Jainism and Ahimsa: The Principle of Non-Violence Explained
Ahimsa is the Jain principle of non-violence, a commitment to avoid harming any living being in thought, speech and action, and it shapes Jain ethics and daily life.
Ahimsa is the Jain principle of non-violence: a commitment to avoid harming any living being in thought, speech and action. It is the first of the five great vows taken by Jain monks and nuns, and it shapes Jain diet, work and daily routine. Jains hold that every living being has a soul, and that harming any being binds karma to the soul and delays liberation.
What does ahimsa mean?
Ahimsa is a Sanskrit word usually translated as non-injury or non-violence. The prefix a- means "not", and himsa means harm or violence. Jain teaching applies the principle widely. Jains classify living beings by the number of senses they have, from beings with one sense, such as plants and microorganisms, up to beings with five, such as humans. Harm to beings with more senses is considered more serious.
Jains trace their teaching to a line of 24 spiritual teachers called tirthankaras. The last of them, Mahavira, is traditionally dated to the sixth century BCE, and many scholars treat him as a historical figure.
Monks and nuns take five great vows, and lay Jains take lesser vows that apply the same principles within family and work life. The lay version is more limited. Householders aim to avoid deliberate injury to living beings that move, and accept that ordinary life, such as cooking and farming, cannot avoid all harm. Monks and nuns aim to avoid harm to all life, including plants and the earth.
| Vow | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ahimsa | Non-violence toward all living beings |
| Satya | Truthfulness in speech |
| Asteya | Not taking what is not given |
| Brahmacharya | Chastity, or celibacy for ascetics |
| Aparigraha | Non-possession and non-attachment to things |
How does ahimsa shape daily life?
Many Jains are vegetarian, and traditional rules often go further. Many avoid eating root vegetables, since pulling up a root is thought to kill many small organisms. Many also avoid eating after dark, when small insects may be harder to see.
Jain monks walk barefoot and carry a soft broom to brush insects from their path, and they drink only water that has been boiled. Many lay Jains have traditionally worked in trade and commerce, and avoid occupations that involve killing animals, such as butchery and fishing. These practices vary in strictness between communities, and between lay people and ascetics.
Does ahimsa apply to thoughts?
Yes. Jain texts treat violent intention as a form of harm, even when no action follows. Jainism also teaches anekantavada, the doctrine that reality has many aspects and no single statement captures all of it. Jain thinkers link this humility about truth to non-violence in argument. Ahimsa also governs speech, since harsh or false words can injure, which ties it to the vow of truthfulness.
Western ethics offers useful comparisons. Utilitarianism and deontology are often set beside ahimsa, but the comparison is loose. Jain ethics rests on the soul and karma rather than on outcomes or duties alone. Choices like those in the trolley problem look different when harm is judged by intention as well as consequence.
Are there different Jain traditions?
Yes. Jainism has two main branches, the Digambara and the Svetambara. They differ on some monastic practices, most notably whether ascetics go without clothing, and on which scriptures they accept as authoritative. Both share ahimsa as the core of their ethics.
How has ahimsa influenced the wider world?
Mahatma Gandhi credited Jain thinking, especially the writings and conversation of the Jain thinker Shrimad Rajchandra, with shaping his commitment to ahimsa. Gandhi also drew on Hindu and Christian sources, so the principle has several roots in his thought. He turned it into a method of nonviolent resistance, satyagraha, in the campaign for India's independence from Britain. Jain communities have also supported animal shelters called pinjrapoles, which care for old and injured animals.
Jains today number a few million people, most of them in India, with communities across the world. Ahimsa has also informed animal welfare and vegetarian movements in India and elsewhere, although the links between Jain thought and those movements vary from case to case.
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ahimsa buddhism ethics jainism moral philosophy