A new year has begun and many of us make New Year’s resolutions. Often times, these resolutions have to do with self-improvement, whether it is breaking a bad habit or trying to pick up a good one. What do we focus on when trying to be the best versions of ourselves? There is a concept in Hinduism known as Dharma. It is the inherent property of the self and encompasses five main attributes: Ahimsa (non-violence), Satyam (truthfulness), Austium (non-stealing), Shoucha (cleanliness), and Shangjam (control/restraint). How these qualities manifest in each of us may show up similarly and yet a little differently. It is my resolution this year to keep these five things in mind when making any decisions or taking any actions. Over the next few weeks, I would like to open up a discussion about these five things. I would like to ask you what you think of when you hear the words and how it makes you feel. Let’s discuss Ahimsa first.
Ahimsa is not only physical non-violence, but also verbal and emotional. Physical non-violence to most of us is a no brainer. We know that we shouldn’t be physically hurting anyone and if we do we can see it. We can immediately feel sorry for what we did because we can see that we hurt someone and then make a mental note that we won’t do that anymore. Sometimes it is harder to see if we hurt someone emotionally with our words and actions. This is something that we can work on. I definitely can. I will admit that I am guilty of saying things or doing things emotionally when I am upset and in turn hurt the feelings of people I care for. So before we say or do something, let’s take a minute and think about how it may affect the receiver of the message. How do you practice ahimsa? Will you start being more aware of how this impacts your day to day?