ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 03

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

Page 70

SCHOOL
OF
SELF STUDY IS THE SUPREME AUSTERITY
स्वाध्याय
परमे
STUDY NOTES version 5.0
STUDIES 40
community. Everybody who practices and follows the doctrines of Jinendra Deva is a Jain. According to Jain traditions, a person is neither a Brahmin nor a Ksatriya/Vaisya/untouchable by birth but everybody decides his community by his Acts/profession. Hence the question of casteism should not arise at all. Therefore the basis of caste and community is decided by the activities of the individual and not by birth, as Jains believe in the of Karma doctrine. A person acquires the caste, community and name etc. according to his efforts/activities. We see clearly the impact of Jain doctrine of karma about individual's rights to freedom. Jains believe that everyone is free to do what he/she wants. It depends on the individual whether he/she earns meritorious or de-meritorious life based on his auspicious or inauspicious activities/karmas.
Environment protection and control is also an important provision of Human Rights commission. Under social rights, every citizen has the right to live in a pollution free environment and society with peace and harmony. Jain philosophy gives special emphasis on environmental balance and purity. All human beings and not only monks wish to live in a pure and pollution free environment. Further Jains believe existence of life and soul in air, water, fire, earth and plants; and under the vow to practice Ahimsa, the monk is asked to protect all these types of life forces while the human beings are expected to minimize harm to any or all such life forces and living beings. Therefore practice of non-violence against air, water, plants, earth and fire then environment will be full of such nutrients and live forces thereby protecting us against natural calamities like earth quakes, floods and famines etc. Western countries talk of human rights but do not practice them completely. Besides this, the maximum environment population is caused by their industrial units who have replaces men with machines thereby having the twin ill effects of creating human unemployment besides of such activities that even breathing is becoming difficult. Therefore, it is important to have reconciliation and equilibrium with the nature.
The vow of non-violence of Jain religion can be said as the first step of human rights. It becomes difficult to digest when most of the people are eating meat & talk of Human Rights. Just for the sake of political expediency and to appear to be the leader of the just world, they talk of human rights, but do not implement the same themselves. It is these western countries that made the small countries of the world their dominions and started the practice of slavery and today they talk of banning the trade of goods made using child labour. Until these powerful countries who pretend to be the forefathers of human rights, do not protect
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