Ahimsa the Ultimate Winner

Author(s): N P Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 94

of renunciation has been gravely misconstrued with the result that wealth and riches have been condemned in the name of religion.
If the nations of the world today wish to claim real civilization and progress, they ought to inculcate the sense of dispossession in the minds of their citizens. The spirit of true renunciation alone can pave the way to salvation for nations as well as individuals."
Thus “aparigraha” does not envisage dispensation of normal life of a householder. It is not running away from normal life or escaping from its challenges and responsibilities. It is not necessary to become a hermit and retire to Himalayan mountain areas for meditation and penance. Asceticism is for the monks to practice. For people in the society, "aparigraha" is a way to gain more and more objectivity in life and rationality of approach.
Implicit in the Jain concept of “Aparigraha” is the philosophy of conservation of natural environment and avoidance of its over exploitation or abusive and wasteful consumption. For instance it has now become clear that the rupture in the protective ozone layer is the result of man's own mischief with nature due to his acts of unrestrained violence and wreck less possessiveness.
Jain ethics regards misuse of any part of nature as a kind of theft as it deprives life of its inherent autonomy and independence. “Take from the earth only what you need; the mother earth will then be able to serve and support living creatures longer."
Ahimsa (Non-violence) and Aparigraha (Non-attachment) complement and supplement one another. In the world of today if these virtues are practiced together in practical life, it would help in reducing social tensions, national greed, international rivalries over boundaries, control over natural resources, or fruits of development, Legal or technical, political or juridical agreements concluded have, by and large, transitory significance. It is the strength and force of a philosophical tradition of "give
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