Non-Violence Ahimsa

Back of the Book Ahimsa (Non-Violence) itself is religion and ahimsa is spiritual progress. The definition of Ahimsa is: to maintain the awareness of not hurting 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.

Violence exists everywhere in this world. The entire world is filled with violence. When you become truly non-violent, the world will cease to be violent for you. Without the authority of the force of non-violence, total liberation, defined as absolute knowledge (keval gnan), is not possible. The level of awakened awareness necessary for absolute enlightenment is not possible to attain without total non-violence: non-violence in thoughts, speech and action.

Who will you direct your violence towards? All that is in front of you is the manifestation of the Lord within all living beings. They are all really the Supreme Lord. Who will you hurt?

Preface In an ocean of violence there is always violence, but if one wants to practice absolute non-violence (ahimsa), 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 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 towards living beings, beginning with the visible to the subtlest, such as life-forms present in the air and water, and if one does not understand intent-violence (violence through inner intent which creates 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 himself, can show others the true nature of violence. Such a being 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 subtlest levels, as exposed by the Gnani Purush himself. 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 perceived by all the senses)? Even the Tirthankars themselves, at the time of their ultimate liberation, with their last breath, killed innumerable airborne life- forms. If they were held responsible for such violence, they would be compelled to take birth again for the bad 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 achieve 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 resides 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.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages