Ahimsa is practice that originated in ancient India under the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, but predominantly Jainism, although there are other religions and cultures have their own independent concept of ahimsa or non-violence in regard to all living things.
In my own life I try to practice my own adaptation of ahimsa, but I am faced with a number of problems, being that I belong to a society that is pretty extremely anti-ahimsa. I did discover though, that by respecting the sanctity of my body and the body of my family members by creating a non toxic lifestyle for them, at least inside of the home, that ahimsa begins to follow suit effortlessly in many aspects. For instance, I have a terrible fear of insects and arachnids of any kind, so much so I'd say it was a mental issue that I am yet to solve. Despite this, I would rather not kill these creatures, instead I would just like them to stay away. I also did not want the poisonous chemicals used in bug sprays to be in my home. So I started to use repelling methods that basically say to bugs, that my home is not a fun place to be, and the food here is gross! I used neem oil mixed with a tea I would triple seep from catnip herbs. I also tried hedge apples, but found that the neem and catnip are most effective. I would put the liquid mix in a squirt bottle and spray it generously in bug invasion zones, like under and around heavy kitchen appliances, trash cans, dryer vent (which is not in use in my home since I have a condensing dryer), door and window seals, etc. I have never seen a bug in the bedrooms of my home so I didn't need to spray there. The results...no more bugs for about 3-6month for each treatment, at which time I might see a baby version of some scary bug species and I would re-spray. I suppose increasing the frequency of treatments would limit any return visitors as I am very likely to kill them once the are in the house...yeah I know not very ahimsa but I have issues that I need to work out ok! I'm trying.
Other things that I avoid at all costs, are anything that uses sacrifices or abuses the life of living creatures for the production of non-necessary (i.e. food) items. I love beading, and I truly adore pink coral, but I will not buy any under any condition, I do not buy pearls, as I feel pearl farming is a form of animal slavery in the sake of vanity. I accidently bought some silk cord for beading because I was not yet aware that many silk producers boil the worms alive!!! to produce silk. There is a new process that has been created to avoid doing this and I am researching what companies use it.
Anyway its all a processes. I didn't expect or try to become some perfect or a completely enlightened person over night. It takes time to raise one's own consciousness and then mold your life style to reflect your new understanding. This is dually complex when you are a product of a society in which most religious paths are hardly understood let alone consistently followed. What other people do is not at all an excuse when you personally become aware of a moral crime, that doesn't register on their sensors.
I've recently been contemplating giving up meat. I'm not sure if I want to or if I will do it since I am on the fence as to whether consuming animals is a bad thing. We have incisors after all, that means were are built to tear through some amount of meat. Prabhupada asked of humanity, that if we could survive by not killing another being, why would we not choose to do so. That makes since but, Prabhupada says its ok to drink milk. In my head I'm thinking did the cow say we could have some of her milk? If not it amounts to stealing and I don't see any cows knocking at my door with the morning milk. Prabhupada also wore a lay of beautiful flowers around his neck, which seems a vein sacrifice since he didn't need to kill those flowers in order to live. I know heavily critical, but shouldn't all conscious people still be analytical as to the morality of those we consider enlightened? Everyone draws the lines of what type of consumptions and killing is acceptable. Only true Jain followers are known by me to go as far as wearing face covers so that they do not inhale and kill the tiniest of organisms. And though absolutely no killing is rather impossible, Jains meditate and repent for those microorganisms and tiniest creatures that they may have killed simply by existing. Is this what the higher power intended? I am not sure it was intended that we go so far, and that we are preoccupied with it so that we do not actually live. That is one extreme on the spectrum. On the other end I do not feel we should put superficiality and worldliness over our common morals. Its probably not ok to through silk worms in a vat of boiling water because you want a silk dress, and its probably not intended that we wear face covers in order to avoid inhaling tiny living organisms. Life is a cycle and so death is apart of that automatically.