“When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent.
Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind.
When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence.
So a person who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind.”
In yoga we honor the practice of ahimsa, or non violence. There is also the understanding that we are all connected and are not separate beings. It is the persona or ego that keeps us separate and fearful. The path of yoga is to awaken to our interconnectedness and to see ourselves in others.
May we all continue to plant seeds that bring us together instead of tearing us apart.
Find Your Middle Ground 
Lovely post Val.
Namaste ❤
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Namaste dear Irene 💛🙏💛
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❤
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Coming back at you Jill 💕
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We are on this journey together some need assistance, like kindness
We are not in competition but most people think we are
It is like we live in scarcity and need to grab all the happiness we can get before it runs out
Kindness and love are bottomless
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Love your words and the open heart behind them. Thank you Marty 💛
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The Mayans greet one another with ‘In Lak’ech. Which means, ‘I am another you’ A beautiful post to remind us of this truth Val. 🙏🏻💕
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Thanks Karen. I feel an other viewing of Avatar coming on 🤗
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Yes! 👏
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Wise words indeed.
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Thank you Vicki 💛
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So timely. Thanks Val
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Thank you David 💛
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Yes – totally agree! Lovely post.
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Thank you fellow Fiona 💛
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Beautiful post, Val. This quote is particularly helpful as we consider all of the ways humans identify themselves with or as. I am a citizen of the Universe…and have always felt that way…even feeling at times, like I do not belong here. This quote is powerful. Thank you. 🙏🏻💕
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Thank you for sharing this Carrie. Recognizing that we all belong to something bigger than we can imagine, brings a new perspective and possibilities for peace.💕🌍💕
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अहिंसा परमॊ धर्मस तथाहिंसा परॊ दमः।
अहिंसा परमं दानम अहिंसा परमस तपः।
अहिंसा परमॊ यज्ञस तथाहिस्मा परं बलम।
अहिंसा परमं मित्रम अहिंसा परमं सुखम।
अहिंसा परमं सत्यम अहिंसा परमं शरुतम॥
H ❤
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SO good to see you! Thank you Hariod for sharing this text. There is no higher dharma than non-violence 🙏
Where is this taken from?
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The Mahabharata in Sanskrit. Book 13. Chapter 117. Lines 37-41.
37 ahiṃsā paramo dharmas tathāhiṃsā paro damaḥ
ahiṃsā paramaṃ dānam ahiṃsā paramas tapaḥ
38 ahiṃsā paramo yajñas tathāhismā paraṃ balam
ahiṃsā paramaṃ mitram ahiṃsā paramaṃ sukham
ahiṃsā paramaṃ satyam ahiṃsā paramaṃ śrutam
39 sarvayajñeṣu vā dānaṃ sarvatīrtheṣu cāplutam
sarvadānaphalaṃ vāpi naitat tulyam ahiṃsayā
40 ahiṃsrasya tapo ‘kṣayyam ahiṃsro yajate sadā
ahiṃsraḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ yathā mātā yathā pitā
41 etat phalam ahiṃsāyā bhūyaś ca kurupuṃgava
na hi śakyā guṇā vaktum iha varṣaśatair api
Think that’s right, Val.
H ❤
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Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. Its been a while 😉
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I had never thought of it that way. Quite the revelation for me. Thank you.
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Opening up to things we have taken for granted is enlightening. Thank you Marlene 💛
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I don’t agree with Jiddu Krishnamurti’s definition of violence. As long as we are stuck here in our human bodies, there is a need (at times) to differentiate ourselves from all the other bodies.
Using a few convenient labels to describe our upbringing, experiences, etc., standing alone, is NOT violence.
If the definition of violence is that broad, then the Dalai Lama must shed his robes and run around naked so that he cannot be identified as a Tibetan Monk. Or a Buddhist.
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I love your analytical brain Nancy.😊
I would interpret it as bringing awareness and understanding to how we label others. They can create an attitude of “Them” and “Us” and this is where violence takes seed.
The Dalai Lama is a human being first connected to all human beings. He is a part of the “we” not “them and us”. He also happens to be a man and a Buddhist monk, and wears spectacles, so we can recognize him at the supermarket. x
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And we don’t wish to see him running around naked in those spectacles. 🙄
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“Not in my back yard” 😉
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Hahaha! Good one.
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Sorry, Jesus follower here. I’m not clear how that makes me violent, and the follower of the Hindu-based practice of yoga non-violent.
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I love Jesus too. He never excluded and chose to encompass all. It’s when the labels we use become “us “ vs “them” that sow the seeds of violence. I’m a woman and I am part of the greater human kind. Thanks for joining me here Mitch🙏
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Such an interesting perspective! I will enjoy thinking this through. I have long believed that we are all connected and that respect and “difference” can co-exist beautifully, if we have the openness to see how much we share. I never thought of difference as particularly a negative thinking, or as violence. But I do think this is an on-going dialogue we need to have within ourselves. I like to think that I’m capable of fine-tuning my perspectives. 🙂
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Thank you for your thoughtful response Debra 💛
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