Ahisma
Yama, the First Limb of Ashtanga, Part 1
By Baba Prayag
Before diving into Ahisma, the first part of the first limb of Ashtanga Yoga, it might be helpful to briefly touch upon the concept of Non-Duality. This particular subject will come up time and time again, but will be discussed in more detail in separate blog post. The main idea to take away however, is that everything has an equal and opposite manifestation. This duality is also part of the same whole, making the first part relatively moot, whereas the two opposites cannot exist without each other. The Chinese Philosophy of Yin and Yang, which is familiar to many, might help to provide a basic understanding of Non-Duality.
This concept is, in a way, the beginning to understanding the nature of reality. As everything is part of the same whole, that also means I am part of the same thing that you are. More to the point, we are not only part of it, but we are it. So in a sense, I am you and you are me. And instead of simply creating a common “we,” there also exists a common “I.”
Now on to the main point of this post, which is discussing Yama, the first limb of Ashtanga Yoga. We can think of Yama as being our sense of integrity, in both definitions of the word. It is how we conduct ourselves and it is how we remain part of the whole. There are five principles which are essential, although some teachings will provide several more than that.
The first principle of Yama is Ahisma. This can be translated to mean non-harming or non-violence. You would be hard pressed to find any culture throughout history that didn’t have some version of this first principle as part of their systems of belief. It is most commonly referred to as “the Golden Rule.” Each culture of course, has its own interpretation, but all of them essentially say “do to others what others may do to you.”
Here is a collection of examples:
"That which you hate to be done to you, do not do to another" (Ancient Egypt)
“One should never do something to others that one would regard as an injury to one's own self” (Ancient India)
"Do not do to others that which angers you when they do it to you" (Ancient Greece)
"Treat your inferior as you would wish your superior to treat you" (Ancient Rome)
“Love your neighbor as yourself” (Judaism)
“Do to others what you want them to do to you” (Christianity)
“That which you want for yourself, seek for mankind” (Islam)
"Just as I am so are they, just as they are so am I" (Buddhism)
“What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others” (Confucianism)
“Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain, and your neighbor's loss as your own loss” (Taoism)
“That which ye deem harmful unto thyself, the very same shall ye be forbidden from doing unto another” (Wicca)
Through theses examples you will notice that since our earliest civilizations, some form of the Golden Rule has been present. While most seem to lean on the idea that we shouldn’t cause harm to others, they don’t fully reveal or emphasize the why. When we bring Non-Duality into the picture though, we begin to understand that in being part of the same thing, the same whole, doing harm to others means we are also doing harm to ourselves.
The reverse of this idea is true as well - when we harm ourselves, we also do harm to others. Equating the idea of “non-harming” to physical violence only, would fail to address the many other ways we are capable of harming each other. Despite the claim behind the saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” many have likely learned that words can cause just as much harm or more than any physical act could. Furthermore, we should consider actions that might cause harm indirectly, such as stealing for example.
Through practicing Ahisma, our actions and decisions can be guided towards a more mutually beneficial end result; one that is far more sustainable than pitting one against another. The impact of this practice goes beyond the lives of human beings. As we conduct ourselves in ways that are “non-harming,” we should also consider all aspects of our world, from flora and fauna to the earth itself.
With peace and loving-kindness. Namaste.
