Ahiṃsā: Non-Violence in Indian Tradition

The book opens with a Preface that identifies six broad philosophies of non-violence in Indian thought: Jainism, Buddhism, the Vedas, the Dharmasāstras, the Purāṇas, and the modern Gandhian tradition, while also stressing the contemporary relevance of non-violence for peace, social conflict, structural violence, and environmental protection. Chapter I, “Two Definitions of Ahimsa,” distinguishes ahiṃsā as physical non-injury from the popular sense of non-killing, and contrasts Vedic and ascetic interpretations. Chapter II, “Hiṃsā,” examines violence as fact, suffering, killing, self-violence, motive, and unavoidable injury. Chapter III, “The Roots of Ahimsa,” studies historical, karmic, metaphysical, social, and epistemological foundations of non-violence. Chapter IV, “The Nature of Ahimsa,” analyzes whether non-violence is negative or positive, absolute or relative, individual or social, and how it is observed through body, speech, and mind. Chapter V, “Ahimsa and Other Moral Norms,” relates non-violence to self-control, forbearance, friendliness, compassion, truthfulness, non-stealing, bhakti, and the hierarchy of virtues. Chapter VI, “Ahimsa and War,” discusses kingship, armed force, peace, and Pāli Buddhist views on war. Chapter VII, “Ahimsa and Crime,” treats protection, self-defense, punishment, expiation, and non-violent treatment. Chapter VIII, “Ahimsa and Sub-Human Beings,” studies plants, animals, vegetarianism, and the moral status of different forms of life. Chapter IX, “Contemporary Ahimsa,” presents Aurobindo, Gandhi, Vinoba, and Sarvodaya, especially the expansion of non-violence into politics, economics, social reform, and global peace. The Appendix discusses the pre-Aryan origin of the ascetic idea of ahiṃsā.