18 Facts About Ahimsa

Ahimsa is one of the cardinal virtues of Jainism, where it is first of the Pancha Mahavrata.

Ahimsa is a multidimensional concept, inspired by the premise that all living beings have the spark of the divine spiritual energy; therefore, to hurt another being is to hurt oneself.

Ahimsa has been related to the notion that any violence has karmic consequences.

Over time, the Hindu scripts revise ritual practices and the concept of Ahimsa is increasingly refined and emphasized, until Ahimsa becomes the highest virtue by the late Vedic era.

The Ahimsa doctrine is a late Vedic era development in Brahmanical culture.

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Across the texts of Hinduism, there is a profusion of ideas about the virtue of Ahimsa when applied to non-human life, but without a universal consensus.

Gandhi believed Ahimsa to be a creative energy force, encompassing all interactions leading one's self to find satya, "Divine Truth".

Gandhi stated his belief that "Ahimsa is in Hinduism, it is in Christianity as well as in Islam.

Schweitzer praised Indian philosophical and religious traditions for the ethics of Ahimsa: "the laying down of the commandment not to kill and not to damage is one of the greatest events in the spiritual history of humankind", but suggested that "not-killing and not-harming" is not always practically possible as in self-defence, nor ethical as in chronic starving during a famine case.

Ahimsa is imperative for practitioners of Patanjali's eight limb Raja yoga system.

Ahimsa is one of the ten Yamas in Hatha Yoga according to verse 1.

In Jainism, the understanding and implementation of Ahimsa is more radical, scrupulous, and comprehensive than in any other religion.

Ahimsa was already part of the "Fourfold Restraint", the vows taken by Parshva's followers.

In Buddhist texts Ahimsa is part of the Five Precepts (), the first of which has been to abstain from killing.

Ahimsa precept is not a commandment and transgressions did not invite religious sanctions for laypersons, but their power has been in the Buddhist belief in karmic consequences and their impact in afterlife during rebirth.

The Buddhist texts not only recommended Ahimsa, but suggest avoiding trading goods that contribute to or are a result of violence:.

Ahimsa thought that, although this King of Magadha has transgressed against his kingdom, he had not transgressed against him personally, and Ajatasattu was still his nephew.

Ahimsa did not make Ahimsa a matter of rule, but suggested it as a matter of principle.