Ahimsa as the Key to World Peace

Summary

The article by Champat Rai Jain asserts that non‑violence (ahimsa) is the one remedy for all forms of ills afflicting humanity. The author emphasises that ahimsa means not hurting or injuring and is the principal weapon of Jainism to combat evils and misfortunes. By practising ahimsa, individuals have attained divine status and all that is implied by the expression. The author explains that the doctrine is not mere theory: it has been tested countless times and never known to fail. Jainism identifies the natural antagonism between the soul and matter – the body is the prison of the soul and its bitterest enemy. The domination of the flesh causes suffering, ignorance and misery; the soul becomes terror‑struck with death. Yet the soul’s divine nature has not been destroyed but merely curtailed. The article argues that by practising ahimsa one can destroy the evil influence of the flesh and release the soul from its power; ahimsa is therefore the one weapon that can bring about consummation. The article underscores that practising ahimsa involves more than avoiding overt violence. It includes not hurting anyone by word, thought or deed and not even entertaining the desire to hurt. Non‑violence applies to all three stages of wrongdoing: intention, preparation and the actual commission. Jainism stresses that even subtle forms of violence must be renounced. The significance of ahimsa is that it releases the soul from the bondage of flesh and helps restore its lost divinity and perfection. When ahimsa is practised sincerely, it rapidly cuts the bondage of flesh and restores divinity to the soul. The article suggests that only by adopting non‑violence in daily life and in international relations can humanity achieve lasting peace; weapons and conflicts cannot destroy hatred, but compassion can.