Ahimsa
Etymology
Sanskrit अहिंसा, from "a-" (non-) and "hiṃsā" (harm, violence). Central to Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist ethics for millennia, it entered global political vocabulary through Gandhi, who made it the moral engine of nonviolent resistance.
noun · /ah-HIM-sah/
The principle of causing no harm or violence to any living thing, in deed, word, or thought.
What it names
It gives a positive, spiritual name to nonviolence as a way of life, not merely the absence of aggression.
Example
His vegetarianism was less about health than a quiet commitment to ahimsa.
Related idea
Western pacifism is largely a stance against war; ahimsa is broader and more personal, extending to how you treat an insect, a stranger, or an enemy.
See also