JAINA Convention 2009 07 Los Angeles

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

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15th Biennial JAINA Convention 2009
Ecology - The Jain Way
SACRED BALANCE: AN ACTIVE PURSUIT Samir Doshi Samir.Doshi@uvm.edu
Samir Doshi resides in Burlington, VT. He is a Systems Ecologist for Ocean Arks, International and a Doctoral Candidate at the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the
University of Vermont. Samir works with impoverished communities to help restore degraded landscapes and develop an economic return around a restoration economy.
attain balance, liberation, happiness? The answer can be found as readily in science as it is in spirituality. Newton's third law of motion describes each action as having a simultaneous reaction with equal force in the opposite direction. Chinese philosophy recognizes the concept of yin yang as opposing forces that are interdependent and naturally give rise to each other. In the spiritual plane within ourselves, time does not exist as it does in the physical plane. Each action is not instantaneous, but lasts for an unspecified period. instantaneous but lasts for an unsperi This means that the reaction that maintains the balance could be delayed, and might have not yet occurred. Just as we initiated the original action, we must undertake the reaction. This is an active exercise.
A certain degree of physical harmony and comfort is necessary, but above a certain level it becomes a hindrance instead of help. Therefore, the ideal of creating an unlimited number of wants and satisfying them seems to be a delusion and a snare.
-- Mahatma Gandhi
We sleep. We wake and meditate. We pray and recite mantras. We do yoga and breathe. Throughout the course of our days and our lives, we seek balance. At our most simple form, we strive for harmony. Jain philosophy describes the
I am not assuming that our actions are all negative or positive. They simply are, and they all have an effect on the self and the planet. The renowned chemist, James Lovelock, developed the Gaia hypothesis in 1965, which states that all the living and non-living components of our planet form a complex holistic single organism that regulates itself physically and chemically. In other words, there is a scientific consensus that the Earth also seeks balance and utilizes actions and reactions to self-regulate. Presently, our society and our planet are incredibly unbalanced. Our species is taxing the environment at an unprecedented level and is continuing to grow at an exponential rate. As Gandhi professed over half a century ago, we have an unlimited number of wants and cannot sustain our current way of life. Unless we act, the reaction of the planet to the disruption of the climate will entail more hurricanes, larger monsoons, and a sea level rise that will bring about the migration of hundreds of millions of climate refugees.' The Earth is awaiting our reaction before it becomes so imbalanced that it is forced to act.
History shows that whenever our culture has taken on a change of course, the initial phase
yields the largest results. The greatest need is at pursuit of balance and Ahimsa as liberation from
the moment of change, and this is when the samsara - the attainment of moksha. But,
greatest effect can be actualized. The original regardless of what awaits us in the life after this,
agricultural revolution, the French revolution, and the need for balance is inherent and eternal. This
the industrial revolution - all encompassed is our true nature. This essay is entitled 'Sacred
turning points in the history of our species and all Balance as a reference to geneticist and
were actively accomplished. We are in the midst environmental philosopher David Suzuki's work on
of another turning point that is being called, 'The humanity's place in nature.
Green Industrial Revolution,' combining ingenuity,
vigor and the pursuit of lessening our impact and Balance is often thought of as a passive exercise.
achieving a balance. There is a place for each of If I do nothing, then I will affect nothing and us in this movement: young and old, male and presumably have balance. But this is impossible. I female, immigrants and nationals. do things, many things - all the time! How do I
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