In Jain thought, non-violence (ahiṃsā) is not confined to dramatic moral choices; it permeates the smallest details of daily life. Jains extend this principle to thoughts, words, and deeds, and to all forms of life, from humans and animals to minute organisms. This sensitivity is expressed most visibly in dietary discipline: strict vegetarianism, avoidance of meat, fish, and eggs, and, for many, refraining from root vegetables such as potatoes, onions, garlic, and carrots, since uprooting them is seen as destroying an entire plant and disturbing countless tiny beings in the soil. Some also avoid honey, mindful of the harm to bees, and take care to filter water so that microscopic life is not destroyed. Eating only during daylight hours is another practice, intended to reduce harm to insects that may be attracted to artificial light at night. Through such choices, the act of eating becomes a deliberate exercise in compassion and restraint rather than mere consumption.

Non-violence also shapes how Jains move through the world and engage in ordinary activities. Walking is done carefully and attentively, with an awareness that even a careless step can crush unseen creatures. Monastics, and sometimes devout laypeople, may sweep the ground before sitting or walking, and use soft brushes to gently remove insects instead of killing them. Mouth coverings (muhapatti) and cloth filters are employed by some to avoid inhaling or ingesting tiny organisms in the air or water. Even the use of tools is approached with caution, so that work does not become a vehicle for inadvertent harm. These practices cultivate a continuous mindfulness of the pervasive presence of life and the responsibility that comes with that awareness.

The principle of ahiṃsā further governs speech, livelihood, and inner life. Jains seek to avoid harsh, deceitful, or divisive words, recognizing that verbal injury can wound as deeply as physical violence. Occupational choices are guided by the same ethic: professions that directly involve killing or harming living beings—such as butchery, certain forms of farming, military service, or leather work—are traditionally shunned, while trades and other forms of business are preferred as relatively less harmful. On the mental plane, there is a sustained effort to cultivate compassion and equanimity, and to recognize anger, greed, pride, and hatred as subtle forms of violence against oneself and others. Regular practices of prayer, meditation, fasting, and self-examination serve to review one’s conduct, repent for harm done knowingly or unknowingly, and refine the intention to live more gently. In this way, daily life itself becomes a disciplined path of self-purification directed toward liberation.