Introduction to Jainism

Author(s): Rudi Jansma, Sneh Rani Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

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Ahimsā highlighted by him is the practical, active compassion inherent in the fundamental philosophy and ethical practice of Jainism. He also makes a reference to Gandhi as a modem apostle of Ahimsā.
He deals with the delicacies of the Jain doctrine of Karma in chapter four. According to him there is no approach in the world of philosophy that can be compared with the scientific and systematic analysis of Karma in Jainism. He also says that the theory of Karma in Jainism is not tantamount to fatalism. In fact it is a simple theory of sowing and reaping.
Dr. Rudi Jansma is a formal scholar of ecology. His other book, Global Philosophical and Ecological Concepts, is a magnum opus on ecology and evolution. It is in print. His extensive knowledge of this subject is reflected in his chapter on “Millennia before Darwins”. In this he states that Jainism has indeed the ingredients for a doctrine of evolution that is more profound than the theory of evolution propounded by Darwin.
In his chapter on “Cosmos” he explains that ecology from a Jain perspective encompasses not only the visible world of living beings, but also large categories of invisible forces and intelligences which play an active role in the overall ecology. He has also devoted a chapter to the fourteen-rung ladder of spiritual evolution or liberation.
In chapter eight, “Seeing a holy life in practice,” the author gives his personal account of his travels to Jain religious sites, and his stay amongst the Jain monks in Central and South India. He was greatly impressed by their commitment and purity of life.
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