Ahimsa in the African Savanna

Ernest Hemmingway’s novel, True at First Light, explores the relationship of human beings with majestic creatures in the wild. Throughout the novel, the main characters are actively hunting a lion in the African Savanna. 

The completion of the Uganda Railway in 1901 provided easier access to the interior highlands of British East Africa (now known as Kenya). The white hunter (European professional big game hunters in the first half of the 20thcentury) served paying customers as a guide to those who wanted to hunt plentiful large animals like elephants, lions, and rhinoceroses.

Ernest Hemingway en safari, en 1934

Appallingly, hunting safaris became a fashionable pursuit among members of the privileged classes, particularly in Britain and the United States. It came to symbolize a perceived arrogance of western colonial powers toward the less developed parts of the world they controlled.
In 1909, a £50 hunting license (equivalent to £6,600 in 2023) in British East Africa entitled its purchaser to kill two buffaloes, two hippos, one eland, 22 zebras, six oryxes, four waterbucks, one greater kudu, four lesser kudus, 10 topis, 26 hartebeests, 229 other antelope, 84 colobus monkeys, and unlimited lions and leopards (lions and leopards killed livestock and were classified as vermin) before the dismemberment of their empires after World War II.

In the novel (part memoir), Ernest and Mary (along with a team) track, wait, watch, listen, and revel in any appearance of their subject. For months, they follow the lion. They claim to even love this magnificent being. Finally, they decide that time is up and they must have the lion for themselves. 
 

They make the egoic decision to take, to steal, to kill. It sheds light on the dark side of human nature, that which wants to win, to have, to conquor. 
 
“Then I remembered that I had given the afternoon for the lion’s death and that it was all over now and that Mary had won…”
 
Instead of experiencing joy and satisfaction of the celebration, after they do finally pull the trigger to end the hunt, devastation, emptiness, remorse, and guilt hang heavily. 
 
“I drank and then lay down by the lion and talked to him very softly in Spanish and begged his pardon for us having killed him and while I lay beside him I felt for the wounds…He was not a stupid lion and he was not cowardly.”
 
Ernest is so devastated that he utters, “There is no such word as love. Just as there is no word for sorry.”
 
They realize the delusion of the ego. They were not seeing clearly. They were not honoring all divine life. They suffered with the consequences of the lie.
 
The title of the book comes from this quote about delusion as a mirage, “In Africa a thing is true at first light and a lie by noon and you have no more respect for it than for the lovely, perfect weed-fringed lake you see across the sun-baked salt plain. You have walked across that plain in the morning and you know that no such lake is there.”
 

Delusion in Yoga
 
The primary cause of delusion involves the lack of true knowledge that prevents one from understanding the nature of reality and their true self. It associates mistaking the unreal for the real. This misunderstanding clouds the mind and ultimately leads to suffering.
 
In the Yoga Sutras, delusion is a mental movement that obscures one’s true self and connection to reality. Yoga (quieting the movements of the mind) is the tool to overcome it through mental stillness and correct knowledge. 

“Sitting there in the tent I thought how abhorrent this would be to real vegetarians but everyone who has ever eaten meat must know that someone has killed it…”
 
Ahimsa: Do No Harm
 
According to the Dalai Lama regarding all creatures, “We all want to live and we all want to be loved.” There is an underlying unity in how we feel and desire. 
 
Ancient yogi Patanjali outlined guidelines for yogis on a path to enlightenment, the 8-Limbed Path. One of the limbs for Universal Morality is called the Yamas. Within these Yamas is Ahimsa. Ahimsa means non-violence or do not kill. It implies that in every situation we should adopt a considerate attitude and do no harm. Therefore, we need to respect and honor to the land and those who live on it.
 
On a deeper, level it means to be kind, thoughtful, friendly. Many yogis like myself interpret ahimsa as a form of eating vegan or vegetarian as to be kind to the animals and the earth.

Lion’s Breath
 
We can honor and embody the majestic qualities of the lion through this boost in confidence and energy. 
 
Lion’s breath, known in Sanskrit as Simhasana, can alleviate stress, release frustration, and stimulate the throat and chest.
 
Traditionally, one can begin kneeling on the heels, or ankles crossed. Some variations include knees together, others have knees wide.  Hands can be placed on the knees, between the knees with the fingers facing the toes, or in front of the knees.
 
I prefer the more active kriya variation that includes starting in child’s pose with the knees wide, hips to heels, arms reaching forward with grounded hands, and forehead to the mat. Inhale through the nose.
 
Exhale to come forward and up with the shoulders over the wrists, straight arms, wide fingers. The forceful Lion’s Breath exhale releases through the mouth with the tongue sticking out and down towards the chin and the “Ha” sound alleviates tension in the jaw and face while imitating a quiet lion’s roar. Eyes can be looking up wide open or closed, looking inward to the third eye.  I like to add the further option of dropping the hips and lifting the toes over the bum for a deeper stretch in the quads and abdominals.
 
Repeat slowly 7 times by inhaling in Child’s Pose and Exhaling Lion’s Breath.