The first Yama is All you Need
Ahimsa is a mustard seed.
Yoga Sutras are a compilation by Patanjali of ancient Sanskrit texts on Yoga. Part of the second book addresses Ashtanga yoga, the royal path, the eight-limb path, to self-realization.
The first limb is Yamas. Binding.
There are five Yamas - just like there are five Niyamas, which make up the second Limb.
The first Yama is Ahimsa.
A-Himsa
A: not, without, opposite of
Himsa: injury
Ahimsa: Non-harming.
It is not Non-violence. Violence has an embedded notion that you are doing something that violates or trespasses.
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It is Non-Harming. Injury is not always caused by violence. Non-harming assumes knowledge of what would be a cause of harm. For every living being around you, you have to know what is harmful to them; and these beings might be extremely different from you. Just like Jesus defined ‘your neighbors’ as people who might be completely different and unrelated to you. And He wants you to love them, with the same strength as you love God. “There is no commandments greater than these”, Mark 12:31.
This is a case where the Golden Rule is not enough. You cannot assume that if something does not hurt you, yourself, then it is a guarantee that it will not hurt other beings.
Some people like to include the self in the scope of Ahimsa, as in: Do not hurt your own Self. That is correct and valuable. You shall not hurt yourself, physically or mentally. You owe it to yourself to talk nicely to the person in the mirror. In the end, when one realizes that we are all vehicles of God, made in His image, denigrating oneself borders on blasphemy. In the end, others are also vehicles of God, and the question of Ahimsa might become irrelevant. But for now, it is.
Ahimsa does apply to all, ourselves and others. All humans, animals, plants, the environment.
As surely as careless acting will end up hurting other beings, Ahimsa implies care. And paying attention. By paying attention and caring, one breaks the mold of individuality. One starts acting with empathy, which connects people’s energies and ensures that we witness both the humanity and godliness in others.
Ahimsa does not mean that you have to take care of other beings as in: do things for them. Sometimes, smiley eyes suffice to dissipate harm. It is not Karma yoga, demanding that you devote your life to helping others. What it demands from you is to care and pay attention to all. It demands from you to be aware and act with purpose.
“To be alive is to be on fire with purpose” — Paramhansa Yogananda.
At the same time, shifting your focus from your own designs to a commitment to non-harming clears out the ego and makes room for spontaneous transformation.
Swami Rama wrote “Careful cultivation of Ahimsa leads one to a spontaneous and all-encompassing love”.
All-encompassing love is all there is.
Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. John 4:16
Ahimsa is a mustard seed.
