Book Title: Environmental Ethics
Author(s): S M Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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Page 105
________________ this is not realised and forests have been and are being destroyed mercilessly inspite of now established consequences viz. floods, droughts, storms, increasing green house effect, pollution of air, sinking water table etc. all of which will be checked and minimised if green forest cover is restored and protected. There is much talk, organised activity, rules and laws for human rights and prevention of cruelty against animals but there is no such effort for preventing cruelty against plants which too have life and cognitive perception or mentation for pain and pleasure. This has been proved by scientific experiments and observations. It has been observed that plants can even sense intentions of a person whether he intends to harm or tend the plant. It is a great irony that the plants which are most beneficial and which alone have the ability to produce food for all other living beings directly or indirectly, are mercilessly treated. Their limbs, the leaves and branches are detached, multilated sometimes without any purpose just for fun or idling time. Merciless cutting i.e. butchering of trees is continuing eversince the birth of agriculture. Trees are so benevolent that they drop their fruits, dry twigs, leaves and other products voluntarily for use by men and animals. Trees also have life spans like other animals and dry and fall down and if human beings are compassonate to trees the wood of tree should be utilised only after it has completed its life span, dried and fallen on ground and not while it is young and living. Shramanik religious texts have correlated the good or evil attitude of persons by their behaviour towards trees equating with dark and light colours according to evil and good behaviour. It has been mentioned that a person gathering naturally fallen fruits is best and is attributed pure white colour to his intention and attitude as he does not harm the tree. Second person plucking only ripe fruits from branches is denoted by light pink colour of lotus flowers as he is good and his choice is limited to only ripe fruits yet it gives some pain though minimum to the tree so it is not pure and white but with slight tinge of pink denoting lowest intensity of evil. Third 90 Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org

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