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JULY, 1969
Jainism puts great emphasis on righteous life and helps to pull men out of the morass of this mundane world ever and ever to a higher spiritual plane. This is the beauty of Jainism.
The centre-piece of Jaina philosophy is ahimsā. Ahimsā in Jainism is not just non-violence in the ordinary sense of the word. It is not just physically refraining from killing or hurting an animal. It is a far deeper feeling. It is essentially a matter of self-realisation, realisation that it is the same soul that pervades all earthly creatures, even the smallest of the small, and everywhere, in all objects, both animate and inanimate, all over the universe. This feeling of equanimity of view is the spiritual conception per excellence of Jainism. The faith that seeks to realise this supreme idea can never do any wrong to fellow-men or for that matter to any fellow-creature, even a bird, a beast or an insect. To a world torn by wars and dissensions and still sitting in hostile postures, one against the other, Jainism shows a new horizon, an enlightened way, to peace and harmony.
Speech delivered on the occasion of the Fifth Anniversary of the Jain Information Bureau sponsored by Jain Bhawan on the Mahavira Jayanti day
on March 31, 1969.
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