ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 03

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

Page 165

B.5.14.2
Bio Medical Ethics in Jainism
Dr. D. K. Bobra
1.0 Introduction
Ethics is a branch of philosophy. It is the science of conduct that evaluates morality and moral code of conduct logically. Although initially they were practiced for spiritual development and salvation; this concept became in the modern times as an applied field of ethics and when applied in the field of medical practice it became known as bio-ethics.
Bioethics is the ethics for the application of biological Science & Medicine to the living beings. Some bio-ethicists would narrow bioethics only to morality of medical treatment, technological innovations, and the timing of medical treatment of humans, while others include all organisms capable of feeling fear & pain. The problem becomes more complicated due to the explosion of scientific knowledge and technology of the late twentieth century, advances in life support therapies and possibilities of test tube babies, organ transplant and gene therapy to name a few, brought in religious and political forces in the picture. Hippocratic medical ethics of 1960 is not enough to deal with present day and future possibilities. Bioethics is not a new set of principles but the same old ethics applied to a particular realm of concerns.
Religious bio-ethicists have developed rules & guidelines on how to deal with these issues from within the viewpoint of their respective faith. Many religious bio-ethicists are Jewish or Christian scholars. However a growing number of religious scholars from other religions have become involved in this field as well. Islamic clerics have begun to write on this topic. A naturalistic outlook that leads to a rationalistic, pragmatic approach, in general characterizes Buddhist bioethics. In many Asian cultures there are lively discussions on these issues.
As for Jain religion, the twelfth pūrva, out of 14 pūrvas (canonical literature of Jains prior to Mahāvīra) is called Prānāvāya and dedicated to science of life. However it is extinct. Still we find description of medical science in Ācārānga, Brhatkalpa, Pinda Nijjutti, Nisītha-cūrni etc. Later on a descriptive works by Ugradityācārya called Kalyāṇakāraka were written which are supposed to be based on the Prānāvāya. Later on we have excellent works by Samantabhadra, Pujyapāda, Hemacandra etc detailing specific aspects of medical sciences.
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STUDY NOTES version 5.0