that is different and frightening to us. Once humans learn to accept, they can learn to truly love.
It is obvious that a state of mind similar to Ahimsa does not exist in North American society as a whole. A person must exhibit great willpower and sacrifice a great deal w