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Non-Violence
When you cut a papaya into many slices, all the slices will have
the same sweetness, not a single slice will be bitter. Similarly,
there is no violence where there is complete non-violence. Partial
non-violence and partial violence is a different matter altogether.
Questioner: Is partial ahimsa considered kindness?
Dadashri: Yes, that is called kindness. Kindness is the root
of religion. Where there is absolute kindness, there is absolute
religion.
Beyond Violence and Non-Violence
Questioner: Where there is kindness, there is also cruelty.
Does this apply to violence and non-violence?
Dadashri: Yes. Non-violence exists because there is
violence and vice-versa. However, one will have to stop violence
and embrace non-violence, and then go beyond even non-violence.
One has to go beyond this duality. Ultimately one will have to go
even beyond non-violence.
Questioner: Beyond ahimsa? What sort of a state would
that be?
Dadashri: The very state that I am in right now. I am
beyond violence and non-violence. Ahimsa is based on the ego
and I am without any ego. To say ‘I am practicing ahimsa or
violence’ is the ego. I am the observer of the entity that practices
violence and non-violence. I simply observe the ego. One can
only be considered a Gnani if one is beyond all dualities. Most of
these ascetics and priests are very kind, but they can also be
merciless. Because there is kindness within them, there is also
cruelty within them. If they have eighty percent kindness they will
also have twenty percent cruelty. If they have ninety-six percent
kindness, there will be four percent cruelty.
Questioner: Is that the same with ahimsa? If there is ninety-
six percent ahimsa, will there be four percent violence?