“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them that spitefully use you and persecute you” Matthew 5.44
Ahimsa is the foremost precept upon which Buddhism stands and both the great teachers of China, Lao Tzu and Confucius place great importance on it.
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” Confucius
“How could man rejoice in victory and delight in the slaughter of men?” Lao Tzu
“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.” Lao Tzu
In the yoga system non-violence is brought about by the understanding that all life is sacred and that all creatures have a right to live. Rather than exploiting those who are weaker or less able than ourselves, we as humans beings should take the role of caretakers of all life on earth.
The ahimsa of the yoga diet means that one keeps to a purely vegetarian diet which provides all nutrients that we need from fruit, vegetables, nut, grains, legumes and milk products.
