AHIMSA

 

non-violence

 

 

 

 

The Gnani Purush shows the world the way to non-violence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editorial

 

 

In the ocean of violence there is always violence, but if one wants to practice total non-violence, it is only possible through the reading and contemplation of the words spoken by the Gnani Purush Param Pujya Dadashri. There are many people who practice overt, gross ahimsa, but it is extremely difficult to know it and understand it at its most subtle levels. It is not easy to know these levels, so how can one even begin to talk about attaining them?

 

 If one does not understand what constitutes the entire spectrum of ahimsa starting from the visible to the subtlest living beings, such as life forms present in air and water, and if one does not understand intent-violence (violence through inner intent which causes a new karma) and intent-death (the ultimate of all violence: violence against the self), then whatever ahimsa one practices will be in vain. One will be stuck at the level of mere words and gross mechanical actions.

 

Only the One who is absolutely non-violent, can show others the true nature of violence. Such a One is eternally established as the Self. These are the tirthankaras and the Gnanis.

 

In this book, you will find information about violence and non-violence, from the gross to the subtle-most levels, as exposed by the Gnani Purush. He is absolutely non-violent in a world filled with violence.This book has been compiled with the intention that people of this time cycle, suffering from violence from every direction, achieve salvation for this life and lives to come. 

 

Who can escape effect violence (visible acts of violence, intentional or otherwise; violence perceivable by all the senses)? Even the Tirthankars themselves, at the time of their ultimate liberation, with their last breath, killed many airborne life forms. If they were held responsible for such violence, they would be compelled to take birth again for the karma caused. Would liberation then ever be possible? So what was it that they attained, which gave them exclusive protection from the laws of karma and achieves liberation? These very mysteries are understood and can be explained only by the Gnani Purush himself, because within him manifests the exact same knowledge that is to be found in the hearts of all the Tirthankars. Dadashri has revealed this knowledge and has made it accessible to everyone.  This book will, without doubt, serve as a very useful guide for those who practice ahimsa and desire liberation.

 

 

- Dr. Niruben Amin  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Satsang with Dadashri commences….

 

 

 

 

PROGRESS TO PEAK OF RELIGIONS: NON-VIOLENCE

 

 

Question:   Can you please elaborate on the subject of Ahimsa (non-violence) in the progress in religion and spirituality?

 

Dadashri:  Ahimsa itself is religion and ahimsa is spiritual progress.  The definition of Ahimsa is: to maintain the awareness to not hurt any living being, even in the slightest degree, through your mind, speech and actions. When this principle remains firm in your conviction, and awareness, then progress will occur in spirituality.

 

Question:  How do you benefit in life with the mantra ‘Ahimsa Parmodharma’ (Ahimsa, the highest religion)?

 

Dadashri:  Every morning before leaving home, you should recite the inner intent,  ‘I do not want to hurt any living being, even in the slightest degree, through your thoughts, speech and conduct’. Repeat this five times. Having done this, if you do end up hurting someone anyway, then you must take note of it and repent for the mistake.

 

Questioner:  How is it possible, in this day and age, to live a life without hurting any living being?

 

Dadashri: All you have do is to have and protect your intent that you do not want to hurt any living being, and repent for the times you are not able to maintain it.

 

Questioner: Is it really possible to live a life in this world filled with myriads of living beings without hurting any being? Can we satisfy every living being surrounding us in every circumstance?

 

Dadashri: Whoever desires to do so, can do so. If the goal of ahimsa is not attained in one lifetime, it will be attained in two or three lifetimes. If your goal and decision is firm and you maintain ahimsa in your awareness, then absolute ahimsa is inevitable.

 

 

Non-violence Prevails Over Violence

 

Questioner:  What should one do to stop violence?

Dadashri: The intent of non-violence must arise within continuosly. Lord Mahavir has left behind a very clear distinction between violence and non-violence.  He knew that an era of violent times was approaching and therefore He said, “Face all violence with non-violence.” If someone uses the weapon of violence, you should use the weapon of non-violence against him. Only this approach will lead to happiness. Violence only stops with non-violence.

 

 

Understanding Non-violence

 

Questioner: People are frequently violent. How can they be changed to become non-violent?

 

Dadashri: You have to make them understand.  You have to explain them, ‘ The Lord resides in every living being. If you hurt any living being you will incur the liability for the hurt and violence caused. This results in an obstruction in spiritual progress as the veils of ignorance multiply. The consequence of this is further misery and a birth in lower life formss.’ People will indeed understand this when you explain it to them in this way.  Violence spoils human intellect.

 

Questioner:  I may feel strongly about practicing ahimsa. What can I do when an individual does not believe in it at all?

 

Dadashri: If you feel strongly about practicing ahimsa, then you should practice it and calmly explain it to others whether they believe in it or not.  They will start to believe in it if you use this approach.  If you make an effort, then one day you will succeed.

 

Questioner:  What should we do if they are not receptive to it even after explaining ahimsa calmly and with love? Should we allow the violence to continue, or should we attempt to stop it forcefully?

 

Dadashri: You should pray to whichever The Lord you believe in and say: “Dear The Lord, make everyone non-violent.” Pray in this manner.

 

 

 The Problem Of Bedbugs

 

Questioner: What should we do about the growing infestation of bedbugs in our homes?

 

Dadashri: Many years ago, we had the same problem in our household.  I could not bear it when the bedbug bit me on the neck; so I would pick it up and put it on my leg, and let it bite me there.  How could we send the poor insect away hungry when it is hungry and has come to this restaurant of ours? It is not right to let it go hungry. You will not have such strength of non-violence. Therefore I ask you to simply catch it and put it outside. At least you can get some peace of mind knowing that it is not in your bed. 

 

Nature's law is such that even if you were to throw out a hundred thousand bedbugs, if tonight only seven of them were to bite you, then seven will not leave without finishing their task. Even if you were to kill them, seven bedbugs would still bite you, whether you throw them far away from your home or you do nothing. They will bite you regardless of what you do.

 

 That is why I do not put up any resistance. I allow them to bite me when I am awake, or else they would bite me in my sleep.  At least they do not bring containers to carry away extra food with them.  All they do is eat their share and go home. There is a sense of satisfaction that this body has fed so many other lives. These days it is hard to feed to feed even two individuals.

 

 

Bedbug Killer, Are You The Creator Of Bedbugs?

 

Questioner:  What steps should we take to deal with all the bedbugs, mosquitoes and cockroaches in the house?

 

Dadashri:  To prevent them from infesting the home, you should clean the home and keep it clean. You should catch the roaches, take them outside and throw them far away, but you should not kill them under any circumstance.

 

Once I was invited to a very prominent man’s home. He made the statement that bedbugs ought to be killed because they bite and suck blood. I asked him where it was written, that the bedbugs should be killed. I explained to him that a person has a right to kill a bedbug only if he is able to create one.  The general rule is that you cannot destroy what you cannot create. 

 

Questioner:  So why do the bedbugs come to bite?

 

Dadashri:  They do so because you have a pending debt with them.  Your body does not belong to you alone. It is not your property in the first place, you have ‘stolen’ it and so the bedbugs are stealing from you.  When they bite you, your accounts are being settled and your debts are being paid off. So from now on, do not kill them.

 

One Cannot Steal From The Lord’s Garden.

 

Let us say there are mangoes growing in your neighbor’s garden, and some hang over the fence that separates your yard and his. The neighbor’s religious beliefs are different. He does not believe in ahimsa. He is quick to punish and hit anyone who picks his fruits.  People do not touch his fruits out of fear. Now if you can refrain from stealing from your neighbor’s garden, why can you not refrain from killing the bedbug in the garden of the Lord? Do you understand that you are stealing from The Lord’s garden?

 

 

Suffer The Penance In Front Of You

 

Questioner:  But what if the bedbug bites severely?

 

Dadashri:  Blood is the food for the bedbug.  Do you expect it to eat rice and ghee? Will they eat it even if we make it nice and creamy for them?  No, because blood is its food.

 

Questioner:  But is it fair to just let it continue to bite?

 

Dadashri:  Do you not occasionally fast as a means of penance? In that penance, do you not tolerate the pangs of hunger? Then why not accept the bites of the bedbug as a forms of penance? This penance presents itself directly to you. It is the basis for liberation or moksha.  Why must you create your own kind of penance?  Why not endure the penance that presents naturally? Naturally occurring penance is the cause of liberation, whereas self-created penance is the cause of worldly life.  

 

Questioner:  Yes! That is a very good point. Let the penance that presents happen. Fasting is tough and requires a lot of effort.

 

Dadashri:  Yes. In that you are creating circumstances for penance. Whereas here penance occurs spontaneously, you do not have to invite it. So feed all the bedbugs that come to you. Treat them with kindness and then send them off.

 

 

Non-Violence: A Gift From My Mother

 

My mother, Zaverba was thirty-six years older than me. One day I asked my mother if the bedbugs were also biting her and she replied: “Naturally dear, they will bite.  But the poor things eat their share and are off again.  They don’t bring any containers, they simply eat their share and leave!” Blessed is this mother. Blessed also is the son.

 

Once I came home after fighting with someone at school. My mother took pity on the other child and told me that I should not have hurt him. She told me that the poor boy did not have a mother, so who would take care of his cuts and bruises? She even told me that I should not hurt anyone and that it was fine if someone were to hurt me because I had a mother who would take care of me. Now tell me, is such a woman not worthy of being the mother of a Mahavir?

 

Questioner:  It is the other way round nowadays.  Nowadays parents teach their children to fight back.

 

Dadashri:  Not just nowadays, it has always been that way. It has nothing to do with the current times. This is the way of the world. There is a choice. One can become the disciple of Lord Mahavir, and be free. The other choice is to become a disciple of worldly gurus, and be bound. The latter creates further miseries. The Lord is vitarag (One devoid of all attachments). He is absolutely non-violent. It is better therefore to be a disciple of Mahavir.

 

 

Keep Everything Clean: Do Not Use Insecticides

 

Many people do not kill bedbugs. Instead they put their mattresses out in the sun to heat. In my household I would tell them not to do even that. Why trouble the poor bedbugs in the sun? People would still protest, wanting to be rid of them. It is a misconception to think that the population of the bedbugs decreases by killing them. They may appear to decrease but the same number will be found the following day.

 

We should simply keep everything clean and tidy. Maintaining cleanliness is the key to eliminating the problem of bedbugs.   It is a crime to use insecticides and repellants on them. Besides, the chemicals do not destroy them; the insects just reappear elsewhere. You will not see a single insect at certain times, while at other times they seem to be abundant. This is because insects are seasonal. During such times, no matter how much insecticide you spray, they will keep thriving.

 

 

Payoff Your Debts Fast

 

Questioner:  One bedbug takes only the portion that is part of the overall account, does it not?

 

Dadashri:   I have always paid off my debts to them, which is why I encounter just a few now.  Even now, if a bedbug were to visit me, it would instinctively recognize that it is not going to be harmed. They know me. They also know the nature of other individuals that are likely to hurt and kill them. They have this ability to know this because they too have a soul within.

 

Moreover, there is no way out for you without paying off your debts.  You will have to feed blood for having taken blood from beings in the past. You will have to repay whomever you have troubled. All your accounts will have to be paid off. Have you seen a blood bank where people donate blood? This here is such a ‘bedbug bank’ which acts like a ‘blood bank’, where a record of all your pending accounts are kept. 

 

 

 

Drinking Blood or Settling Accounts?

So allow the bedbug to bite you and do not let it go hungry.  How can the poor, hungry bedbug leave without being fed at such a noble household as yours?

  If you cannot tolerate their bites, just take them outside, but if you do have the strength, let them feed off you and then let them go.  In doing this, they are doing you a big favor. They liberate you from your sense of attachment to your body. The message the bedbug comes with is, “Why are you asleep (spiritually asleep)? Get your work done!”  They are like the watchmen that stand guard to alert you.

 

 

The Law Is Maintained

 

Questioner:  Mosquitoes are a nuisance! What can we do about them?

 

Dadashri:  Understand that anything in this world that aggravates you, does so within the prescribed limits of nature’s law. Your suffering, too, is within this law. If you want to be free of these mosquitoes, sleep inside a mosquito net, but do not kill them.

 

Questioner:  So should we should preserve their life, not kill them?

 

Dadashri:  Yes.

 

Questioner:  What if we utter ‘Sri Rama’s name as we kill them, would it not mean that they would attain a higher life forms in their next life? 

 

Dadashri:  You will go to a lower life forms for inflicting the suffering on the mosquito.

 

Questioner:  Do mosquitoes bite saints?

 

Dadashri:  They bite even the Lord. They used to bite Lord Mahavir a lot.  They simply would not leave without collecting on their debts.

 

 

Your Own Debts

 

 Recognize that when a single mosquito even touches you, it is exact.  It is meant to be.  If you were to be bitten on your hand, it would not be able to bite you on your leg, even if it wanted to!  How can this world be wrong when it has been arranged with such precision?  This precise arrangement is the ‘regulator of the world' and continuously keeps this world in ‘regulation’.  I am making this statement based on my own vision.

 

 

‘Hitlerism’ Prohibited Everywhere

 

No one in this world is in a position to hurt or hinder you, therefore should anything happen to you, do not blame the world: the fault is your own.  Everything that you experience in your life is the echo of all the meddling you, yourself did in your previous life.  You will not have such echoes if you had not meddled.

 

Not even a single mosquito can bite you unless there had been some previous interference on your part. Even if you were lying in a bed full of bedbugs, not a single bug will touch you, if you have not interfered in your past life. What is the law behind this? People think thoughts like, ‘kill all these bugs, and get rid of them’. This is interference. Do they not use spray insecticides? This is Hitlerism, gassing human beings to death. Yet the bugs say, you wont affect us much. Our generational propagation will not cease.

 

Therefore when your interference ceases, all accounts will be cleared. Without causes of interference there will be no ‘bites’ of any kind.

 

When can one tell if all debt has been paid off?  In the midst of a swarm of mosquitoes, not a single mosquito will bite you. Even the bedbugs will forget their natural tendency to bite. If a very angry and violent man rushes in here suddenly, his anger and violence will vanish when he sets his eyes on me. His thinking will change: this is the power of ahimsa.

 

It is vyavasthit (scientific circumstantial evidences) that arranges everything. The mosquito is not aware that it will bite Chandulal and Chandulal is not aware that he will be bitten, but vyavasthit unites the two. Vyavasthit determines the time of the event, when the air pulls the mosquito to its location, and it is also vyavasthit that pulls it away after the event. It is vyavasthit that frees them from their account so they both can go their separate ways. The mosquito can even fly for miles to settle accounts with anyone who has been interfered in the past.

 

 

 

No Difference Between The Thorn And The Mosquito

 

When a mosquito bites, people blame the mosquito, but when a thorn pricks them, what do they do? There is no difference between a thorn and a mosquito. In the eyes of The Lord, they are both the same. The Soul within them does not bite. Everything that hurts you is merely ‘thorns’. Why is it that you do not see the fault of a thorn when it pricks you?

 

Questioner: It is because one does not see a living instrumental entity.

 

Dadashri:  The mosquito appears alive and therefore he assumes, ‘this is what bit me.’ He is under the veil of illusion, not knowing the reality. Therefore, the world appears real to him. The Self never does anything. It does not bite anybody. The world is simply an interaction of non-Self elements, and it is there that the accounts are caused and settled. The Self never punishes anyone. The world is constantly hurt by the sharp ‘thorns’.

 

If a person is struck by a falling rock, he will look up to see who threw the rock at him. When he does not see anyone, he remains quiet. However, if he catches someone throwing even a small pebble at him, he will become very angry and confrontational. Why does he react differently in each situation? This is because his perception is false.

 

According to Akram Vignan, the thorn that pricks you and the person that hurts you are both nimits (they become instrumental in the process where vyavasthit brings to you the results of your own past karma). The fault is really yours. You would not be hurt if you stepped on a flower, but if you stepped on a thorn, it will prick you for sure. The same applies to people, so you must be careful when you interact with anyone. Whether a thorn pricks you or a scorpion stings you, it is the result of past karmas. Whose past karma? Your own past karma. Others are merely instrumental in delivering the results of your own past deeds. What fault is it of the instrument?

 

Therefore, walk with caution. This is a very different kind of world altogether. By nature it is absolutely just and exact. Throughout my life, I have assessed the real nature of things and events. I have arrived at a wonderful conclusion which when known to the world will bring lasting peace and harmony.

 

 

 

The right To Life For All Living Beings

 

Think about why a cat preys on mice and other insects, but it will never touch a mole, even if it is hungry! Why is that? 

 

You receive food without any effort because of your virtues (results of good deeds in your past life). A laborer, on the other hand, has to toil for money to buy food. Therefore, from now on make sure that you do not hurt any living being whether it is a human, an animal or an insect. On the one hand people pray to The Lord while on the other, they continue to hurt the very beings within whom The Lord resides. How much courage does it require to kill animals or insects? People go around killing snakes and insects too readily, yet is it such a brave thing to do? You can only destroy that which you are capable of creating.

 

A bedbug is a bedbug by the relative viewpoint, but by the real viewpoint it is a Pure Soul (shuddhatma). Do you want to kill a Pure Soul? If the bedbug is intolerable, pick it up and put it outside. Man looks for his happiness through killing. How is it possible to kill and find happiness at the same time?

 

Questioner: What should we do if we have an invasion of ants in the house?

 

Dadashri:  Just keep the door of that room shut.  People find ants annoying, but in nature, such a nuisance will last only a few days and when the time comes to an end, it will disappear. So just keep the room closed.  You can even discover this on your own, if you were to analyze everything; whether this nuisance is permanent or temporary.

 

Questioner:  Most of the time the ants head for the kitchen, so how can we keep the kitchen closed? 

 

Dadashri:  That is just a false belief. Understand that you must move away from wherever the nuisance is. Keep two separate cooking areas in your home if you can.  Keep a spare stove in your home. Can you not forego a fully cooked meal for one day?  Killing is a very serious matter.

 

Questioner:   We only kill them if they get in our way.  We do not go out of our way to kill them.

 

Dadashri:  For those who want to kill insects, such a situation will present itself to them.  Those who do not want to kill will come across circumstances that will accommodate their intent.

 

If you make an effort, ‘never to kill’ and try, then your circumstances will change. Unless you understand the law that operates this world, the practice of killing will not cease and as a result you will not be able to break away from the habits of this worldly life. If you accidentally kill an insect, do pratikraman and ask for forgiveness.

 

Questioner: Will the use of insecticides affect us?

 

Dadashri: The very moment you kill anything, a change occurs in the subtle subatomic particles within you. Innumerable living organisms within you die.  The killing you do externally is proportionate to the killing that happens internally.  There is an entire cosmos within you, just as there is on the outside. So kill as much as you want to, but understand that the same destruction is taking place within you, for there is as much within the body as there is in the universe.

 

There are so many ‘thieves and pickpockets’ around that one is never safe. But if you never have a thought of picking someone’s pocket or stealing from someone, then no one is going to steal from you. In the same token if instead of violence, you choose non-violence, you will not come across any circumstances of violence. That is the way of the world. If you understand this world just once, your problems will be solved. 

 

 

 

The fault is of the entity that endorses.

 

Questioner:  During the rainy season when there is an abundance of mosquitoes and flies, the municipal authorities tell us to spray our houses with insecticide. Is that not a sin? But if we do not use the insecticide, there will be an outbreak of disease. 

 

Dadashri: What is the difference between this and what Hitler did with his bombs?  This is  ‘Hitler’ on a very small scale. 

 

Questioner:  But we are talking about the whole town here!! It is filthy in the rainy season and there are flies and swarms of mosquitoes everywhere. The local authorities are forced to use insecticides. 

 

Dadashri:  What difference is it make to you what the municipal authorities do? You should simply have the intent not to kill.  Your only intent should be: "It would be better if things were not so."

 

Questioner:  Then does the responsibility lie with those who carry out the work in the municipal authorities?

 

Dadashri:  No. It does not concern them.

 

Questioner:  Then who is responsible?

 

Dadashri:  The workers merely carry out their orders, but the head officers who give the order would be liable.

 

Questioner:  But for whose benefit do the officers give the orders?

 

Dadashri:   They are simply doing their duty. This is not for us.

 

Questioner:  But we are the ones who file complaints about the nuisance of mosquitoes.

 

Dadashri: The ones who do not wish to hurt, do not complain. They are not responsible. Those who complain are responsible.The liability therefore, falls on those who approve and endorse it.

 

Questioner:  So is it dependent upon each individual’s inner intent?

 

Dadashri:  Yes, your inner intent will determine the degree of liability you incur.

 

Questioner:  If a mouse or a bird dies in a water tank, the tank will need to be cleaned out and disinfected.  Will the use of the disinfectants, not kill all the living organisms in the tank? Who will be accountable for this sin? Is it the one who does the disinfecting or the one who makes others do it? 

 

Dadashri: Both the direct doer and the one who makes other do, are responsible. Our intent must remain that of non-violence. We should not have an opinion to kill.

 

Questioner:   The inner intent is to prevent disease. If the water in the tank remains contaminated, the people who drink it will fall ill.

 

Dadashri:  Yes, the wrongful deeds continue.  If you take into account such wrongful deeds, then such deeds are constantly taking place in the world.

 

You have to take care of yourself and not worry about anyone else. Each individual must look after himself. Every living being has brought with him, his life and time of death.  That is why the Lord has said that no one can kill anyone. This statement however, cannot be declared publicly otherwise people may abuse it.

 

Who do you suppose will clean the contaminated water-tank in the household of ten people? It will be the person with the ego. He will say that he will clean out the tank because he is the right person for the job. All the liability without doubt will fall on that person - the one who takes on the doer ship. 

 

Questioner:  But he is doing it out of compassion.

 

Dadashri:  Whatever it may be, he still commits a sin for which he will have to repay in the next life.

 

Questioner:  Then what should one do?  Drink the contaminated water?

 

Dadashri:  You cannot alter the circumstances. The person with the ego will not refrain from taking on the doer ship of cleaning up the tank.  You will still continue to get clean water. You will always find someone with ego that will clean the water for you.  Yes indeed, everything in this world is at your disposal, but it is your merit karma that falls short.  Your obstacles in life will be proportionate to the amount of ego you exercised. When this ego is uprooted and its support is destroyed, the whole world will be yours. You will not lack anything.  The ego is your only obstacle.