Ahimsa
The practice of being careful not to arm others, which concludes every living creature, since all beings feel pain and wish to avoid it.
Ahimsa is nonviolence to all things and translates to “compassion” in Sanskrit. Things include you, me, and the fly you just swatted at. Ahinsa reflects everything from your cell phone screen to the environment. The all-encompassing gentleness and sometimes rage that guides us to the justice of life. Why a cell phone screen then? Because everything outside is a reflection of the inside of you. When we are well, things work and flow. When we are distracted and defensive, there is congestion and blocking.
Vegan breakfast in North India
We are what we eat and this isn’t just limited to food. We digest what we perceive also. Perception in sight, smell, taste, touch and sound. Certainty is one of the six basic human needs so our perception can be biased based on our past. Even if what is in front of us is epic beauty, sometimes our mind will choose to perceive only the dangers of what we have experienced before in an attempt to keep us safe. Change equals stress, no matter if it is good or bad. A defensive, unaccepting state brings himsa, meaning “to strike” in Sanskrit. If we are in the process of change, stress is experienced and even if pleasant, can be a lot to digest. It’s a conscious effort to choose peaceful thoughts at this time because peaceful thoughts create a peaceful environment. Reaction to the change out of fear will only bring disaster.
I choose to live a vegetarian, liberal vegan, lifestyle. Liberal vegan because cows in India are treated as Gods and I love chocolate. What the animal experiences during the slaughter is what is being digested along w the meat. When stressed we release hormones into the bloodstream that are basically poison. These hormones degenerate muscles and cause weakness in the body and breakouts on the skin. Animals release the same poisonous hormones. Imagine how stressful it would be to be killed. We are literally eating fear or himsa.
Our deep, primal instinct is to survive and it is the first step in our perception. After primal instinct we move into the wise mind: thinking and emotions. The wise mind is where logic and compassion are born. As the human mind continues to evolve at a rapid pace, the ancient part of our brain still holds onto the survival instinct. Mind fog is a symptom of overstimulation in the rat race of modern society. Overstimulation breeds perceived danger because it is the evolved object of danger in the form of work, news, egoic pressure, and FOMO. This is an obstacle to being present in the moment, which is all we have. The future is unknown and the past is over. Presence is the foundation of self-observation and introspection. By coming from a state of compassion, our vision is clear and the world is safe.
Forgiveness not reaction
Love not anger
Ease not struggle
One smile has the power to change someone's whole day