A Hindu View of Nonviolence
1. Summarize the central themes, theses, issues, or arguments of the reading assignment.
In the chapter Ahimsa and the Unity of All Things: A Hindu View of Nonviolence, the authors Shastri & Shastri (2000) discussed the concept of ahimsa in the Hindu context where ahimsa is taken to mean nonviolence, although its true meaning is really more widely encompassing as it is an ethical, religious, and philosophical concept that connotes a number of relevant things. For simplicity, ahimsa can be described as the opposite of any act that may be akin to violence. They noted, however, that Hindi teachings do allow for the violation of ahimsa, as in the case of warfare, if the act of violence will result in peace or for any justifiable reason such as the disciplining of a child.
The authors further argued that, although Hindu highly glorifies nonviolence not only towards human beings but also towards animals, many Hindi practices still fail to conform to this principle, examples of which include the sacrificing of animals in rituals, the cutting of plants and trees, and the poisoning of the land.
2. Summarize at least four key points made by the authors. In the case of multiple authors, indicate which author you are referring to for each point.
One key point made by the authors was that ahimsa didn’t refer only to non-
killing and non-hurting but that it also referred to giving up the concept of self-centeredness, selfishness, separateness, and otherness and instead advocated for the identification of oneself with all other beings. With ahimsa being a doctrine of equality, friendship, and love among all living things, they pointed out that ahimsa should be understood as the mental attitude that we develop towards others.
A third point that the authors made was that the unity of mankind would be necessary for the maintenance of peace and harmony in the society and in the universe. In the same regard, a fourth point was that the root cause of violence and hatred would be the sense of separateness or dualness among humans.
3. Raise at least two or more questions, critical or informational, related to the reading.
Since ahimsa advocates for vegetarianism due to the concept that animals and all
living things must be treated equally and must not be hurt, I wonder why they think it’s okay to eat vegetables. Don’t vegetables also qualify as living things? What makes them different from the animals?
Also, as Gandhi said, unless war is abolished then there can be no hope for the future of the human race. However, if even concepts and beliefs such as ahimsa tolerate and permit some forms of violence or war then how can war be completely abolished?
4. In a paragraph, characterize your critical reflections on the ideas presented in this reading assignment.
This reading made me realize how lucky we are to have had ancestors – from
different cultures – who were able to leave us with wisdom and principles such as the ahimsa, which we now use to guide us in our daily lives and in the way we conduct ourselves. However, it is sad that the same technological advancements that help us improve our way of living now are also the same things that destroy the value of these great teachings that our forefathers left us.
References
Shastri, S. Y. & Shastri, Y. S. (2000). Ahimsa and the unity of all things:
A Hindu view of nonviolence. In D. L. Smith-Christopher (Ed.), Subverting hatred: The
challenge of nonviolence in religious traditions (pp. 57-75). New York: Orbis Books
