Ahimsa (Noninjury) Revisited

The ancient Sanskrit word ahimsa, meaning noninjury, is the doctrine ofrefraining from the harming ofothers. It is the central teaching ofJainism, Hinduism and Buddhism. As an ethical principle, we find it in the Judea-Christian concept of the Golden Rule that holds that we should not do to others what we would not have them do to us. And it is implicit in the medical maxim "physician do no harm." The doctrine of ahimsa is a call to ethical action. This active principle was termed satyagraha by Mahatma Gandhi-the powerofcompassionate action. Actions that entail the helping of life need to be as carefully considered as those actions that entail the deliberate, unavoidable taking or harming of life. This is because our most altruistic actions can have harmful consequences to others if we do not follow the absolute mandate of considering the doctrine of ahimsa (or the Golden Rule). Because of the many cruel paradoxes that we face today, situational ethics are such that while we cannot live by the Golden Rule as an absolute, we absolutely must consider the Golden Rule prior to deciding upon any action. We should be mindful of the differences between unavoidable, natural (pervasive) suffering we see in nature and the often avoidable (human-caused) suffering, over which we do have considerable control. The only absolute principle is to have reverence and respect for all life. This does not preclude the unavoidable harming or taking of life, since we cannot, in these times, live by the absolute ethic of ahimsa or the Golden Rule. We do, however, have the absolute responsibility to apply these ethical principles to govern ourselves for the good of all. For example, we regrettably must accept the humane destruction of "surplus" elephants to help preserve herd and habitat when there are no alternative solutions available, such as a method of birth· control or more elephant habitat. Likewise animal shelters around the world engage in euthanizingmillions of homeless cats and dogs. But in all such instances, humane alternatives must be sought for future application so as to avert the continuation of situations and circumstances incompatible with the doctrine of ahimsa. The doctrine of ahimsa encompasses both human and nonhuman (plant and animal) life. It also embraces non-living entities such as lakes, swamps, and all natural ecosystems that can be harmed by various human activities that in tum may harm the animal and plant communities therein. Some philosophers reason that since some animal species are more sensitive and intelligent than "lower" life forms, they have more "intrinsic" value. So they