In Book Two of The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali, Sri Swami Satchidananda says "In the presence of one firmly established in non-violence, all hostilities cease."
In Edwin F. Bryant's interpretation of The Yoga Sutras Of Patanjali, he defines ahimsa as " Negative thoughts, violence, etc. They may be [personally] performed, performed on ones behalf by another, or authorized by oneself; they may be triggered by greed, anger, or delusion; and they may be slight, moderate or extreme in intensity. One should cultivate counteracting thoughts, namely, that the end results [of negative thoughts] are ongoing suffering and ignorance"
Wow.
Playback - When we adopt a life of kindness, all the bad stuff around us will stop. Hmmm, interesting.
Another way to say non-violence is compassion, love, non-harming and non-hurtfulness. When we adopt these in our inner being and outer environments, we are closer to the divine powers in the whole world.
Ahimsa focuses on abstaining from directly causing pain to yourself or others. Killing creatures in thought, word or deed is intentionally inflicting pain on them, therefore against the principle of ahimsa. This is why you will note many vegans have adopted ahimsa as their principle reason. All three people, the person who slaughterer the animal, the person who eats the animal and the person who allows the animal to be eaten are all causing pain to the cow.
Because of the principles and laws of action/reaction, if you take part in a violent or harm-causing activity, that energy will come back to you in another way. Enter the Golden Rule: "Treat others how you want to be treated". By treating them with love, compassion and non-violence, you will create a life of love, compassion and non-violence as well.
Both delusion and anger can lead us to violent thoughts and acts. When someone is angered and they punch a wall, this causes unnecessary suffering from the broken and scabbed hand. Did punching the wall actually fix the initial problem? Probably not. Figments of imagination can really play harmful games as well. When you think something is happening and in reality it's not, this can lead to anger and violent thoughts that are completely unnecessary.
Hurtful words and comments can also be very insulting and can elicit feelings of violence within. Taking a step back and realizing that the person who is saying these insults to you is unhappy and directing those frustrations outward can help you cope. Letting these insults pass can be the hardest thing to do because of your ego. Your ego will want to defend itself and this will lead to arguing but anytime there is a reaction to negativity, it will only return to you in a more harmful way as this is the energy of the world.
How to incorporate this into your world:
If you hear something hurtful or witness something harmful in your world you can remember the opposite to help you erase the images of the negativity surrounding you.
If you do something wrong, don't beat yourself up about it!
Be compassionate and kind to yourself and others when there is a misunderstanding or miscommunication
Rise above name calling and hurting others because you are hurting
Try not to kill unnecessarily
Reduce negative thoughts completely and learn to 'let it go'
Don't dwell and contemplate negative actions that have been done to you
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