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the same caste, sub-caste and sect. Due to the migration of Jains all over the globe, globalization, education, travel, instant communication, business, and other far-reaching connections, more and more marriageable boys and girls now search for spouses outside the tradition in which they were born and raised. This has started causing some serious tension and conflicts within family structures and hence himsa to some degree (depending upon the orthodoxy of the families). I often hear of such cases. Sometimes the differences are very minor; they may involve relationships between members of different sects or sub-sects of Jainism, or just a different caste or gotra within the same sect. I have seen families falling apart either temporarily or permanently. I wonder: how many of us stop and think of ahimsa and anekantavada here? I sincerely hope we have not made them into mere slogans. Now you decide: is this behavior consistent with ahimsa?
ANIMOSITY & CONFLICTS WITHIN VARIOUS SECTS OF JAINISM Over the years, due to certain geographical and historical factors as well as philosophical interpretations of Jain doctrine, the Jain community split into a few schisms, sects, and sub-sects. As is human nature, these various sects developed some of their own unique customs and rituals but the basic foundation, philosophy, and most of the scriptures and scholars of the Jain Sangh remained the same and in common. As time progressed, these divisions and walls of separation became stronger and community kept on drifting further apart from each other. This too, in spite of the fact that Jains are hardly 0.6% of total population of India, a really very miniscule part. The process of differentiation and division has reached a point that these keepers of ahimsa now behave like Shias and Sunnis in Islam, each believing the other is in err. Various sects bad mouth each other, will not visit each other's places of worship and monks, and have several legal lawsuits going
An Ahimsa Crisis: You Decide
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