A Season for Ahimsa
A Time for Kindness
Ahimsa is often defined as to not inflict pain or harm toward any person or living being in thought, word, or action. In this quest for non-violence, there exists a feeling of compassion for all. Although there are some differences in the application of Ahimsa between Anandamurti and Gandhi, on this definition they seem fairly consistent.
During this 60-day period (from January 30-April 4) every year, many yoga studios honor their commitment to Ahimsa. Yoga students set some time aside to take personal action towards re-creating themselves and their communities, to personally reflect on ‘how to become the change that we want to see in the world’. This ‘Season’ commemorates the lives of 2 dharmic individuals.
The January 30th date reflects the birthdate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., an American civil rights activist, who led hundreds of thousands of people on marches throughout the US, advocating for civil and economic equity for African American and economically challenged individuals. He was an advocate of nonviolent dissention.
The April 4th date marks the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, another world renown civil rights leader, who propounded the philosophy of nonviolence, especially during times of conflict. He also led marches of hundreds of thousands of individuals in India. Gandhi was a lawyer who fought for the independence of India. Both leaders spent numerous times in jail protesting civil rights, suffered assassination, and were embraced as spiritual leaders.
The Season for Nonviolence organization encourages others to actively pursue a path to world peace, starting with ourselves. On this dharmic journey, individuals embrace the social construct that spiritual aspirants have a diverse list of choices when it comes to behavioral choices to various situations. We can let negative or defective thoughts rule us or we can replace them with more positive options. We tend to become that which we focus our attention on.
Many of the Ananda Marga yoga practices include an ideational and/or devotional focus while performing them as a support in this effort to purify and maintain mental well-being. Every practice is geared toward the maintenance of mental and heartfelt equipoise. And yet, there are those times when psychic imbalances hold us hostage. Each spiritual aspirant must remain aware of their particular weaknesses of mind and be vigilant in fighting these obstacles.
Anandamurti once said:
“When in battle, one should take the help of an opposite thought.” When one is entertaining thoughts of jealousy or other judgmental thoughts of self or of others, these are harmful whether one acts on them or not. Instead of veering to embrace the negative, he would recommend that one consider: “That person is my friend. He/she is making progress. This is a matter of joy and positivity”. Marianne Williamson encourages us to not falter on this path of preserving positive equanimity of mind. “It is time that we become as sophisticated at waging peace as we have become at waging war.”
Anandamurti expanded on the psychic-physical causes of anger as not merely the outpouring of intense negative emotion, but as a behavior that can result in the failure to adequately control one’s body, specifically nerve fibers. In addition, vibrations are created in the mind that can affect nerve cells and paralyze proper thinking. Anger affects the blood flow and consequently the heart function may be compromised. If the behavior continues, it can result in death. As one can imagine, any attempts to meditate may be difficult. Anger exists not just as an occasional recurring emotion, but as a vrtti tendency or emotional expression embedded in the subtle layer of our being. If one does not develop a dynamic strategy for mitigation of this propensity, it is a formidable enemy to spiritual progress.
Many progressive techniques are offered by Anandamurti for defending oneself
against the advancement of anger or other psycho-physical (emotional) imbalances. Some mental strategies are:
· If people do good deeds in their environment, good thoughts will occur in their minds whenever they rest. Conversely, those who always harm others, will think about doing more harm or committing more crimes in their leisure time. So, the first and foremost method for keeping the mind pure is to engage oneself in virtuous deeds. …That is, do virtuous deeds night and day.
· Whenever there is a desire to do any good deed, do it immediately…and in case of bad deeds, kill time as much as you can.
· Do not despise even the most fallen, the most sinful, and the most wretched. You will degenerate mentally and spiritually if you hate anyone.
He goes on to say: These are all psychic diseases or weaknesses of the mind…Devotees must start fighting these obstacles. They must take a vow of “do or die” because this psychic imbalance should not continue for long.
The Season for Nonviolence organization offers their particular timeline for personal reflection and social dynamism toward making peace with ourselves and others. They offer daily
practice as a sort of Ahimsa Challenge or Ahimsa-in-action (for 60 days). Some examples of a daily reflective and actional practice follow. These are from the SFNV website and other sources. With the spirit of Ahimsa, some are ideally practiced every day.
Courage, Understanding Others
I will work to understand another.
I appreciate the people who give me challenges in life.
Today, I identify something special in every person I meet.
I embrace differences.
I will forgive someone and let them know.
I will smile to someone today who annoys me.
Injustice
I oppose injustice, not people.
I will relieve the suffering of others.
Friendship, Empathy, Connection
I refrain from using disrespectful language.
I will talk less and listen more.
Today I will focus on what I appreciate most about a person I don’t care for.
I will tell at least one person that they are special and important.
Today, I will apologize to someone I have hurt in the past and think of one thing I can do to
set things right.
Today, I take time to tell family and friends how much they mean to me.
Connecting with Others
I appreciate the value of every being.
I will listen to someone with an open heart.
Today I will choose to not participate in a conversation that is disrespectful.
I will forgive someone today.
I choose to be aware of what I talk about. I refuse to gossip. My words shall reflect peace.
I express my feelings without blaming or criticizing others.
Today I will listen to the feeling behind someone’s words.
I will acknowledge a mistake that I have made and what I have learned.
I will look for a win-win solution for everyone involved in a conversation today.
I will speak up, but not enter into the spirit of argument.
I will be open, today, to understanding ideas and people I have previously excluded.
I will find a way that I can be more cooperative with the people in my household and
community.
Today, I will open a door for someone and spontaneously offer a helping hand to someone.
Understanding Self
Today, I will forgive myself.
I am compassionate in my thoughts, words, and actions.
I will meditate twice today for at least 20 minutes.
Today, I celebrate my life and all its blessings.
I will learn from at least one mistake
Today, I notice the peacefulness around me.
I admit when I am wrong.
I affirm my value with positive self-talk and refuse to put myself down.
I speak from the heart.
I will refrain from judging myself today, practice self-forgiveness, and what I am learning.
Handling Emotions
I find constructive ways to channel my anger, like helping others or picking up trash.
I will laugh at myself.
Today, I will smile, have fun, and laugh.
I am a peacemaker, giving nonviolent responses.
I will just walk away from a ‘violent’ conversation.
Nature and the Environment
I will not use a product that has been tested on animals or contains animals.
I will take a walk and appreciate nature today.
I will give away something I am no longer using.
I will live simply so that others may simply live.
I recycle to reduce waste, to conserve energy and water.
I will water a house plant today.
Today I will buy a recycled product.
I will pick up trash in my community today.
I will do something kind for a tree in my neighborhood today, like a hug, giving it more water.
I will read a poem or sing to a flower, animal, or bird.
I will leave acceptable food for an animal in my city today.
Today I will help an animal in some way.
I will gently remove obstacles from a sidewalk.
I speak from the heart to nature, animals, trees, birds, fish, insects, and will not even destroy inanimate rocks or other ‘inanimate’ objects without good reason.
Ahimsa or benevolence is the most popular of all the elements of Yama and Niyama. Someone once shared with me that they felt that Ahimsa actually seems to encompass all of the Yama and Niyamas with all the other aspects defining our various strategies regarding the expansiveness of living in Ahimsa and what that truly means.
All meditation and yoga teachers, teachers of adults or children can easily at set aside some time during their teaching to have the very own ‘Season of Benevolence’ or ‘Time for Kindness’, issuing their own Ahimsa Challenge with students to provide an opportunity to actively engage collectively in the manner of our choosing with those dharmic principles that we all hold near and dear. In our goal to create a beloved community and to promote peace, we need to become peaceful ourselves. Ahimsa and the expression of benevolence is a wish for the well-being and highest good of all. Spiritual practices help us progress in that search for personal balance, and to live more in harmony with self, with the world, with the Divinity.
‘Let us begin, for we have many miles to go, and many torches still to light.’
~ Kofi Annan
Let the peace begin.
MahaJyoti
Season for Nonviolence: gandhiinstitute.org/season-for-nonviolence/