Ecological Nonviolence and the Hindu Tradition

Nonviolence has long been central to the religious traditions of India, especially Jainism, Buddhism, and certain schools of Hinduism. From the early pronoucement that “all things want to live” (Acaranga Sutra, I:I) to Vyasa’s definition of nonviolence as the “absence of oppression toward all living beings in all respects and for all times” (Bhasya on Yoga Sutra, 11:31) to the Dalai Lama’s recent assertion that “all beings primarily seek peace, comfort, and security; life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to a man” (1980, p.78) religion in India has consistently upheld the sanctity of life, whether human, animal, or, in the cases of the Jainas, elemental. The message has provided an unparalleled concern for harmony amongst life forms, leading to a common ethos based on minimal consumption of natural resources, particularly for members of religious orders. In the discussion that follows, we will begin with some anecdotes that show the ongoing concern for not hurting living beings in India. We will then trace the history of nonviolence in India specifically in the Hindu tradition (See Chapple, 1986 for Jainism and Buddhism). The village economy proposed by Gandhi will be discussed briefly as a modern application of nonviolent principles. This all will be juxtaposed with some harsh realities from industrialized, twentieth-century Indian landscape, followed by possible solutions that traditional religious wisdom may hold for the current and growing ecological dilemma both in India and in the world.