Peace Silk PillowcaseAhimsa hms noun. Respect for all living things and avoidance of violence to others; nonviolence. Origin: Sanskrit. Every year, thousands upon thousands of pounds of silk are spun and sold all over the world. And, every year, billions of silkworms are killed in the process. Did you know that 3,000 silkworms die just to make a single pound of silk? Not only is silk making cruel to the silkworms; it's unsustainable. But silk can be produced ethically.