View source for Atmavat sarva-bhutesu: one should feel the happiness and distress of others as his own. It is on this basis that the Buddhist religious principle of nonviolence - ahimsah parama-dharmah - is established

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{{terms|"Atmavat sarva-bhutesu"|"Buddha"|"Buddhist"}}
{{notes|VedaBase research query: "atmavat sarva* bhutesu" and buddh*}}
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[[Category:Happiness and Distress|2]]
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[[Category:Establishing Religious Principles|2]]
[[Category:Nonviolence|2]]
[[Category:Ahimsa|2]]
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<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam" class="section" sec_index="1" parent="compilation" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam"><h2>Srimad-Bhagavatam</h2>
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<div id="SB_Canto_6" class="sub_section" sec_index="6" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam" text="SB Canto 6"><h3>SB Canto 6</h3>
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<div id="SB6109_0" class="quote" parent="SB_Canto_6" book="SB" index="394" link="SB 6.10.9" link_text="SB 6.10.9">
<div class="heading">Ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu: one should feel the happiness and distress of others as his own. It is on this basis that the Buddhist religious principle of nonviolence—ahiṁsaḥ parama-dharmaḥ—is established. We feel pain when someone disturbs us, and therefore we should not inflict pain upon other living beings.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:SB 6.10.9|SB 6.10.9, Translation and Purport]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="trans text"><p style="display: inline;">If one is unhappy to see the distress of other living beings and happy to see their happiness, his religious principles are appreciated as imperishable by exalted persons who are considered pious and benevolent.</p>
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<div class="purport text"><p>One generally follows different types of religious principles or performs various occupational duties according to the body given to him by the modes of material nature. In this verse, however, real religious principles are explained. Everyone should be unhappy to see others in distress and happy to see others happy. Ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu: one should feel the happiness and distress of others as his own. It is on this basis that the Buddhist religious principle of nonviolence—ahiṁsaḥ parama-dharmaḥ—is established. We feel pain when someone disturbs us, and therefore we should not inflict pain upon other living beings. Lord Buddha's mission was to stop unnecessary animal killing, and therefore he preached that the greatest religious principle is nonviolence.</p>
<p>One cannot continue killing animals and at the same time be a religious man. That is the greatest hypocrisy. Jesus Christ said, "Do not kill," but hypocrites nevertheless maintain thousands of slaughterhouses while posing as Christians. Such hypocrisy is condemned in this verse. One should be happy to see others happy, and one should be unhappy to see others unhappy. This is the principle to be followed. Unfortunately, at the present moment so-called philanthropists and humanitarians advocate the happiness of humanity at the cost of the lives of poor animals. That is not recommended herein. This verse clearly says that one should be compassionate to all living entities. Regardless of whether human, animal, tree or plant, all living entities are sons of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā  (14.4):</p>
:sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
:mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
:tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
:ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
<p>"It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father." The different forms of these living entities are only their external dresses. Every living being is actually a spirit soul, a part and parcel of God. Therefore one should not favor only one kind of living being. A Vaiṣṇava sees all living entities as part and parcel of God. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (5.18 and 18.54):</p>
:vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
:brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
:śuni caiva śvapāke ca
:paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
<p>"The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater (outcaste)."</p>
:brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
:na śocati na kāṅkṣati
:samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
:mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
:([[Vanisource:BG 18.54 (1972)|BG 18.54]])
<p>"One who is transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me." A Vaiṣṇava, therefore, is truly a perfect person because he laments to see others unhappy and feels joy at seeing others happy. A Vaiṣṇava is para-duḥkha-duḥkhī; he is always unhappy to see the conditioned souls in an unhappy state of materialism. Therefore a Vaiṣṇava is always busy preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout the world.</p>
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="0" parent="Lectures" text="Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures"><h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonBG41419NewYorkAugust31966_0" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="173" link="Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966" link_text="Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966">
<div class="heading">This ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu was preached by Lord Buddha, this philosophy. This one philosophy was, I mean to say, taught throughout the whole world by Lord Buddha, that there should be no animal killing. Ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. No living entity should be given suffering, even by words.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966|Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">This ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu was preached by Lord Buddha, this philosophy. This one philosophy was, I mean to say, taught throughout the whole world by Lord Buddha, that there should be no animal killing. Ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. No living entity should be given suffering, even by words. That is real life. Ātmavat... yaḥ paśyati. One who has such vision of life, he is called learned. He is called learned, not by educational qualifications. One who has acquired... phalena paricīyate. Education is understood, how far a man is educated, by his behavior. By his vision of life, it will be estimated, not by the degree. Ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyati sa paṇḍitaḥ. Similarly, here also, here also the word paṇḍita, paṇḍita has been used.</p>
<p>So I have just given you some explanation of paṇḍita from different angle of vision. And budha also. Budha. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find the definition of budha. Budha means well-versed. Well-versed. Well-versed means who has got, studied lots of books of knowledge. He is called budha.</p>
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<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="1" parent="Lectures" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures"><h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonSB6122HonoluluMay221976_0" class="quote" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" book="Lec" index="633" link="Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Honolulu, May 22, 1976" link_text="Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Honolulu, May 22, 1976">
<div class="heading">All other living entities think like yourself. That means your pains and pleasure that you feel, you should take others pains and pleasure. Not that you protect yourself from all danger and you cut the throat of the poor animals on the plea that it has no soul. Buddha philosophy is based on this, that whatever you feel pain you should not inflict to others.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Honolulu, May 22, 1976|Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Honolulu, May 22, 1976]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So brahmacārī is taught that how he should behave in society, what is the aim of life. That is brahmacārī. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat. And other's property just like garbage. Nobody goes... But that I have seen nowadays garbage is also tackled(?). I have seen in Hong Kong one woman is finding out something valuable from the garbage. This is Kali-yuga. It is untouchable, but still people are trying to get something from the garbage. So downtrodden, this Kali-yuga. So mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. All other living entities think like yourself. That means your pains and pleasure that you feel, you should take others pains and pleasure. Not that you protect yourself from all danger and you cut the throat of the poor animals on the plea that it has no soul. This is not education. This is education, that whether the animal has soul or not soul, we shall consider later on. But when knife is on my throat I cry, and he also cries. Why shall I say that it has no soul and let me kill it? So that means he does not know how to see other living entity like himself. Buddha philosophy is based on this, that whatever you feel pain you should not inflict to others. This is education. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat.</p>
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<div id="LectureonSB6123HonoluluMay231976_1" class="quote" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" book="Lec" index="636" link="Lecture on SB 6.1.23 -- Honolulu, May 23, 1976" link_text="Lecture on SB 6.1.23 -- Honolulu, May 23, 1976">
<div class="heading">Buddha philosophy is based on this, that "Whatever you feel, pain, you should not inflict to others." This is education.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on SB 6.1.23 -- Honolulu, May 23, 1976|Lecture on SB 6.1.23 -- Honolulu, May 23, 1976]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat, ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu: "All other living entities think like yourself." That means your pains and pleasure, as you feel, you should take up others' pains and pleasure, not that you protect yourself from all danger and you cut the throat of the poor animals on the plea that it has no soul. This is not education. This is education, that whether the animal has soul or not soul we shall consider later on. But when knife is on my throat I cry, and he also cries. Why shall I say that "It has no soul, and let me kill it"? So that means he does not know how to see other living entities like himself. Buddha philosophy is based on this, that "Whatever you feel, pain, you should not inflict to others." This is education. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat ātmavat.</p>
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