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Jainism in a Global Perspective
putting and end to life. But in case of plants and trees we survive by nature's surpluses without causing any noticeable pain and without putting and end to the life of a plant or a tree. Plants are less sensitive than animals and since we cannot cease to live, we should cause a minimum amount of pain for our survival. Moreover, the tree again starts growing up so that man can further be profited by its yield. Using animals for food has to be discouraged because we have no right to take away that which we cannot give.
World Peace and Non-violence
In the whole range of world history there has never been a time when the need for peace has been so acute as it is today. The reason is that there has been such a dangerous increase in the means of destruction during recent times. War first starts in the human mind and not elsewhere. If the human mind is turned to Ahiṁsā all the world over, there would be no cruelty and war. But the mind cannot be changed merely by chanting the word Ahimsā. Ahmisā has to be practised in word, thought and deed by each individual with a conviction that it is a law of nature, breach of which will be avenged by nature itself.
Sometimes Ahimsā is misunderstood as cowardice. It does not at all mean submission to the will of the evil-doer. Rather it entails willingness and courage to fight the evil for the sake of the welfare of society. However, while fighting the evil one should have a feeling of love and sympathy for the evil-doer. Ahimsā also does not mean refraining from self defence. But at the same time one should ensure that the means of self defence do not degenerate in to the means of aggression,
Inspite of a concerted effort to realize our dream of world peace through organizations like the UNO, violence continues to threaten the very existence of man at the turn of the century. The political effort must be supplemented by an attempt to revolutionize the human mind and religion has a treamendous capacity to elevate man into a divine being. Ahiṁsā is the highest form of religion. Rolland rightly remarked, "The Rșis who discovered the law of Ahimsă were greater geniuses than Newton, greater warriors than Wellington as it has converted the brutal life of mankind into cultured one." It is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind, mightier than the weapon of destruction. Mahatma Gandhi's life is a supreme example of the tremendous power that Ahiṁsācan wieldover
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