Int Jain Sangh NJ 2003 04 Mahavir Jayanti

Author(s): Int Jain Sangh NJ
Publisher: USA International Jain Sangh IJS

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vegetarians by birth (as cows and sheep are), it could be said that the Jains have made a moral choice by adhering to a vegetarian diet out of kindness to the animals, because of the belief that they too have a soul.
Jainism a Small Religion
The Jain community is indeed small and it is true that Jains do not engage in activities of conversion just to increase in numbers. In this the Jains, in common with Hindus, share a belief that one should let things mature in their own way. What the Jains would want to do is to help non-Jains realize their own potentials in spiritual matters. Conversion is probably not the right word for this, for the Jains are content even when there is only a partial acceptance of their creed, such as ahimsa, by a non-Jain. Take for example the case of the Mughal Emperor Akbar who decreed that there should be no killing of animals (amari) in his realm on certain days holy to Jains, and even chose to be a vegetarian occasionally. Of course Akbar did not give up his Islamic faith, but the Jains were gratified that they had persuaded a non-believer emperor to respect the life of animals and to that extent he had embraced a basic tenet of Jainsm.
Probably such a non-absolutist attitude can be traced to the most ancient Jain doctrine of anekanta or multifacetedness, which admits the possibility that reality can be viewed differently by different persons from a variety of angles. This provides the Jains with an incentive for critical inquiry in to the teaching of others, and regardless of the differences, it may lead to a peaceful co-existence.
Fundamental Differences between the Indian and Other Religions:
This is a very broad question and I cannot truly answer in a short time. Speaking of Jainism, there are certain basic values - respect for life for example - which distinguish it from others. Jains, as it is well known, don't have a holy cow. They don't worship animals. They don't dip in Ganges. And yet all life, both human and animal, and even the elements of "nature" (earth, water, fire and air) are "sacred" for them in the sense that they may not be violated. This respect for life, so much emphasized in Jainism but present in all Indian religions, can become the starting point in our search for new ethics for ecology.
The Bible tells us that the universe was created for man's exploitation and that animals were created as food for humans. Wealth and worldly power are seen as proof of God's grace. If this is true, then what is there to prevent us from excessive accumulation which must create a civilization based on consumption and supermarkets? Jainism and other Indian religions throughout the ages have been asking us to minimize our needs and to turn inside toward our souls for true happiness. Of course, the idea of renunciation is not altogether absent in other world religions and there is a common ground here on which to build a new society.
(Excerpts from an interview of Prof. Padmanabh S. Jaini by Mark Tully, BBC broadcaster and writer.)
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