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world society? Since the Terapanth community is the genesis of the movement, it holds a
key responsibility for demonstrating the exemplary behavior of conserving resources for
the rest of the society. Belonging to the same tradition, it has become apparent to me in
my ongoing research that the community itself needs to rethink some of its strategies of
the excessive use of paper involved in publishing and promoting the Terapanth activities.
Conclusion
In keeping with the discussion of Tulsi's code of modifed vows, I will conclude
the present section by quoting a scholar of Jainism and the professor of Ecology, Michael
Tobias, whose views on self-restraint echoed Tulsi's movement: “We humans are
equipped with a conscience; we can make intelligent and sensitive choices. [...]. Amid
the tumultuous sea of nature, we are like an island of choice. [...] We can self-destruct or
carry on. But we will not live on as a species if we fail to co-exist harmoniously with all
other creatures sharing this island."108
Tobias's quotation is in accordance with Tulsi's dominant theme of ahimsa, and
the personalized practice of the small vows. As clearly manifested, each of the above
described 11 vows emphasize on making wise choices for personal spiritual growth and
for world sustainability. The eternal nature of vows and the rudimentary of ethics suggest
the relevance of Tulsi's movement though, these vows are teneuous in keeping pace with
the critical juncture of socio-economical and environmenatal state. The following chapter
presents a survey analysis of the practices of these vows through the data obtained from a
small sample group of conveniently selected 200 people from various backgrounds.
108 Michael Tobias, Life Force : The World of Jainism (Jain Publishing Company, 2000), 8.
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