Non-Violence (Ahimsa)

Hiçbir canlıya zarar verme. Mahavira bunu daha önce ya da sonra kimsenin gitmediği kadar ileri götürdü: yeri süpür, suyunu süz, kumaşla nefes al.

Ahimsa predates both Mahavira and the Buddha, but Mahavira pushed it to its furthest edge. Jain monks sweep the path before them to avoid crushing insects. They strain water before drinking it. Some wear cloth over their mouths. This is not performance — it is the logical end of the belief that all living things carry consciousness, and that harm to any of them accrues to the one who causes it. The Buddha held a gentler form of the same conviction. Both saw violence as rooted in delusion: we harm others because we believe they are separate from us, because we believe our needs matter more. Ahimsa is not passive. It requires constant attention to the consequences of ordinary acts — what you eat, how you walk, what you say, and why.