Acharya Shree, what is your opinion on being extremely non-violent?
Is extremely good question.
Because, Jain people consider in this world that they are very much non-violent, and I am agree with that, that they follow the principle of non-violence.
But they are not wise enough.
Non-violence, the message of non-violence needs to be spread everywhere. And the principle of Jains, they are so good for the human to be non-violent, and they kept it into just certain area of India,
because they think if they will travel, they will kill the bugs in the air, bacterias in the air, and if they cross the mountain they will kill the grass, they will cross the water.
So, because of that, the message is limited. Look at. Ashoka the Great, he had chosen, and although he was born as a Jain, but he had chosen Buddhist path, why?
Because they broke their rules and they traveled all over. And Buddhist message, the message of the Buddha is spread all over.
In the world, mostly people know who was Buddha, but who was the best person on this earth, his message just got locked into the certain area of India only.
And they are not even following. They think they are following the message. So, we don't see how much loss we have, because not to spread the real message.
Not to travel, not to go across. Even they didn't cross the mountain by, Buddhist they did, they crossed the mountain and they went to the other countries.
So, the, you cannot be non-violent if you don't spread this message. It is not justice. Justice is, you have to spread the message. Mahavira will go everywhere to spread the message, wherever he was going, he was going everywhere that time.
Now it is time to wake up. I will give the message to the Jains people, that, extremist, to be extremist, is not a good way. Because when you become extremist in non-violence you become fanatic, and fanatic people, they hate others.
Even they are carrying the good message. But their hate is there. Because fanatic people, they are very much hateful, even they are good fanatic, I'm not saying they are not a good people, they are very good people.
But they, out of them, many becomes fanatic, and fanatics they create hate. They begin to hurt themselves, too, because hate will kill you first.
Let me give an example, how it happen.
A family, when it is Ramadan, Muslim festival, they fast and they travel to Karbala, they travel to their holy place, Mecca.
So one little boy, seven years old, he said, his father was going there, he has to walk every day, and it will take maybe one month to go there by walking, and he said, "I want to go there."
And he was very much enthusiastic. It was, he was so excited, that, "I will visit the holiest place," and he joined hundreds of people other place, they were walking from that town
At night, they get tired, they fall asleep. And this boy was so excited, early in the morning 4 o'clock he wakes up, and he pray. One day, two days, three days, it was very good.
Fourth day he start observing that all the people, they are asleep.
And he tells his father, that, "What coward people? They are asleep. They are going to the holy place and they are still asleep. It is almost sunrise." And he start criticizing others.
Even though he was very excited, even though he was praying, and every day his complaint was, one week his father heard his complaint, after that he told him,
that, "Son, I wish you were asleep, too." That's what I mean. This extremist, extremism, when person become fanatic they create hate, and that hate, they don't realize that somebody else pointed out that they are doing something wrong.
Suppose, people are vegetarian and they, they hate the people who are eating meat.
That is wrong to hate. They can spread the message, hey, feel compassion for animals, maybe they will listen to you.
But you don't create hate in you first. When you create hate you are not following the principle of non-violence. Or, I have come across many vegan people. Vegan people even they are extremely good, they are not trying to hurt animals,
they are not trying to use animal product. But, now if somebody uses, even the dairy product, even the milk product, even the other product of animals which is not like killing the animal
like milk doesn't kill the animals. But if they see other people they are using, they are hateful towards them. That extreme, that fanaticism, is not good.
You be good, you respect others still. Because they are raised maybe differently. You have to respect. When you respect, that's what non-violence principle teaches you first.
You respect others. If you respect others, that is the principle of non-violence. You know non-violence simply means to feel oneness with every living being, with everything actually.
If you can feel oneness with every living being, how you can hate other people? It is not, it doesn't go with it. The principle is oneness, feeling oneness with every single living being is non-violence.
So, it means you are connected. So you are not connected with other people if you think bad about them.
So, the, follow the real principle. When you follow the real principle and you respect other in that process, it means you are non-violent, otherwise you become extremist. Extremist is not a good way to follow the non-violence, principle of non-violence.
Suppose, like, Digambara, in Jains... Digambara is, like, they live naked.
But they don't know that they are not strong enough to feel, to survive in the cold, or survive in the extremely heat.
And their body doesn't allow it, they force themselves. When they force to follow the non-violence, too much force, it means, in that process they might kill themselves, they might be very sick.
So, they need to think about it. Any extreme... is not good.
That's what I say, any excess, any excess is not good. Don't do excessively, don't do extremely.
Maybe that is the best way to do it.
That, follow the principle of non-violence the way it is, feel oneness with every single living being, and you are fully non-violent. Follow the simple, simple principle. Don't be fanatic.
Don't be hateful, otherwise you are not non-violent. Jai Siddhatma.