do no harm

Yoga is so much more than the physical practice most practitioners do. It is an eight-fold path, of which asana -- the postures -- are third after the ethical codes of conduct. Ahimsa is the first of five yamas, or restraints, in the eight-fold path of yoga. The yamas are meant as restraints regarding our actions and interactions with the world around us. Ahimsa is translated as “non-violence,” “non-injury,” or “non-harming,” and is widely considered to be the foundation of the yogic path.

"Do no harm," is harder than it sounds. It goes beyond "thou shalt not kill," to include harming in our speech, through inaction, and through carelessness. The vow of Ahimsa is broken by showing contempt towards another, by entertaining dislike for or prejudice towards anybody, by hating or speaking ill of others, by backbiting or vilifying, by harboring thoughts of hatred, or by telling lies about others. It is virtually impossible to practice perfectly by anyone one living in the "real world." We all unwittingly kill countless creatures while walking, sitting, eating, breathing, sleeping and drinking. And we all unwittingly hurt other people's feelings, even with the best of intentions. But we have to keep trying to help, not harm. To keep learning from our mistakes, and doing the best we can with the best intentions we have. Doing nothing is not an option.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
(So Shines a Good Deed in a Naughty World)

by Franklin P. Adams

There was a man in our town who had King Midas’ touch;
He gave away his millions to the colleges and such;
And people cried: “The hypocrite! He ought to understand
The ones who really need him are the children of this land!”

When Andrew Croesus built a home for children who were sick,
The people said they rather thought he did it as a trick,
And writers said: “He thinks about the drooping girls and boys,
But what about conditions with the men whom he employs?”

There was a man in our town who said that he would share
His profits with his laborers, for that was only fair,
And people said: “Oh, isn’t he the shrewd and foxy gent?
It cost him next to nothing for that free advértisement!”

There was a man in our town who had the perfect plan
To do away with poverty and other ills of man,
But he feared the public jeering, and the folks who would defame him,
So he never told the plan he had, and I can hardly blame him.