Acharya Tulsi
Dishonest Trait is Violence
In the context of non-violence almost every exponent of religion has contemplated over it in one’s own way but Jaina Trithankaras have thought over it in a very subtle way. They said the relation of non- violence is associated with one’s soul. To kill a living creature is violence but the limit of violence doesn’t stop here. It goes far ahead. Whether a person’s dishonest trait kills someone or not is not the question, but dishonest trait is violence in itself. A person gets angry, it is a mental violence. A person feels jealous of someone sitting somewhere, whether his feelings reach the person concerned or not but still it is regarded as violence. Negative thinking always causes violence to oneself, whether it proves violence to others or not.
Murder and Suicide
To kill someone is a sin, to commit suicide is no less a sin than it. In case of killing others the person bears the consequence of it. The family members are not held responsible for it but a person committing suicide bears the ill-consequences of it and along with that the family members also have to go through a lot of inconveniences. The intervention of law and the risk of undermining the family reputation—the family members have to bear the pain from both sides. A person committing suicide dies of his own will but just for that it cannot be regarded as non-violence. The basic point is that dishonest trait is violence in itself whether it is for oneself or for others.
Different Forms of Subtle Violence
If someone criticizes anyone then also it is violence. To twist someone’s ideas, to accuse someone in a wrong manner and so on fall in the category of intellectual violence. Unable to bear anyone’s success or elevation, feeling jealous of the person, to spread the feeling of animosity is also violence. Killing someone is a gross form of violence. Mental violence and intellectual violence are its subtle forms. What is extremely necessary is that man must understand it and try to save himself from it at all costs. For it the religious masters must strive hard. The way they emphasize the gross forms of violence more emphasis must be ‘given on the internal and subtle forms of violence as there is no direct connection between annihilation of lives with one’s internal violence so it has remained somewhat incomprehensible for lay persons. This is the reason why people are afraid of killing living creatures but are not afraid of mutual conflicts, jealousy and anger and so on. If making an effort in this direction will develop this understanding among human beings, then to go for a practical application won’t be that difficult for them.
