|
Non-violence and introspection are related. Similarly, violence and looking outwards cannot be kept apart. Man is bound to resort to violence if he
always has seen material objects and people other than himself.
As soon as he starts seeing himself and looking within himself, he gets farther and farther from violence, and imbibes more and more non-violence.
Non-violence as a principle (Ahimsa) and its education and
training were elaborated thousands of years ago. Mahatma Gandhi applied it extensively and gave world a brilliant example of its practice. But curiosity and awareness about non-violence have been aroused all the
more in the light of the phenomenal growth of violence during the last two or three decades.
A Question Worthy Of Consideration
People do know the enormous number of killings that took place during the two World Wars. But very few people know that the magnitude of killings in
the post-second world war period far surpasses that during the two wars taken together.
Mass massacres have taken place in fighting Somalia and Rwanda sends shivers down one's spine. Innocent people, men, women, and children in millions
were prey to the struggle for power between two tribal communities. What are these small countries up to? Why are they indulging ruthlessly in mass murders on a massive scale? No solution seem to be in sight. Even
the great powers and the United Nations are found wanting in displaying enough responsibility for halting them.
When the conflict is between two countries, big powers like America and England lose no time in mediating them.
On the other hand, human life is thought so cheap in Africa that nobody bothers about massacres there. Attempts are made to settle the conflicts only
between those countries whose market value is greater. No one is worried about those countries whose market value is less, which are not in position to produce mineral and agricultural products, which are backward
in every way.
All these factors have compelled people to think when and where this increasing violence in the world will stop. In this context, non-violence assumes
greater relevance. Everyone feels that in it alone lies the answer to prevailing violence. If violence is not stopped, humanity would slowly head towards its own extirpation. Therefore, it is very essential to
develop non-violence. But how to bring it about?
Three Factors
Revered Gurudev Tulsi said that merely discussing non-violence is not enough. It should be supported by three factors:
- research
- training
- application
Confining oneself to non-violence as a theoretical principle, non-violence cannot be promoted. As in science, nothing much can be achieved without
research, training and experimentation.
Training
Anuvrat is a code of non-violent conduct and has also developed a method of training in non-violence.
People who know and accept Anuvrat’s code of conduct, come to resolve 'I will not willfully kill any innocent being any more.'
But that is not enough. In term of training in non-violence, it is but an incomplete part of it. The resolution will be strengthened when subjected to
self-contemplation. The resolution should be repeated for a week, two weeks, even four weeks, in fact, until it becomes permanent, imbibed habit. Once it has become that it need not be repeated further.
Education And Training Are Different
We are interested in the formation of lasting habits. Teaching and training are two different things. The former requires that we learn the lesson and
understand its meaning.
But when it comes to the latter, words by themselves do not serve much purpose. They do go some way in the initial stage, but they do not become a part
of our conduct until their meaning has been fully imbibed and made part of our very being.
It is not unlike food, giving nutrients to the body but not converting itself to blood and flesh until after full assimilation. The culmination of
training is formation of enduring and irreversible habits. With that the task of training is complete.
Illustrations From Anuvrat's Code Of Conduct
One of the code's vow is,' I will remain alert to protection of environment.' By reading it, understanding its meaning, knowing what constitutes
environmental pollution and thus acquiring the right conviction, we prepare the soil for being fit for the planting of seeds.
The practice of self-contemplation is the second essential step. The vow has to be uttered nine times, followed by nine silent repetitions through
appropriate lip movements, followed further by nine times silent verbalization in the mind, and culminating into the import of the vow becoming an inseparable part of our consciousness.
Later, it should be repeated in the posture of relaxation, conjoined first with meditation and then with intensified and sustained visualisation of a
desired colour in conjunction with associated psychic centre.
It is not possible to do this in one day. It should go day after day until one is convinced that the resolution has become a lasting and irreversible
part of one's being. It is up to each individual to decide at what point he has acquired consummation.
Resolution And Fulfilment
I have no hesitation in saying that the method of training is being followed neither by householders nor by sadhus (saints). A resolution remains a
mere resolution without being experimented and acted upon. The more vigorous the practice, the easier it is for a resolution to be fulfilled.
Food And Violence
The first component of training in non-violence is the food eaten. There is a close connection between food and violence.
What matters is the nature of food. Is it satvik (good and pure) or tamasik (passion-rousing). Meat and alcoholic drinks promote violence. When we look
back in history, we find that those charged with the task of fighting wars (Kshatryas in India) were openly allowed to use meat and liquor.
Brahmans, Vaishyas and Shudras had no such choice. It is a different matter, though, that in the course of time they too began using them. Wars require cruelty and lack of sensitivity and compassion. Without them violence is not possible.
Different people have used a variety of stratagems including modes of entertainment involving cruelty and insensitivity.
In some Arab countries young children are tied on to the back of racing camels, which are prodded more and more to run faster and faster while the
children cry, weep and nearly die of fear while the spectators enjoy the fun. Could anything be more insensitive than it?
The Roman Example
The Roman Empire was once very powerful. People there underwent successive violent and bloody conflicts and in the process lost all their sensitivity,
so much so that they lost interest in traditional ways of killing.
As a result, they resorted to newer and newer methods of torturing people to death. The fiercer the death, the greater the enjoyment they derived out
of it. Special torture cells were built to entertain the onlookers.
No wonder it led to the final fall of the Roman Empire. For violence once unleashed knows no discrimination. So a stage came when they started killing
their own kinsmen.
Mutual killings ultimately brought down the empire.
The Case Of America
The newspapers keep reporting how American soldiers are getting desensitised. In Vietnam, Iraq, Somalia and elsewhere, they have had to display their
capacity to kill and destroy. They have got so much used to it that the thought of violence does not disturb them any more.
Family feuds easily result in senseless violence. Small boys and girls carry fatal weapons like pistols in their hands and enjoy indulging in violent
activities.
The Experiment Of Forming Permanent Refined Habits
Developing sensitivity is essential for the growth on non-violence, and for doing that, one will have to adopt the method of self-contemplation.
Perhaps no better methods as ‘Treat all beings like yourself’ and ‘Weigh all souls on the scale of your own soul’ for the above purpose has yet been developed. Try to contemplate on these two sayings.
Quite a few people who had done so said that it changed their outlook completely.
The need of the hour is to practise self-contemplation with repetition of a truthful saying for changing one's attitude.
Everyone knows how hard a rock is, but through repeated friction a rope makes indentations on it. One important element of training is repeated
activity and practice. It constitutes a powerful experiment in forming permanent refined habits.
Non-Violence And The Body
Another component of training in non-violence is health. We give the word 'Health' a narrow meaning, a good state of the body, free from any disorder.
This is not its proper understanding.
But even if we leave out the mental and emotional dimensions of health, physical health itself has a profound relation with violence and non-violence.
Nowadays, it is an important subject of scientific study. Malfunctioning of the liver gives rise to bad thoughts and feelings. A low percentage of
glucose in the blood rouses the killing instinct including suicide. Again, the violent instinct is aroused by an imbalance in the nervous system or in the secretions of the endocrine gland.
Tests Are Essential
People look after their bodies in order to keep them healthy and free from disease, which is not a bad thing. However, it is equally necessary to
direct attention to the effects, the major organs have on people's minds and dispositions.
Modern medical science requires people to undergo several tests, but rarely do people go in for tests aimed at ascertaining the proper functioning of
various endocrine glands like the thyroid, the pituitary and the adrenal. These tests are essentials for preventing violence.
Napoleon lost the battle of Waterloo. People wondered how a superb warrior with a dream of world conquest met with defeat. An examination of his brain
revealed that his pituitary gland had stopped functioning. When he took the decision of going to battle at Waterloo, this prevented him from taking the right decision.
The Meaning Of Training In Non-Violence
Training in the right ways of eating and keeping healthy is very important. A method commanding universal attention, for imbibing non-violence can be
found if only scientists take deep interest in it.
Since the concept of training in non-violence was put forward, two conferences have been held on the subject and the attention of the people in the
world has begun to be drawn towards it. We received many letters inquiring about the method.
Ordinary people think that it means sending peace volunteers to a theatre of conflict and settling it through mutual negotiations and third party
advice. It may be one angle of looking at the problem, but it cannot be regarded as comprehensive method of training in non-violence.
We have restricted the scope of the discussion of non-violence to the domain of war and peace. But in fact it permeates living behaviour. Every man
confronts moments of violence and non-violence. Let us go to the root of the matter. The dream of building a non-violent society can come true if we begin our programme of training in non-violence with a triple
training:
- following a proper dietary regime
- principles of healthy living
- emotional balance
The Modern Language Of Peace
The UNO was formed to preserve world peace. Now wars do not breakout suddenly. Discussions and deliberations generally take the steam out and the
UNO helps in killing the momentary instinct for war.
Not surprisingly, defence experts define peace as the interregnum between two wars.
Another reason of the reduced possibility of wars is the almost prohibited cost of modern weaponry as also the balance of power between warring
nations. But for it, peace and security would not have been sought to be ensured through increasing weaponeering if the principle of training in non-violence had gained wide acceptance.
Need For Controlling Arms Manufacture
One aspect of training in non-violence is exercising control on the manufacture of arms. The merchants of arms like America are reigning supreme today.
The production of weapons has become so excessive that finding buyers has become a burning problem.
Therefore, the manufacturing countries are ever looking for a region susceptible to wars so that the excess arms may find a market. How to render the
arms industry ineffective should also be a part of thinking on training in non-violence.
A Farsighted Vow
Lord Mahavira laid down the following vow for his followers: ‘I will not manufacture arms nor will I exchange their components.'
Nowadays weapon systems are assembled, the body of the airplane may be manufactured in one country and the engine may be bought from elsewhere and
fitted into it, or the body of the indigenous tank may be fitted with imported engines, rockets and guns. How far-sighted a vow it was a part of training in non-violence!
Change Of Life-Style
Another principle of the training in non-violence is a change of life-style. The training will never be complete unless accompanied by the change.
Having a bad life-style is tantamount to courting failure.
Once upon a time Kuber, the God of Wealth became very pleased with one of the devotees and so latter to his home region. Showing him his own priceless
and abundant treasures, he told the devotee, 'You have worshipped me a great deal. I am very pleased with you. You are free to take back with you as much out of the treasure as you like.' The devotee was simply
baffled. Each successive gem turned out to be brighter and more precious than the other. He could not decide which one to take with him and wasted nearly an hour in confusion. Meanwhile there came the guard of the
treasure and asked him to quit since the time was out. The devotee protested. 'You have turned me out even though I have not been able to select anything to carry with me.' The guard said,' You are foolish like all
the others who entered from one door and walked out empty handed from another.'
There is a lesson in the anecdote. We may get entry to Kuber’s treasure house, but we will not be able to get anything out of it without changing our
lifestyle.
All these methods of training in non-violence should be used. Rising above and going beyond mere discussion and reading of theoretical literature on
the subject, if one makes the above principles an integral part of his nature, it will presage a new dawn in the history of non-violence, for then, it will cease to be a mere verbal artifact and become our
enduring and irreversible character.
top
|
