Guest guest Posted April 6, 2003 Report Share Posted April 6, 2003 Dear Friends, As you know, this is a Sangha that has as its underlying philosophy "Ahimsa". Ahimsa is a sanskrit word which means Non-violence. Mahavir, the 24th prophet of nonviolence (in Jainism) lived about 2500 years ago and was a contemporary of Buddha. Nonviolence is also the first principle in Yoga. Patanjali mentions Ahimsa and gives it a higher place then Brahmacharya. Ahimsa is not easy to practice and yet, to have this ideal before us, helps in our human evolution. Mahatma Gandhi popularized the term Ahimsa (Non-violence) in the early 20th century as he sought to free India from the British by peaceful means. Martin Luther King similarly emphasized nonviolence and used peaceful means to gain civil rights for Black Americans in the U.S. Strife, fight, conflict, and suffering are part of the human condition. We are all caught up in it at the level of our individual existence, national existence, global existence, etc. It has been like this for thousands of years on this planet. The nature of human beings (embodied souls) is part animal instinct (hate, rage, anger, envy, revenge, greed) and part divine (nonviolence, love, charity, mercy, forgiveness). Although we must experience our animal nature, that being part of our body, we need not allow it to dominate us. This is where being part of a Sangha and the conscious practice of meditation on nonviolence, forgiveness, mercy, charity comes in. We should pray that, despite all of our negative experiences and suffering, in our dying breath we should bless each other and this universe. In this Sangha, we welcome people of all faiths and religions that understand and appreciate the value of Ahimsa (nonviolence). God bless you all with all good things. Love to all Harsha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 13, 2003 Report Share Posted April 13, 2003 Harsha, What do we say to such people who say that our non-violence does not always work, and war in Saddom's case, solves a problem? Consider the man who says, "Kill me, or I will kill you all, and kill myself too." He stands with a finger over a bomb trigger. What is our right action then? Bob Tax Center - File online, calculators, forms, and more http://tax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 13, 2003 Report Share Posted April 13, 2003 Thanks for raising this point Bob. We live in a very troubled world and I pray for peace for all living beings. When I speak of the list philosophy, it only pertains to what goes on here on the discussion list and not what goes on in the world, over which we have no control. We are a spiritually oriented discussion list. This is why I ask people to stay away from politically oriented subjects as much as possible. The world of politics and world events is ever changing. We don't have any solutions to world problems and so defer to others on that topic and refer to other discussion lists where such expertise in political wisdom may exist. Throughout human history, there have been lovers of peace and peacemakers, Jesus, Buddha, Mahavir to name a few. I appreciate their message. May all living beings be free from sorrow and find peace in their hearts. God bless everyone with all good things. Love to all Harsha , Robert Lippert <rslippert> wrote: > Harsha, > > What do we say to such people who say > that our non-violence does not always work, > and war in Saddom's case, solves a problem? > > Consider the man who says, "Kill me, or I will > kill you all, and kill myself too." > He stands with a finger over a bomb trigger. > > What is our right action then? > > Bob > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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