ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 04

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

Page 388

He has further added, "We cannot vouchsafe the lunacy, under any name, or any guise, which hails the abuse of this earth and all her goodness. This life force within us, this frenzy to be born and reborn, to live and to die, to love and to understand. Short of these freedoms, our life is nothing. Without extending that hand of freedom to every other organism, there can be no solace nor can there be a moment's respite. Jains were undoubtedly among the first people to focus upon this incantation, these basic rights, this animal and plant liberation, upon the multifaceted realm of what today we term environmentalism."
The farsighted vision in regard to environment ingrained in Jain philosophy from its early beginnings is aptly mirrored in Mah vra's famous words" "One who neglects or disregards the existence of earth, fire, air, water and vegetation disregards his own existence which is entwined with them."
1.5
RELIGION OF LIVE AND LET LIVE
"Tattv rtha Sutra" by Um sv ti written between 15 and 3rd centuries AD deals at great length interalia, with the characteristics of different life forms and their interdependence as well as interconnection. The soul passes through several incarnations in the ongoing cycle of life and death. Depending on its Karmic attributes - good or bad, life form is changed in each incarnation. The central theme of Tattv rtha Sutra is summed up in the phrase, "Parasparopgraho Jv n ma (Tattv rtha Sutra Uma Swami V/22)" meaning that all forms of life are mutually supportive. The Jain Trtha karas have all along invoked and inspired an intense and constant awareness of communion and interdependence of human beings both with all living beings as well as elements of nature. Yoga stra written by Hemacandrasuri in the 15th century AD elucidates this by saying "Atmavat Sarva Bhute u" - treat all souls like you would treat your soul.
In Jainology to be human being is a gift in the evolution of life as it enables him to bring out his humanity towards other fellow living beings and nature - thereby achieve oneness with all life. It is human beings alone who are endowed with all the six senses of touching, seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and thinking. They can with their power of reasoning: judgment and discriminating faculty develop the culture of coexistence by being compassionate, loving, friendly, forgiving, tolerant and broad-minded to the universe around them.
Far from being dogmatic, Jain religion has a well-defined and clearly articulated scientific base, which elucidates inter-related properties and qualities of animate and inanimate substances in terms of evolution and growth of atoms in time and space.
The one-sensed life entities have the sense of touch but are immobile. They include Earth bodies, Air bodies, Water bodies, Fire bodies and Vegetation. The mobile two sensed sense of touch and taste), three-sensed (sense of touch, test and smell), four sensed (sense of touch, taste, smell and seeing), five sensed (sense of touch, taste, smell, seeing and hearing) but without mind, and five sensed with mind (sense of touch, taste, smell, seeing and hearing). The concept of live and let live applies not merely to the inter-human relationships, but also to all these life bodies with varying degrees of sensitivity, awareness and feeling. In Jain philosophy, this is an integral part of the feeling of compassion for all life forms. Michael Tobias analyses it in the following words:
"Jainism - India's and possibly the world's oldest religion is a quiet, overwhelmingly serious way of life, a cultural insistence on compassion, a sociology of aesthetics that has dramatically changed the world and will continue to effect change."
The Jain concept of live and let live helps in removing the delusion crowding human minds engrossed as they are in material progress for themselves without caring for the interests of other lesser privileged human beings, as well as other living beings. Exploitation of cruelty, towards and insensitivity to other living beings arises out of narrow centric selfishness, greed and ego. But if one realises how entire life on earth is interdependent, one would avoid getting tied to evil karmas, and through live and let live move towards discovering the divine within. It is through live and let live' that humanity can tackle the rampant fear, hatred, deceipt and oppression at all levels.
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STUDY NOTES version 4.0