Ahimsa Crisis You Decide

Author(s): Sulekh C Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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religious duty. We can think about the concept of ahimsa in Jainism as having two dimensions: a dimension that focuses on ahimsa as a spiritual notion and a dimension that focuses on ahimsa as a matter of normative ethics. In certain respects, this distinction tracks the distinction proposed by Acharya Kundakunda in Samayasāra between the niscaya naya, the nonconventional or absolute point of view, and the vyavahara naya, the conventional or worldly point of view. Ahimsa as a spiritual concept concerns the state of the soul, or atma, and says that we achieve ahimsa only when the atma is in a state of complete tranquility, or a state of being vitaraga, or free of attachment or aversion. If the atma is vibrating in any way, it is attracting karma, and whether that karma be good (punya) or bad (pap), there is not—and cannot be—a state of ahimsa. So if we have not achieved liberation, or moksha, we are necessarily participating in some form of himsa. Ahimsa as a concept of normative concept focuses on not injuring other sentient beings in thought, speech, or action. Dravya himsa is used to describe the actual action of injuring a sentient being. Bhäva himsa is the intent to inflict injury. Both types of himsa result in the accumulation of pap karma. When these two sorts of himsa are combined—when a violent action is undertaken with a violent intention—the karmic result is most inauspicious. Jainism and Vegetarianism The Jain ascetic is enjoined not to commit violence against any living being, including those with one sense (ekendiryas) and that are immobile (sthavar), such as plants or those organisms that have earth, water, fire, or air as bodies. But all Jains are forbidden from himsa against all mobile beings (trasa), whether they have two (dwindriya), three (trindriya), four (chaturindriya), or five (panchendriya) senses. The five senses are: touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. The mammals, birds, and fish that humans regularly consume as food all belong in the highest class of those beings with five senses—a class in which humans, who are mammals, belong as well. This prohibition is not limited to what a person does directly (krita) and extends
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