To love is to be non-violent

PATANJALI in his Yoga sutras has laid out an 8- fold path for enlightenment. The first step is Yama: loosely translated as discipline. This means tuning yourself to the ultimate; it is not a set of dos and don’ts. It is a set of instructions to tune yourself to your Self. Within this Yama the first step is Ahimsa. Ahimsa means non-violence with understanding; it is not a moral condition but a technique.

If you are established in non-violence, even wild animals, when they face you, will turn peaceful. You will radiate love and compassion. Patanjali says: if a man is established in non-violence, in his presence, enemies and animals will drop their animosity and radiate love.

Sankara, the great enlightened master, walked all over India on foot, village to village, begged door to door for food, and lived with the common man, to update himself on what was happening around him. This was required of him as a teacher, as a master. As he went, he learnt from various masters, universities, and temples, which are spiritual universities. He wanted to create his own university to spread his message of advaita (non-dualism), where the energy of love will speak. In a forest on a full moon night as it drizzled he saw a frog about to hatch its babies and a cobra spreading its hood to protect the frog from the rain. Frogs and cobras are born enemies; when Sankara saw this he decided to set up his university there, where animals lose their enmity, and pure oneness and love starts happening. Once you experience this love you will never be violent; non-violence, ahimsa, will happen to you.

When we are established in love nothing touches us. We do not need to defend ourselves against anything. Defending is what creates the thought of offending. All countries say that they have armies only to defend themselves. Who then is offending? The more you try to defend, the more you enter into offence. This is what Jesus meant when he said to turn the other cheek when someone slaps you. What he said is not impractical. What have we achieved by protecting ourselves, except suffering? On the other hand, if you radiate love, you will be a God on planet Earth. Can you defend yourself against death? By defending yourself you may add some years to your life; by trusting, by loving you will add life to your years. What would you like to do, add years to your life or add life to your years?