________________
JAINA CONVENTION 2011
teacher bestowed upon me a ten point penalty for writing too much on some worksheet we turned in. I thought this was extremely unfair and so thought about how to talk to her about it-the problem was that I was still prone to losing my cool a bit too quickly and so when we conversed, she miffed me away in a manner that I did not take too kindly too. As I was about to audaciously respond, I stopped and realized something extremely humblingwho was I to raise my voice to someone who put forth so much effort into educating young children every day? Here she was, attempting to give knowledge, which I consider the best gift of all, free of charge to students, giving her all on a daily basis. My mind ran over the lesson we had learned earlier in the week, and thought about having right conduct. Applying this idea meant that I would not be angry because I would know where my limits were, and this would prevent me from committing acts of a regrettable nature. This knowledge in mind, I simply accepted her decision and moved on. I am still striving for 'right conduct' as of now, in my dealings with my debate coach. I have put forth an enormous amount of effort into the speech and debate team over the past three and a half years, even being president of the team this year, but my coach simply does not cooperate with our officer team's leadership. His refusal to subscribe to our methods of acquiring more members and raising money is excruciatingly maddening, but I know that we must stay within our boundaries and respect those that must be respected-as a result, we continue to put forth the effort without expecting anything in return. The next major idea is that of vegetarianism. While this seems generic to anyone who does not want to commit violence, I have made my own logical conclusions on meat-eating with the help of Jainism. When vegetarians say that animals feel pain, the other side responds with the fact that plants feel pain too. It is also violent to think that animals are worth more than plants, because that is essentially dehumanizing to the one-sensed creatures. Jainism dictates that in an order, animals take more precedence over plants, but without even pledging to that faith, it is very clearly seen that animals feel pain (PETA could easily be
"Live and Help Live"
cited here), while plants may or may not feel pain. In addition, if plants do feel pain, the meat industry grossly exacerbates the amount of plant food needed to feed the innumerable animals grown for slaughter, and so as a result, if plants feel pain, more plants feel more pain in a world of animals that are grown for human consumption. In addition to all of this, the practicality of a farm just wins out. Thousands of pounds of tomatoes or lettuce or even cherries can be grown instead of a tradeoff for 250 lbs. of beef, according to Jain Philosophy and Practice. The final major concept in Jainism is that of the Kashayas, which were talked about earlier. I have been able to successfully trace any problems I have ever had in my life to those four passions, in some form or another. This knowledge has allowed me to look to the opposites of those four, which are incredibly powerful mental tools to carry throughout life. Forgiveness allows me to open my heart and not be as worked up as I would be in situations where someone does not agree with me or make progress in general. My perspectives on events is done in a way that is humbling to me-for example, whereas before, if I won a medal in some competition, I would only talk about winning that medal and how special I felt-now, I talk about how interesting the competition was and what it can do for people. and allows other
people to be the same way with me-it is actually very uncommon for people to lie to someone who does not lie; they just feel a certain extended feeling of guilt as opposed to lying to someone who also speaks through the veil of deceit. Finally, contentment usurps my greed in areas where I feel as if I have been shortchanged. This is rooted in detaching myself from, well, any attachment.
In the future, I will be able to lead a normal life because of the values that have been imprinted upon me through Jainism. This can be centered in my adherence to the Maha Vratas, because I will remain to be a nonviolent individual, continue to tell the truth even when telling lies would be easier, and never steal (again, even when it makes things easier for me-it will inevitably make someone else's life harder). Celibacy will be an
189
