Ahimsa (Sanskrit: अहिंसा; IAST: ahiṃsā, Pāli: avihiṃsā) is a term meaning to do no harm (literally: the avoidance of violence – himsa). The word is derived from the Sanskrit root hims – to strike; himsa is injury or harm, a-himsa is the opposite of this, i.e. non harming or nonviolence.^[1][2]

AHIMSA BERKELEY is also a San Francisco Bay Area non-profit, nonsectarian foundation. Drawing on both Eastern and Western faith traditions, AHIMSA was founded in 1993 to  mark the Centennial of the Chicago Parliament of Religions.

Our founding dedication is to expanding the role of spiritual awareness in everyday life. To this end, a central goal has been to encourage dialogues on issues which bridge spirituality and various science and social issues –areas of rapidly changing world knowledge and impact. Our offerings include forums, which are free to the public. In them, we seek to focus on the universal aspects of topic areas and to bring to them critical perspectives including those of religious and spiritual philosophies. We believe that the unifying nature and true depth of philosophical experience are to be realized in the cross reflections of multiple perspectives. Go to AHIMSA website.