What is the Importance of Non-Violence?

Non-violence is the cardinal virtue recognized in Sanatana Dharma or any universal tradition. Non-violence is the supreme Dharma, the great law of life. To the extent that we fall from non-violence we cease to be truly religious and lose our connection with God.

Dharma means natural law and the most basic natural law is to remain in harmony with our fellow creatures. No creature likes to suffer. To attune ourselves with the nature of all beings, we should not seek suffering for any being. Non-violence, therefore, is the foundation of all true ethics of truthfulness, honesty and non-stealing. Non-violence in Hinduism is the universal great vow. Only if we have an attitude of non-violence toward all beings can we have true universality.

Non-violence means not to wish harm for any being in thought, word and deed. It is not merely a matter of refraining from physical violence. Nor is it just a matter of refraining from military action. It means non-violence in our own homes and families as well. Nor is it limited to human beings. It means to not be violent towards plants, animals or the Earth itself, which means to restrict our consumption of meat and our use of energy for personal pleasure.

Non-violence is not only in regard to our own action, we should not support or condone violence by others, which is not to attack it but to withdraw any association that we might have with it.

Non-violence is the best way to Self-realization because if we see the Self in all beings and all beings in the Self, we cannot possibly wish harm to anyone. Violence is the denial of religion which, first of all, should be peace. To use violence to promote a religion - whether through thought, word or deed - is to deny the real spirit of religion. To try to make a religion spread through the use of force is not to spread religion but irreligion. This at least is the Hindu view.

Does Non-Violence Exclude Self-defense?

True non-violence recognizes the right of people to defend themselves, their life and their property, including their family, community and country, from unprovoked violent attack. However monks and yogis who have renounced the world no longer have any attachments. They are not required to defend anything, though it is not wrong for them to defend themselves if they choose to.

Yet self-defense should never be an excuse for violence. Even if we have to defend ourselves we should not hate those who are attacking us. We should act only in such a way to prevent more violence from occurring. Self-defense should not be a disguised form of self-assertion. It never requires that we attack others first or that we aggressively seek to promote our beliefs or expand our borders.
On the other hand, non-violence should not be an excuse for not defending the Truth, which requires that we hold to the Truth even when faced with opposition. Non-violence does not mean to passively and fearfully allow the forces of untruth to promote themselves unquestioned. True non-violence is not cowardice that flees from confrontation but Divine courage which faces all confrontations without running away or resorting to force. This means not responding to violence with violence but responding to it with Truth and fearlessness.