Jain Alphabet Pictures  with Write up

A is for Ahimsa

Ahimsa means non-violence.

When there are no stop lights, a policeman tells us when to stop. He does this by holding up his hand, this tells us to stop. In the same way the hand in the picture tells us to stop and think about what we are going to do, talk to other people, or think. We can hurt someone by any of these actions. We need to stop and think before doing anything. This way, we will be able to observe the principles of Ahimsa better. We get either good or bad karmas* by the things we do, the words we say, and the way we think. The wheel in the hand tells us that if we don't watch all of these things, then our soul** will never be free from this cycle of life and death.

So Ahimsa reminds us to stop and think before we do anything, and to be sure that what we do, say, or think doesn't get us in trouble.

 

* look under K

** your true inner self; the part of you that never dies

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