NON-INJURY (AHIMSA IN SANSKRIT)                           AHIMSA.TXT
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       EXERTED FROM  THE BOOK, "THE WAY OF TANTRA".
       ANANDA MARGA PUBLICATIONS
       COMPLIED AND EDITED BY ACARA BHAVAMUKTANANDA AVADHUTA
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       1. Non-injury (Ahimsa) - Action performed without the intention of
       harming anyone or anything by thought, word or deed. As long as one is
       chained to the desire to harm or exploit, one's progress toward peace
       and understanding is hindered. But the dynamics of life sometimes do
       involve force. To take a very basic example, every time we breath we
       are killing thousands of micro organisms. Here the intention is not
       to harm the bacteria, but simply to breathe. In other instances, it
       might be necessary to use force to preserve human lives and liberties
       and this would be in accordance with ahimsa as the action was not
       motivated by hatred or anger.

       In the past many people have misinterpreted Ahimsa to be synonymous with
       non-violence, which involves even from refraining from defending oneself
       or others. If one is being attacked, or if others are being attacked,
       persecuted or deprived of their rights, it is our moral duty to do our
       upmost to ensure that those who would intimidate or exploit, are
       prevented from doing so. At times, it may be necessary to use force in
       this regard.

       [Editor's notes: 
       To me the above states," it is spiritually appropriate to defend one's
       self, one's loved ones and one's property, from death, injury, damage 
       and theft". 

       This misunderstood concept is fairly typical of what happens to 
       Eastern practices, knowledge, and scriptural texts that move into 
       the West from the East.
       They often become distorted as Western culture has much difficulty in
       accurately translating and interperting the ideas, concepts and
       asumptions that orginate in the East. One the reason for this is 
       that they are not presented in the intended and proper context of a 
       whole intergrated system of knowledge that is taught to a person in
       sequence as the person develops internally.
       Another reason is certain symbols have very specific meanings
       within the system of knowledge being taught and possibly only in that
       systom.




--das * on 6-2001]