Ahimsa Essay

Ahimsa is a belief that is strongly practiced by the followers of Buddhism, Hinduism, or Jain Tradition. It is simply the principle of nonviolence towards all living things due to the belief that all living things have a soul. At first glance this seems like an easy principle to follow, that is, until you look deeper into it. The simple definition of Ahimsa mentions nonviolence towards all living things; this includes animals and bugs both directly and indirectly. When practicing Ahimsa you are not allowed to eat meat, because an animal was killed for that meat, you are not allowed to swat at a bug, because then you are harming a living thing, you must even watch where you walk so you don’t step on any bug. Incorporating this belief into everyday life looks as if it would be a challenge and indeed it was when I practiced it for 2 days. During this time I realized that practicing Ahimsa was quite a pleasing experience, but one that took dedication, time, and effort Usually when I see a bug I instinctively kill it in horror because it takes too much time to catch and let go. Now that my whole perspective has been changed, things were different the next time that I met face to face with a bug. Every morning I take a shower to wake my self up. Well the next morning when I opened the shower curtain there happened to be a massive roach crawling around. Before the practicing of Ahimsa, I would have killed the roach, but now I had thought of my new practice and gently shooed it into a jar. I then set it outside where it should be. After setting the bug free, I surprisingly felt very gratified. All it took was a little effort and a little nerve and the ending result was great. If I just put forth the energy, for Ahimsa I can really make a difference in my life and in other’s lives as well. It may have been a little different than what I’m used to doing, but it definitely wasn’t impossible. Practicing Ahimsa seems like a terrific way to find your inner peace, but