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JAINA
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2015
162
Jain Education International 2010_03
A Saman is one who is of pure mind and considers all living being to be equal. A Shaman is one who knows how to control one's emotions and passions. A Sraman is one who is hardworking, independent and an ascetic.
Saman Sanskrit puts emphasis on living with equanimity, peace, hard work and penance. Without these factors, peace cannot be realized.
Ichchha Parimana - Limited Desire: Our Karmic body is a source of desires. Unchecked desires result in greed. Greed, if not checked, results in falsehood, deceit and hatred. Hatred and deceit lead one to the path of violence. A person with limited desires can lead a life of honesty and integrity.
In the context of the modern world, desires also lead to unlimited consumption. A typical family in USA consumes more then 100 times the fuel energy of an average Indian family. Just imagine what will happen to our environment, if all the billion Indians start consuming the same amount of fuel energy as an average American. Limiting one's desires not only leads to a life of contentment and happiness but also makes one a friend of the environment and a good citizen of the universe.
Samyak Ajiveka - Right Livelihood: For any lay person to survive in this world, one needs to find a means of livelihood. However, this livelihood should be honest and should not include any falsehood or deceit. The livelihood should be such that it does not encourage violence, vices, criminal behavior, or human exploitation.
Honesty and integrity will naturally result out of this. Once you have established a reputation of honesty and integrity, you will find happiness
Samyak Sanskaras - Right Impression and Habits: Sanskaras play a very important role in our moral outlook. These are habits and impressions that we inculcate in ourselves from early childhood. Many young people in their enthusiasm to succeed in the modern competitive world pay secondary importance to the Sanskaras inculcated in them by their parents. They realize this weakness only when their children are growing up. Children get their Sanskaras from their parents and friends they associate with. Children observe their parents all the time. If the parents have vices, the probability of their children picking up the same habits on growing up would be quite high. Children who observe their hardworking parents living a honest lifestyle will on the other hand value honesty and integrity. This is even true when the parents do not spend a lot of time with their children.
Certain symbolic Sanskaras are also important, such as greeting people with "Jay Jinendra", having Jain literature and paintings in the house, and a place of worship or meditation in the house.
Ahara Shudhi Vyasan Mukti - Purity of Food and an Addiction Free Life: Selection of food is not only a subject of religion, but an important subject of medical science. Jainism gives lot of importance to food and its effects on human behav
Extending Jain Heritage in Western Environment
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