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B
uddhism arose out of
Hinduism, a faith that had
always been ambivalent
about killing. On the one hand,
Hinduism promoted the principle
of ahimsa (not killing); on the other,
Hindu society required animal
sacrifice, allowed meat eating,
and regarded fighting in a just
war as an inescapable duty. Like
many other teachers of his day,
including Mahavira, founder
of the Jain religion, Buddha
emphasized the principle of not
killing, and it became the first of
the Five Precepts, principles that
form the ethical basis for those
following the Buddhist way of life.Five rules for living
The Five Precepts forbid the taking
of life, stealing, sexual misconduct,
lying, and the consumption of
mind-dulling intoxicants such as
alcohol. Each of these precepts has
a positive counterpart, effectively
generating five rules relating to
things one should do. The first of
these is to treat all beings with
loving-kindness (metta); indeed,
one of the principal meditation
practices in Buddhism is the
cultivation of goodwill toward
everyone—treating friends,IN CONTEXT
KEY EVENT
The conversion
of Emperor AsokaWHEN AND WHERE
3rd century BCE,
northern IndiaBEFORE
From 2000 BCE The Vedic
religion, then Hinduism,
develop the doctrine of
ahimsa, or nonviolence,
but justify war in certain
circumstances.6th century BCE Buddha
enjoins his followers to abstain
from killing; Mahavira founds
Jainism, which forbids the
taking of any life.AFTER
17th century Sikhism
allows killing in defense of
the oppressed and the faith.19th century Mohandas
Gandhi, raised as a Hindu,
adopts nonviolence as a
political strategy.Renounce killing and
good will follow.Therefore the good leader
abstains from killing
living beings and orders
others to do likewise.If people are killed, their
family, relatives, and
friends will suffer.He builds a better society
through cultivating an
attitude of loving-kindness
and fostering it in others.RENOUNCE KILLING
AND GOOD WILL
FOLLOW
LET KINDNESS AND COMPASSION RULE