Gandhi And Jainism

Author(s): Shugan C Jain
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

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subscribe to superstitions based religious practices. Gandhi was married in childhood. To become self reliant, he decided to go to England to experience life there as well as earn a legal diploma to make decent livelihood on return.
Chapter II: Strengthening of the Roots: Gandhi went to England in 1888 for three years to study law. There also, he experimented with British way of life but returned to his life to pass law examination and achieve his ultimate objective of self realization based on insistence of truth. Accordingly he adopted a simple lifestyle based on selfless effort to pass the examination and be admitted to the bar, continued dietetic experiments based on vegetarian diet by choice, celibacy, understanding other religions to get deeper insight. He returned to India after qualifying the examination and admittance to the bar to start practice. However his return to India was not a pleasant experience as he was declared outcast by his community for travelling overseas and his mother's death kept as a secret though with good intentions. Similarly his experiences to start legal practice was a non starter due to his insistence on not taking cases based on falsification or where he had to give commission to get the case. The last experience of meeting the British agent in Rajkot made him realize that he could not exist in dirty environment and stick to his spiritual values. He looked for the first opportunity and left for South Africa for a year's assignment. However his stay in India was extremely important as he had the opportunity to meet and spend lot of time observing and discussing philosophy with Rajchandra, a young Vaishnav Jain jeweller of the same age and family background and place as Gandhi. Gandhi started his company with Rajchandra as a friend but later Rajchandra became his spiritual guide and refuge. It was Rajchandra who had the greatest spiritual impact on Gandhi in his future years.
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