Hinduism Essay
Today’s world is an improvement from that of the past; however, the one aspect lacking is peace. Without peace, the world is an aggressive place where people have little or no respect for one another. The solution to this is the practice of nonviolence. Through this practice, society will have the ability to learn the importance of peacefulness and the value of their peers. As a result, society should learn the value of Ahimsa through the actions of Thich Nhat Hanh to understand its significance in today’s world.
Ahimsa is a concept, which many consider important to the Hindu religion. The idea of ahimsa is to refrain from violence. Hindus perform this act “not only to humankind but also to the animal world,” (Brown, 25). The cow, for example, holds a place of holiness and inviolability; therefore, it receives special protection. The idea of ahimsa eliminates abuse and simple hurt and replaces it with compassion towards all living creatures. According to Hindus, all living creatures have a destiny in which they must fulfill. Killing a living creature interferes with its destiny and spiritual progression. Hindus believe “the act of killing is therefore a bad karma with unhappy consequences for those who indulge it,” (V, 2). Hindus believe the act of killing accompanies terrible consequences. They believe killing another living creature will bring them bad karma. This encourages the concept of nonviolence in the Hindu religion. Consequently, the ethical notion of ahimsa is beneficial to society as it expresses both compassionate behaviour and good karma.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a terrific Buddhist who strongly values the idea of ahimsa. He has used it throughout many parts of his life. Thich Nhat Hanh supports a movement recognized as engaged Buddhism, which united traditional meditation with civil disobedience. Furthermore, he founded peace magazine, and encouraged world leaders to use nonviolence as a tool to