Ahimsa Award

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The Ahimsa Award is an annual award given by the Institute of Jainology in recognition of individuals who embody and promote the principles of ahimsa (nonviolence). It was established in 2006 and has since been awarded at the annual Ahimsa Day event, on 2 October, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. [1]

Contents

The event is normally held at the Palace of WestminsterHouse of Commons of the United Kingdom, in London, where various members of parliament are invited to speak. [2] It is bestowed by the directors of the Institute of Jainology, an international body based in the UK, representing the Jain faith. [3]

Ahimsa Day

Ahimsa Day was established by the Institute of Jainology [4] and has been celebrated annually [5] in London since 2002. [6] It was created to bring awareness of Ahimsa (nonviolence) as it applies in Jainism. The event takes place in early October to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, [7] who, amongst other great leaders, was inspired by the Jain philosophy of ahimsa. [8] In 2007, the United Nations declared that the International Day of Non-Violence would take place on 2 October.

History and background

Ahimsa, (the principle of nonviolence), is a concept adopted by most Indic religious traditions, primarily Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain. The political and social application of ahimsa was given universal recognition by Mahatma Gandhi, who fought the campaign for the independence of India with the doctrine of ahimsa as the cornerstone. [9]

Ahimsa in Jainism is a well-established core principle even before the time of Mahavira, the 24th Thirthankara in the 5th century BC. [10] The principle of Ahimsa in Jainism states that one should do no harm by word, thought, or deed, nor ask others to, and nor condone that which is done. [11]

Past winners

Related Research Articles

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Ahimsa is the ancient Indian principle of nonviolence which applies to actions towards all living beings. It is a key virtue in Indian religions like Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism.

Jainism, also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras, with the first in the current time cycle being Rishabhadeva, whom the tradition holds to have lived millions of years ago, the twenty-third tirthankara Parshvanatha, whom historians date to the 9th century BCE, and the twenty-fourth tirthankara Mahavira, around 600 BCE. Jainism is considered an eternal dharma with the tirthankaras guiding every time cycle of the cosmology. The three main pillars of Jainism are ahiṃsā (non-violence), anekāntavāda (non-absolutism), and aparigraha (asceticism).

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