First Steps to Jainism Part 1

Author(s): Sancheti Asso Lal, Manakmal Bhandari
Publisher: Sancheti Trust Jodhpur

Page 74

60 First Steps to Jainism
and one commits violence when indulging in such acts e.g. cutting of trees, excavating the earth recklessly. Incidentally, all ecologists, environmentalists and preservationists are coming to the same conclusion as a result of the latest advance of science. There is a movement for preservation of animals, realizing that every creature-tiniest or wildest-has its place in the scheme of nature. Tree cutting, pollution of water of rivers and oceans and needless unplanned excavation of earth is raising protests. The world is coming to the same path as preached by Jainism millenniums ago.
10. The rationale behind the principle of non-violence, according to Jain thought, is equality of all living beings-all souls with one sense or five senses being essentially alike. As such none has the right or justification to treat another one in a manner different from how it would like to be treated, which is the golden rule. Again no one likes pain or bondage or death-every body wants to live and live without pain or fear. If so, what right has one being to cause pain or death to another when it does not want it for itself?
11. According to the theory of causation (Karma) violence leads to bondage and defilement of the soul thus delaying its liberation. The injurer soul suffers from the passions accompanying the act of causing injury and the injured one forms a sense of enmity and hatred towards the injurer. This perpetuates the cycle of birth and death by defilement of both the souls.
12. In more simple and direct terms one cannot visualise a world full of violence or without non-violence. Indeed inspite of age long emphasis on non-violence, love and kindness by all spiritual leaders the world is a difficult and miserable place to live. One shudders at the prospects of a world where only violence prevails. There are some who hold the view that life survives by destroying life. But what is forgotten is that life survives more with the help of life. It is the mutual help, love, kindness, charity shown by one living being for another that makes the world a fit place to live. Non-violence is, therefore, a practical necessity and an obvious essential needing no penumbra of justification.