Ahimsa - Non-Violence
We live in a world where there is a war waged on terror. A choice that shows a lack of understanding of even the basic laws of nature. We reap what we sow. We live in a time where some parts of the world live in peace and some are ravaged by violence beyond comprehension. However, from the point of expanding consciousness, looking at the outside appearances is of little help or consequence. The war that we see in this world is but a reflection of the inner condition of dis-ease that humanity carries.
The clearer we are about our inner state of being the more obvious it becomes that there is indeed a battle going on the inside as well. One might enter places inside where the ego's resistance becomes visible as its "peace" is disturbed by expanding consciousness. The lies and compromises of the ego are suddenly on display to an awakening awareness. One can see the root of all violence as it is rooted in our own consciousness. With growing understanding and awareness of how our thoughts create the world around us we can acknowledge the fact that the inner judgement is what causes all of the outer conflicts. There is no Non-violence for those who have not conquered the shadow that lies within.
In the beginning most people enjoy the obvious benefits of Ascension . And as their level of commitment and desire for higher states of consciousness awakens so does the resistance awaken on the inside. For some more dramatically than for others. Nevertheless this is often where the aspiring student becomes discouraged and leaves the path thinking that there is something wrong because it does not always feel very good or comfortable. Realizing even intellectually that in the process of Ascending we release the old judgements and shadows may be helpful. So that we can accept the fact that there is resistance, much like in a battle, within ourselves. A part that says No! to growth. It does take courage and discipline to face this inner conflict. Mastering this inner conflict is mastering Ahimsa.
In my own path of Ascending there have been times that I can only describe as battles. Times when inside of me were to very distinctly different sides creating to very different worlds. And the question was, what am I choosing for? which side do I give more of my attention? In an instant of choice I could experience each side. In the beginning I didn't know who was who, only that there was a chaotic force of a battle raging inside. In time the different qualities of the two sides have become more and more apparent. And the choice has become more and more important. As long as the ego has some reign there will be a potential for a battle. And once the battle is won the true reality can unfold unhindered. But before that vigilance is the way to freedom. Discipline and commitment to Ascension are the means to reach the one goal that has any meaning, enlightenment.
Nataraja Ishaya
Friendliness
Friendliness to everyone everywhere at all times brings about personal invincibility, for there can be no enemy born to those who always love. There is a story from ancient India about Sukra, the God of Love. Sukra alone has never been defeated in battle, for whenever an enemy rushes at him to harm him, he simply loves his attacker so much that his enemy puts down his weapons. Nothing can withstand the power of love. This is why Patanjali mentions friendliness, for friendliness is love, and therefore is the most important of the good emotions.
Compassion does not mean “suffering with,” as has often been felt in the world. True compassion raises the consciousness of those who are less evolved. Thus compassion is that emotion which connects humanity vertically together, for there will always be those who are less conscious and those who are more conscious than oneself. Therefore compassion for the lesser evolved and compassion from the more evolved ties the entire human race together in one endless tapestry of forgiveness, atonement and progress.
Friendliness radiates horizontally outward to equals; compassion radiates downward and outward to those less evolved; joyfulness radiates upward. The natural movement of joy upward connects the individual to the higher powers of nature and the more evolved humans throughout creation. This naturally leads to their blessings upon us.
These are the natural directions of these three emotions, but indifference has no natural direction, nor is it ever practiced through samyamah, as it relates only to the world of illusions, to that which is not real. As the individual becomes more firmly and clearly established in the Self, it becomes increasingly evident that compassion is the only appropriate emotion for those who are caught by the boundaries of ignorance.
When these three are mastered, there is no longer room for weakness of any kind. Nor is there any longer room for any untoward results of returning action, for all of creation is united with one in love, compassion and joy. What, then, could harm one? There is nothing left, anywhere, at any time. These three are thus the doorway to freedom, immortality, and all success in life.
MSI, Enlightenment!
The Two Basic Laws of the Universe
These two, ahimsa and satya, are the two most basic laws in the Universe. Ahimsa, non-violence, is an expression of pure love, the ananda quality of the Ascendant. Satya is an expression of Truth, the Sat value of the Ascendant. By dedicating life to these two, the consciousness (Chit) is filled with Truth and Love, bringing all the three elements to completion. Sat-chit-ananda is one of the most ancient definitions of the Ascendant; this sutra recognizes the absolutely basic nature of Non-violence and Truthfulness and thereby demonstrates how consciousness is structured in complete accord with Natural Law.
If anything still upsets you, non-violence is not yet perfected in you. This sutra does not suggest that the path to enlightenment is to make a mood of non-violence or any of the other four observances. It does not suggest pretending to be peaceful if you are enraged inside. Such attempts only end in greater stress to the nervous system and dramatically slow down the growth of consciousness. Nor does this sutra mean that the enlightened necessarily exhibit what the Waking State defines as non-violence or any other of the observances. The fact is, it is perfectly possible to kill and yet to have perfected non-violence. Ahimsa is entirely based on the level of consciousness inside, not at all on the external behavior.
From reversing back onto the Self and holding onto the thought of non-violence in the Ascendant, all violence is abandoned in your presence. This includes your own violence -- there is no room in any human mind for more than one thing at a time. It also includes everyone else’s violence -- if there is no functioning violence in you, it is impossible for any person or creature to feel violent toward you.
Being fully established in non-violence means that we never contribute to contradictory motions of the gunas -- from our side, we move in harmony with the perfect operation of the fundamental forces of Nature, the gunas, which means that all of life flows forward, united with the Divine Plan.
MSI, Enlightenment!
The Way of Non-Violence
Ahimsa is soul-force and the soul is imperishable, changeless and eternal. The atom bomb is the acme of physical force and, as such subject to the law of dissipation, decay and death that governs the physical universe. Our scriptures bares witness that when soul-force is fully awakened in us, it becomes irresistible. But the test and condition of full awakening is that it must permeate every pore of our being and emanate with every breath that we breathe.
But no institution can be made non-violent by compulsion. Non-violence and truth cannot be written into constitution. They have to be adopted of one's own free will. They must sit naturally upon us like next-to-skin garments or else they become a contradiction in terms.
Mahatma Gandhi
The Still Lake
The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently…Well-being of mind is like a mountain lake without ripples. When the lake has no ripples, everything in the lake can be seen. When the water is all churned up, nothing can be seen. The still lake without ripples is an image of our minds at ease, so full of unlimited friendliness for all the junk at the bottom of the lake that we don’t feel the need to churn up the waters just to avoid looking at what’s there...Not causing harm requires staying awake….At the root of all the harm we cause is ignorance.
Pema Chodron
Gandhi on Ahimsa
"With Satya (Truth) combined with Ahimsa (Non-violence)," Gandhi writes, "you can bring the world to your feet."
"If one does not practice non-violence in one's personal relationships with others one is vastly mistaken. Non-violence, like charity, must begin at home." The practice of non-violence is by no means a simple matter, and Gandhi never intimated that it was. As a discipline, a "code of conduct," true nonviolence demands endless vigilance over one's entire way of life, because it includes words and thought as well as actions.
Ahimsa is not meek. This is a common misconception. Ahimsa faces the opponent with kindness and sympathy but with the sure determination that whatever the opposition, it will hold its ground. Unlike violence, ahimsa is subtle and pervasive, so that we are not likely to be aware of its work. Its subtlety does not diminish its efficacy; on the contrary, it makes it more difficult to oppose.
"Non-violence is like radium in its action. An infinitesimal quantity of it embedded in a malignant growth acts continuously, silently, and ceaselessly till it has transformed the whole mass of the diseased tissue into a healthy one. Similarly, even a little of true non-violence acts in a silent, subtle, unseen way and leavens the whole society."
Eknath Easwaran, Gandhi the Man
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