How to become non-violent?

You should not have any violent intent in your mind. Your intent not to cause harm to any being should be constant, within you. Each morning before you begin your day, you must ask for the strength to not hurt anyone through the medium of your mind, your speech and your actions. This will ensure a lesser liability for you. If you were to accidentally step on an insect, you are not responsible, because today your intent is not to kill. The Lord is concerned with your intent and not your deed. According to the laws of nature, the intent is the most important. The world however, only considers the deeds of a person. The deeds will remain here but it is the intent that will help you progress further. So keep a constant vigil on your intent.

Recite the following prayer five times each morning:

'Dear Lord, give me the strength not to hurt even in the  slightest degree, any living being with my thoughts, my speech and my actions.'

In doing this you become non-violent. With such intent, even if you quarrel with someone, you would still remain nonviolent; because you have already made a strong resolve not to hurt anyone. If you do hurt someone during the day, you should reinforce your resolve by recalling all the transgressions, repenting for them and resolving never to repeat them. Doing this much will absolve you from any liability.

Such intent not to hurt any living being is equivalent to having accomplished the supreme vow of ahimsa (one of the five major vows called mahavrats). You have to make a decision that you want to maintain this intent and then you should remain sincere to it at all costs. When you do not adhere to your decision, it is called anuvrat.