Loving-kindness and Non-Injury

Excerpt from "Miracles Through Pranic Healing" ~GMCKS

"Loving-kindness and non-injury simply means the absence of cruelty. Loving-kindness may be expressed physically, verbally, and mentally. Being polite, courteous, and helpful are acts of loving-kindness. Verbally, you can say words that are nurturing and encouraging. People are just like plants that need to be nurtured to bloom and grow. For instance, you can show appreciation or give recognition for the achievements of a person. In this way, he is inspired to become better. Mentally, loving-kindness means blessing other people. 

Non-injury is refraining from hurting other people physically, verbally, and psychically. On a physical level, non-injury means "thou shalt not kill" or hurt other people out of anger or malice. The practice of harmlessness towards other creatures is also very important. Sometimes, however, a person may have to take the life of an animal to provide food for his family. The act of killing should not include and cruelty, malice or enjoyment in seeing the animal suffer. Termination of rats, cockroaches, mosquitoes, and insects is permissible for hygienic reasons. 

Verbal non-injury is avoiding the use of harsh or injurious words which often take a longer time to heal than physical injury. A physical wound takes only one or two weeks to heal, but the wounds caused by a tactless or malicious remark can take years to heal, if they ever get healed at all. Therefore, watch your words that they do not hurt others. If you have to criticize another person, do it with love and softness. In other words, criticize with a heart. You will notice that this is more effective because the person will be more receptive. 

On a subtle level, non-injury means minimizing or abstaining from excessive mental criticism. Avoid enviousness also. In other words, one should strive to practice mental harmlessness. A person may not be physically and verbally injurious but in his mind he is always criticizing the faults and defects of other people. This does not mean that you are not aware of the flaws or weaknesses of another person but there is no reason why you should dwell on his negative qualities 10 or 20 times a day... When you do this, you create a negative image of the other person, thus making his progress more difficult. By being constantly critical, you prevent him from changing, even if he wants to change. Repeated mental criticism can, therefore, obstruct development. It will not help but will just delay the progress of another person. Before criticising, one should realize that almost nobody is perfect and that it takes time to change and progress. Spiritual development implies a process and process implies time."