Ahimsa and Pratipraksha Bhavana

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January 22, 2011 Ahimsa and Pratipaksha Bhavanam Ahimsa is one of the Yamas and I believe it’s the most powerful one. It’s the practice of non-violence; “himsa” is to cause pain and “ahimsa” is to not cause pain. Although mainly intended to the act of non-killing, Patanjali says that even your thoughts and actions are relevant to ahimsa. These in turn can cause pain more painful than killing. The more I give thought to this, I can see the damage. If someone has hurt another by mean words or actions, the damaged soul may in turn repeat what they have endured upon another soul and the cycle could continue. Furthermore, this downward spiral is worse than killing someone because the feelings of hate, anger and malicious acts has been spread out. This is why pratipaksha bhavanam is important to include. Pratipaksha bhavanam is the act of replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. When one feels anger towards another, it’s important to take the time to reflect and see how their actions and words may affect a person. This is when one should replace their ill feelings with positive ones and make light of the situation. I think this is a great way to help communicate to everyone. There might be situations that are much more heated and emotional than others but it is crucial to take time to think about how and what we will do and say. Delivery in what and how we say things to people is essential to the outcome we wish to receive. Practicing ahimsa alongside pratipaksha bhavanam will surely help anyone live a more holistic, meaningful, peaceful, and non-violent
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