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Jainism in a Global Perspective
On the day the Aņuvrata Movement was launched, Ācārya declared :
1. First comes religion; and then the community or sect. 2. Though sects can be many, there can be only one religion. 3. Religion and politics must be kept apart. 4. Religion must take care of and improve the life of the people in
the present and must not merely stress the hereafter. 5. It is character and not worship that is central to religion.
For those concerned about religious reconciliation and welfare of all human beings the message was clear. Narrow sectarianism and parochialism of all kinds was subversive of true religion. If there is only one religion, it will be for all humans whatever and wherever they are. Though there is no acceptable name for this human religion, it would be humanism in the best sense of the world. Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Jainism will all be then names of different sects and not of religions. If taken in the right spirit the above formulation will rule out the possibility of all feuds and wars in the name of religion, for by definition the latter can only be a unifying factor and an instrument for common weal. Further, life in this world is more important than that after death. Religious concerns should directly aim at improving the quality of life and righteousness of conduct should take precedence over formal and ritualistic practices associated with orthodox religion. Here was a veritable manifesto of good living and doing good.
Aņuvrata means a small or diminutive vow. No vow, truly speaking, is either small or great. What is meant by a small vow is a vow that is not accepted in its fullness. The name has its origin in the Jaina tradition. Lord Buddha laid down the middle path for the monks. Lord Mahāvīra set forth a middle Path for the ordinary householders. It is Aņuvrata. Ācārya Tulasi took cue from Mahāvīra's programme to purify the life of his Śrāvakas and gave it the form of a mass movement transcending all sectarian bounds. As a way it stands between violence and non-violence. As far as possible, it is the path of non-violence. A life without any restraint results in violence, whereas complete restraint leads to non-violence. The former is harmful;
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