Ahimsa

Ahimsa (also ahiṃsā, ahinsa, Sanskrit:अहिम्स) is a Sanskrit word which means "non-violence” or "non-injury". The practice of ahimsa is an important aspect of religions like Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. A person who practices ahimsa generally eats vegetarian foods. A religious person who practices ahimsa does not take part in animal sacrifice.

The hand with a wheel on the palm is a symbol for Ahimsa. The word in the middle is "ahimsa"

In twentieth century, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Martin Luther King each followed a path of Ahimsa, though in different ways. They struggled without fighting, while asking for the rights of their followers.

Buddhism

The concept of ahiṃsā forms the base of Buddhism. In Buddhism, the first of the five basic vows (precepts) that are undertaken voluntarily by those who practice, is "I undertake the training rule to abstain from killing". In Buddhism, killing any living being out of passion is considered 'hiṃsā' (injury) and abstaining from such act is 'ahiṃsā' (non-injury or nonviolence).

Citations

• Vijay K. Jain (Ed.), Foreword by Acharya Vidyanand Muniraj (2012). Acharya Amritchandra's Purushartha Siddhyupaya: Realization of the Pure Self, With Hindi and English Translation. Vikalp Printers. ISBN 978-81-903639-4-5.