Ahimsa today
In today’s society it can seem that we’re constantly being encouraged to forge a path of radical self expression, individualism and to become our ‘true’ selves. We’re observing ourselves constantly through the filtered lens of social media, personalising our belongings and engaging in all sorts of activities that are tailored to our needs. But perhaps the more we seek to carve out a lifestyle that represents ‘me’, the greater the risk of becoming dualistic in the way we see our experience as human beings. Are we seeing ourselves as different and separate from others, perhaps even better than others, or more deserving of what we consider we have ‘earned’.
Ahimsa, non-harming, like all of the Yamas, is from a code of conduct, or set of rules, on how we should interact with everything around us. Rules and restraints aren’t appealing for everyone, especially in a world where we’re encouraged to succeed by accumulating material wealth and symbols that represent status at any cost. Even in a world of ‘woke’ yogis, Ahimsa runs the risk of being overlooked or having its true purpose adjusted to suit the needs of whoever is interpreting it. Talk of ‘Ahimsa for the self’ seems common among some today, it can be used to justify doing some harm if it means temporary happiness for the individual self. But when this happens suffering to the whole, the universe, increases; even when we look away.
If we wish to truly nourish ourselves and set out on a path toward liberation from suffering, the more deeply we can understand and abide by the Yamas, the better. None of us exist in isolation. Our interdependent relationship with everything in the world around us can be used as a powerful motivation to encourage us to think, speak and act in ways which will bring greater harmony to the world. Every action leads to a chain of reactions and when we can begin to look further down the chain we may come to understand that none of our small acts of kindness are wasted, even if it feels like we’re being stingy or repressing our desires when we want something that we know may cause harm to others. We will also see that even small negative actions may have been born out of a chain of suffering or are perpetuating it.
Nonviolence does not mean that we become passive or indifferent to the problems that we see in the world. We can be fully aware and fully engaged, in fact in order to truly live in alignment with Ahimsa we must become fully mindful of the consequences of everything we choose to do. We must behave in ways that do not only benefit ourselves in any given moment. We become compassionate and understanding in order to contribute positively to the world around us and reduce suffering. Until we begin to respect and help reduce the suffering of others we cannot hope to become truly loving and kind and to contribute to their happiness.
What can we do today? We can work on opening our minds to see beyond the labels that we use to make sense of the world around us, ‘self’, ‘other’, ‘them’, ‘us, ‘English’, ‘French’, ‘male’, ‘female’, ‘gay’, ‘straight’, ‘dog’, ‘cow’. We can expand our viewpoints, considering those of others and being open to these. We can seek to recognise the root cause of suffering and identify actions we might take to alleviate it.
We must play our part in the society of the universe and play it well in order to create an environment in which all can be happy and free. Being serious about the rules or Yamas doesn’t mean we need to stop having fun, it just means we start being less harmful. The sooner we become less harmful and more disciplined the less likely we are to perpetuate violence and harm already taking place in the world.
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Santosha - 'renounce and enjoy'
When Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, aka Mahatma Gandhi, was asked if he could sum up the secret of his life in three words, he quoted from the Isha Upanishad, ‘Tena tyaktena bhunjithah’ - ‘Renounce and enjoy!’. If asked to do this in two words he may well have said, ‘let go’.
This simple mantra stated by Gandhi sums up ‘santosha’, the inner expression of contentment or acceptance, the second of the Niyamas.
Like all the other Yamas and Niyamas developing and embodying santosha on its own will be beneficial but there is a powerful interplay with the others. In the case of santosha, much like loving kindness or ‘maitri’, when we are able to accept without preference and be content with the experiences we face, we will be able to enjoy these for what they are and do so with a state of equanimity.
As human beings we have a tendency to allow our minds to race forward to events that we’re looking forward to, or are worried about, or back, reliving past memories, often wishing things had gone differently. Less frequently do we spend time considering how the present moment may indeed offer everything we need.
Grasping at our preferences restricts our ability to be open and unbiased, the more preferences we have the more likely we are to complain, the more we complain the greater our sense of dissatisfaction with our experience of life. Some of our habitual patterns are inherited, passed down from ancestors and society. For example - we may wake on a rainy, windy and cold day and describe the weather as horrendous, terrible or bad. Neither rain, nor wind, nor cold are bad or whatever negative word we use to describe them - it’s our preferences that create this viewpoint.
Santosha offers us an opportunity to see and experience life differently, rather than constantly being tripped up by obstacles we may begin to embrace opportunities. Opportunities that allow us to let go and to stop trying to control everything around us. When we are able to continuously let go, truly renounce, we will begin to embody santosha and the contentment, steadiness and ease it offers.
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