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सोसियल सिगनीफिकेन्स प्रॉफ जैन एथिक्स
of all religions is social good and individuals freedom. Jainism shows an important way of achieving it through rigorous discipline of body and mind.
The noted American physiologist, Prof. M. B. Visscher declared in his plenary lecture (reported briefly in The Times of India, Delhi, dated 24th October, 1974), at the 26th International Congress of physiological Scientists meeting at Delhi that one of the most pressing problems for human society today is "the kind of organised violence we can war. Personal violence, too, is not an, insignificant problem as the increase in the incidence of kidnapping, sky jacking, murder, robbery and rape all over the world indicate". He said that the world in which thermonuclear weapons existed in such a quantity as to be capable of destroying all life on our planet, it behaved society to learn more about violence and how to control it. Information gained from behaviour science that violence has biological roots is not sufficient. It is true that human animal has tendency towards violence and lust for power and money. Himsa and Parigraha, to use the words of Jainism, are biologically rooted in man. Should we then give way to despair because of the tendency of human animal to use his intelligence for violence through the large number of scientists and conclude that the future prospect was hopeless? Mahavira would say No. His indispensable ethical teachings of ahimsa and aparigraha, to name only two out of the five cordinal Vows, are the way for the freedom, peace and prosperity of the world troubled by excessive violence and over-powering spirit of exploitation and acquisition.
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