Non-hurtfulness is to not harm others through actions, words or thoughts. I observe it through living nonviolently, including internalizing anger or frustration. The opposite is hurtfulness.§
Comparing the actions of one who is non-hurtful to one who is hurtful§ |
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|---|---|---|
Situation§ |
Non-Hurtfulness§ |
Hurtfulness§ |
When confronted by a school bully eager to pick a fight, you…§ |
make it clear you will not fight him and manage to defuse his aggressiveness through reason or humor.§ |
readily engage in fisticuffs, showing him you can be just as aggressive.§ |
When your infant sister cries continuously for an hour, you…§ |
check for causes of discomfort, then patiently calm her down by holding her and singing a lullaby.§ |
are disturbed by the lengthy crying and lightly spank her bottom, then tell her to be quiet.§ |
Seeing a group of friends teasing a classmate for being overweight, you…§ |
refrain from joining in the teasing, understanding the emotional pain it is causing her.§ |
join in on the teasing with no thought of how anguished she must feel.§ |
Gurudeva explained: “Even tolerance is insufficient to describe the compassion and reverence the Hindu holds for the intrinsic sacredness within all things. Therefore, the actions of all Hindus are rendered benign, or ahimsa. One would not want to hurt something which one revered.”§
“Not harming others by thought, word or deed is a cardinal law of Hinduism and cannot be avoided, discarded, ignored or replaced by the more subtle concept of compassion. Ahimsa, among the yamas and niyamas, could be considered the only explicit commandment Hinduism gives.”§
“Ahimsa, ‘noninjury,’ not harming others by thought, word or deed.”§
“It is a matter of realizing what life is really all about and how harming others violates our own inner being. When an injurious act is committed, it makes a mark deep within the mind of the violator.”§
ASSIGNMENT: For two weeks, when you are in a situation that disturbs you, restrain yourself from speaking hurtful words in response.§
Date you began this assignment ____________________§
MY THOUGHTS ON THE BENEFITS OF NON-HURTFULNESS: 
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