Jainism in a Global Perspective - Collection of Jain papers of 1993 Parliament of World Religions, Chicago

SR No.: 014010
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Sagarmal Jain, Shreeprakash Pandey
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith
Publication Year: 1998
Total Pages: 402
Language: English
Classification: Seminar & Articles
File Size: 23 MB

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Jainism in a Global Perspective
What the world of today needs is a widespread grass root education and training in non-violence in thought and practice. It must become part of school and University education. It must find a mention in the Charter and Covenants of the United Nations. Search for durable peace has to be on the formulations of the compassionate concept of non-violence. Nonviolence along can be stable and convincing deterrant. United Nations has so for undertaken many peace keeping operations but they have always been through armed forces. It is about time an international brigade of multinational volunteer force is raised which would seek to bring peace in troubled regions through non-violent methods.
There are institutions like the UN University for Peace at Costa Rica providing education in peace. Education in peace is incomplete unless reinforced by a well thought out, co-ordinated and planned programme of education in the virtues and strength of non-violent thought and behaviour pattern in day-to-day life for tackling crisis points and situation as they begin to emerge in a society.
Such education can more persuasively strengthen environmental awareness and responsibility. Jaina religion may on the face of it appear austere in terms of inculcating mental and physical discipline and restraint, it has a clear potential of universally creating a healthy climate by spreading the philosophy of "Live and let Live" and "Live by need and not greed."
Jaina concept of non-violence is not a theoritical, ritual or doctrinaire concept. For from being a religious dogma or dispensation, it is a dynamic instrument. A case in point is Martin Luther King's non-violent struggle for assertion of racial equality and protection of the legitimate human rights of the coloured population in USA. It created a deep impact on the minds and hearts of not only the Americans but indeed people all over the world.
Drug addiction, child abuse, cruelty to animals and a host of such world-wide problems can be more satisfactorily tackled through nonviolent methods. Last year while visiting Rio for the UN Earth Summit in my discussions with leading social workers I discerned that they were veering round to persuasive education to correct such social malaises and were eager to find out how the culture of non-violent approach be used as