Acharya Tulsi
The conflict between violence and non-violence is not new. The way history of violence is quite old so also the history of non-violence is no less old. The same person carries the ideals of both violence and non-violence. The mind is so much conditioned in violence that the traits of non-violence turn dull. When the traits of non-violence remain active then the traits of violence become silent. The traits of non- violence lie within a human being, in as much the same way the traits of non-violence also lay inside him. When the traits of violence get triggered then the person tums violent. When a person is influenced by non-violence and is backed by the incessant flow of it then he remains equally compassionate to all. Why does a person tum violent or non-violent? To reveal this fact one needs to delve deeper into his psychology or the waves of violence or non-violence that flow in his brain must be analysed and understood properly.
The Three Steps of Renouncing Violence If violence is indispensable in life then non-violence is also indispensable for leading a pious life. A person aspiring to lead a pious life can never indulge in non-violence. He cannot indulge in violent acts that are indispensable to run life; He believes in non- violent code of conduct in life and strives hard to materialize his ideals into act. In the first step of his effort he renounces Sankalpja violence, in his second step he avoids Virodhja violence and in the third step he is able to set himself free from Arambhja violence.
From the view of Non-violence even Arambhja and Virodhja violence are not spared but at the same time, a person who is tied up with his family, society and nation cannot avoid violence fully. Those who are deluded with the responsibilities of family, society and nation who have to serve these responsibilities and who earn their living to sustain surely become associated with violence in some way or the other. Parigrah (accumulation) and violence’s are the same problems which are assigned two different names. If the problem is not dealt with from both the aspects then it becomes impossible to get rid of violence. To get freedom from violence one has to stop accumulating. A person who lives with obligation must also try to save oneself from Sankalpja violence. This is the blue print of a non-violent way of life, the edifice of actualizing this ideal. Stepping over this platform one may save oneself from unnecessary violence and innocent violence.
Reign of Fearlessness
The origin of violence lies in lack of tolerance. It is of the mind, speech and body. As long as it works in the mind the behaviour is not polluted. The moment it becomes the subject of speech it destroys the feeling of harmony. Shortly after this harmony is affected all kinds of fear and insecurities are born. The fear afflicted person forgets all about the law of interdependence. He gets bewildered ' by the possibilities of attack from all directions. In a state like this he neither believes in anyone nor does he feel secure staying with someone. To mount over the horse of non-violence and make one’s position stable one need to hold the region of fearlessness or non-violence would just be an ideal that would never be materialized.
Birth of War Culture
There was a time when man was not aware of the ideals concerning war. His aspirations were limited. To full those aspirations he didn’t have to run like frenzy. Whatever he could accumulate would be enough for his subsistence livery person would be satisfied with one’s wealth. When he got discontented with his accumulation he got interested in acquiring material wealth. This fatal attraction led him develop a tendency of capturing others wealth. When he could not possess it easily he became desperate. He applied force to possess others property. The world of aspirations is vast. From consumption of food and drinks, to establish rule over the entire world, all fall within its purview.
To possess others wealth man invented weapons. In ancient days stones were used as weapon. When they were slightly developed than iron and wood were also used. Spears, shields, swords and arrows were also used in battles. All these weapons became non-significant with the advent of atomic power. The atomic power may be used for creative activities but the culture of warfare undermines creation and destruction becomes important. The two big cities of Japan— Hiroshima and Nagasaki—were fully destroyed during Second World War that became a symbol of violent consciousness.
A New Step
For the past few years the super power of the world is busy preparing for space war. What other than fear is responsible for such preparations? The treaty signed between America and Russia in disarming atomic weapons is a small step toward establishing non- violence. This step has been accepted with great enthusiasm. In the coming meetings it is expected that announcement will be made of destroying all kinds of nuclear weapons. Such an announcement and implementing it practically will be quite effective in establishing world peace.
Today the whole world is in turmoil. The soul cause of this turmoil is violence. Moving on the path of violence will neither bring peace for an individual nor for the masses. The main component of peace is non-violence. Non-violence is not merely negative. A creative phase must begin on the basis of which world peace can be established. To serve this purpose the international assembly will take a new step. This kind of possibilities is becoming available. We all hope that such a dream perceived will materialize soon.
