Ahimsa
/uh-HIM-saa/
Non-violence in action, speech and thought.
The first and most important Jain vow. It covers all living beings (animals, insects, plants, even microbes) and it covers harm in your head and your words as well as your hands. Monks practise it to extremes; laypeople scale it to a working life, focusing first on never harming anything intentionally.
You may already know thisVeganism, animal rights, and 'don't be cruel online' are all partial versions.