Training In Nonviolence - Theory & Practice: Origin of Violence

Is it possible to train people in nonviolence? The question is neither unnatural nor irrelevant. It is a certain disposition of the mind, which results in Ahimsa or nonviolence. The former can be the subject of training: not the latter. The same logic will apply to violence. A disposition can be got rid of as well as transformed. Its outcome can neither be removed nor transformed.

Origin of Violence

Man by instinct is given to acquisition and accumulation. It is here that violence is born. Transforming this instinct is the best means of bringing about nonviolence. Training in nonviolence lies solely in making efforts to rouse the awareness of non-acquisitiveness.

We cannot even think of training in nonviolence without a thorough discussion of and reflection on concepts like individual ownership, collective ownership, state ownership, cooperative ownership, centralized or decentralized economy. The tremendous attraction held out by individual ownership has been responsible for the success of the above system for economic development. Both collective and state ownership have beaten a retreat, as this is evident from the development of the past ten years. Cooperative ownership has fared no better, either. The reason is not far to seek. The instinct for ownership is at its strongest only at the level of the individual. In all other cases it gets enfeebled. This means there is a direct relation between acquisition and violence. The instinct for ownership leads to acquisition, which in turn breeds violence.

Training in Nonviolence: The Beginning

The solution to the problem of violence lies in answering the question: where does one begin for training people in nonviolence? The first step to nonviolence is fearlessness. Even a thousand repetitions of the Mantra, “Do not fear” will not rid an individual of fear so long as he is attracted by the body and infatuated by wealth and material objects. How can one achieve the aim by nursing the cause of fear in the mind and repeating the lesson of fearlessness orally? In what way can one block the flow of fear or about its rise? A proper and practical understanding of these issues is vital. Then only can fearlessness become the first stage of training in nonviolence.

Seed of Nonviolence

Proprietorship, accumulation and fear are interrelated. It is not easily possible to get rid of them. However, they can be cleansed, refined and disciplined. Therein lies the seed of nonviolence. The search for the means of refinements is difficult. Short-lived discipline or refinement is easy; making it lasting is very difficult. But, though difficult, it is not impossible.

First Practical Step

The course violence takes is from affection to thought and from thought to action. Therefore, the first step on the road to training in nonviolence is sublimation and refinement of affections. The mind has to be trained to ensure that only positive, and no negative, affections are generated.

Formula for Physical Training

It comprises Yogic Postures (asans) and rhythmic control or breath (pranayam): Padmasana (Lotus Posture), Shashankasana (Moon Posture), Yogmudra (Sealing Posture), Vajrasana (Thunderbolt Posture), Sarvangasan (All Limbs Posture), Matsyasana (Fish Posture), Godhikasana (Posture adopted while milking a cow) etc. affect the nervous and the endocrine systems. They weaken the physical factors responsible for violence. Anuloma-Viloma^[1] Chandrabhed^[2] Narhihshodhan. Ujjayi,Shitali (Pranayam that cools the system) and similar Pranayam purge the body of the causative factors of violence.

Formula for Mental Training

The formula for mental training is meditation. Kayotsarga (total relaxation), Deerghashvas Preksha (Perception of Deep Breathing or Diaphragmatic Breathing), Samvrittic Shvas Preksha (Perception of Exhalation and Inhalation alternatively through Right and Left Nostrils) and similar meditational practices contribute to the development of concentration. Violence increases directly in proportion to the degree of distraction. So the less the distraction is there, the less the violence.

Formula for Affecting Training

More important than physical and mental training is the training of affects. The formula for practising it consists in meditation on the Chaitanya Kendra (Psychic Centres). Contemplative practices are useful for all the three types of training - physical, mental and effective.

Base and the Field of Application

What has been expounded above is a method of individual training. In fact training in nonviolence is given only at the level of the individual. Its application, of course, takes place at the level of society. It is, therefore, not inappropriate to say that the above training has the individual as its base and society as its field of application. The same holds good of violence. Accordingly, the most important way of bringing about a nonviolent society is making individuals nonviolent and all training should be directed at this end.

Family Life and Nonviolence

Society implies interrelatedness of and interaction among individuals. Humane relationships and rectitude in behaviour constitute training in nonviolence. Its beginnings are best made in the family. It is not proper to view violence as being limited to wars and terrorist activities. Wars take place only sometimes and in some places, whereas violence manifests itself within the family almost daily. It erodes mental peace, which in turn contributes to the spread of violence on a wide scale. Peaceful coexistence within the family is an important guarantee of the success of training in nonviolence. Intolerance, lack of self-control and over-reaching ambition poison the peace and happiness of a family. A curb on them and practice in avoiding them will automatically rid the family of the prevalence of violence.

Nonviolence in the family means Training in Anekant (non-absolutistic view)

In order to develop nonviolence within the family, one major requirement, is the spirit of reconciliation. It is possible to reconcile diverse thoughts and tastes. To achieve it, training in anekant can be extremely useful, for anekant admits of autonomy only in a relative sense. It accepts coexistence only to the extent that such acceptance does not condone injustice. It approves of quality without disregarding unequal degrees of competence. The pillars of peace should be strong enough to withstand the strains of diversity. Training in anekant gives due place to diversity, so long as it is not at the cost of unity. Making people aware of this coexistent duality, diversity and unity, will be an important step towards building a nonviolent society.

Causative Factors of Violence in Society

There are innumerable social factors, some of them having come down to us since a long time past, that cause violence in society - caste prejudices, racism, apartheid, regionalism and mass poverty, to name but a few. Time and again they result in social conflagrations.

Racism and discrimination based on colour can be best tackled by inculcating all the people with the spirit of common humanity. However, the problem of poverty is a bit complex. One aspect of the problem lies in the disparity between an inadequate supply of consumer goods and an ever-increasing number of consumers. The problem gets compounded for want of a proper and just sense of sharing. A high premium is placed on individual comfort and acquisition, while the desire to share things equally and justly is at a heavy discount.

The Basic Unity of Mankind

The basic unity of all the people of the world should not be disregarded while considering the usefulness of the territorial integrity and independence of each nation. The instincts of self-aggrandizement and over ambition prove subversive of world unity. Of course, man has not yet developed enough to be able to practise equity and justice in his treatment of others. This keeps the regional and geographical divides in the world alive. Extirpation of geographical boundaries is not a prerequisite to the creation of a nonviolent society. But it is imperative that these boundaries are not allowed to snap the tender threads of humanity.