Love bears all things and endures all things.
Nowhere will you find a true definition of love except in yoga science. In yoga science ahimsa means love. A means “no,” himsa means “killing, hurting, harming or injuring with mind, action and speech.” If you follow these rules you will be practicing love.
If you initiate the practice of ahimsa at home, the family can be a training center for learning to love others. But if you fail to love your family, you will also fail in other relationships. Husband and wife and other family members should never hurt each other. If married persons were to truly practice ahimsa, they would never quarrel. There should be an understanding in relationships that no matter what happens you will not become violent. You cannot hurt someone and at the same time say I love you.
Love is more powerful than animosity.
When animosity controls your mind, it leads your mind toward negativity. It is the defense mechanism that creates many of the problems in communication. If you are afraid of me and I am afraid of you, there can be no communication between us. Then we both become defensive and we fight. This is what happens between two nations, and that is why the whole world is fighting. You have forgotten that we are all human beings and there is only one source that is supplying the life force to everyone, no matter which community, religion or culture one comes from. We are all the children of one eternity, therefore you have no right to hate or harm anyone. It is not okay to love some people and hate others. If you could learn to love your enemies, they would no longer be enemies to you. Your love should travel toward expansion, not contraction. Mao Tse Dung asked, “If hundreds of varieties of flowers can grow in one garden, why can’t we all flourish together in one universe?”
The practical approach to ahimsa is to practice non-violence in speech, action and thought. Gandhi, the father of the Indian nation, was completely nonviolent. He was able to get freedom from alien rule through nonviolence, without the use of guns. He exhibited the power of love to the whole of the nation and to the whole world. Somebody asked him if he believed in God, and if so what type of god did he believe in. He replied, “I believe God is truth. And to know the truth there should be truth in mind, action and speech.”
Violence in speech or in action is almost always preceded by violent thoughts, which have serious repercussions on the mind and body. When you hurt someone or you think about somebody negatively, not only are you wasting time and energy, you are hurting yourself. When you hate others, it is you who suffers, not the rest of the world. All negativity can be washed away and the mind can be purified if you learn to forgive others. You also have many weaknesses and perhaps you are projecting those weaknesses onto others.
I do not understand the law that prompts mortal beings to injure each other. From where does this violence arise? What is that power that instigates people to annihilate each other’s existence? I return back to my silence without any reply and with a simple conclusion that human beings have not yet really found out the art of living harmoniously. The evil that forces one to commit heinous crimes is because of himsa, the absence of love, consideration, kindness and awareness that we all belong to One. By killing others we are cutting the roots of the same tree whose limbs we are. This modern world is creating hell for everyone. You cannot say God is responsible for that.
Thought power is very important. Negative thoughts, emotions and violent behavior come when your reason is not functioning. Never allow your reason to retire or waste your energy on violence and negativity. Violence and anger diminish the power of love and gentleness. It is important to make effort to redirect negativity toward positive thinking. Patanjali, the codifier of yoga science, says constant contemplation on the opposite is the way to get freedom from hatred and violence. For example, if somebody hates you or if you have negative feelings toward someone, try to think of that person in a loving way.
Reprinted from The Ancient Traveler: Writings on Love, by Swami Rama
