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JAIN DIGEST
From words to action
After Assisi
nance of ecological balance and environmental protection.
One may ask, what is the absolute necessity of maintaining ecological balance or protecting the environment? What are the risks invloved if the above principles are not followed? It is easy to find the answer to this simply by looking at the devastation and destruction inflicted upon this beautiful planet by human interference with Nature, particularly during the last century of rapid industrialisation. We have polluted the air, water and the soil with toxic sub stances. We have destroyed forests. By such reckless actions, we are changing the physics and chemistry of the planet indiscrimately. We are changing the great water cycles. We are weakening the ozone layer that shields us from cosmic rays. We are inflicting avuse, torture, and himsa, violence, on Nature and its creations.
Recent history is replete with major man-made disasters, caused by our treacherous violence toward nature. To cite only one example, Bhopal in India experienced such a disaster because of a gas leak from a pesticide plant on December 2, 1984, when at least 2000 people were killed and 250,000 more were treated for ailments, many of them very serious and life-threatening.
But the day-to-day loss caused byu our day-to-day violence is several times more than the loss caused by any of the major disasters. The total extinction of hundreds of thousands of species is absolute and final and there is no scope for their revival. Human aggression is responsible for diminishing the splendour, vigour and variety of life on earth.
It is a very disturbing development of our times, that while the human population of the world is increasing at a rapid pace, there is an overall reduction in many other forms of life, creating further ecological imbalance. It is scarcely realised that neither economic viablility nor improvement in the quality of life for the poor is possible in such circumstances. At our meeting on October 23, 1990, HRH Prince Philip expressed his concern about the exploding population growth which is expected to be double in another 40 years.
Albert Schweitzer has very aptly said that: "Man has lost the capacity to foresee and forestall. He will end by destroying the Earth." It is obvious that the loss is as much to humanity as it is to Nature because we do not follow the principle of mutual dependence-Parasparopagrahojivanam.
C.N. Sanghavi Jain Delegate to the Palace President Jain Social Group, India
The Declaration on Nature presentated by the five faiths at Assisi and, subsequently, by the Baha'i, Sikh and Jain faiths, outline each religion's perspective on the natural world.
The purpose of the Declarations is:
*to initiate a study by the religious community of its own teachings;
*to establish guidelines for environmental action by that community
Copies and quotes from the various Declarations crop up all over the world - in schools, national wildlife reserves, state departments of the environment, churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, gurdwaras, multifatih festivals and conferences and so on.
They have had a positive and powerful impact on people's involvment in both their faith and nature conservation. This is particularly noticealbe amongst the younger generation who appreciate - sometimes for the fist time - the profound philosophy that lies behind the familiar rituals of their religion. What may have seemed irrelevant to the twentieth century world of cars, videos, computers, CFCs, toxic wastes, nuclear weapons, disappearing rainforests and so on, is revealed as not only relevant but crucial. The young - and the old - discover that, as with all things in life, religion is not static. It is a dynamic exploration of how the eternal truths are applied to the changing circumstances of daily life.
Books, leaflets and holy days
The research into their own teachings on ecology has led most religious communities to produce books, brochures and newsletters on nature conservation. It has also led to the establishment of 'green' holy days such as the new festival for the environment declared by the Greek Orthodox Church, and to the revival of traditional'green' holy days such as the Jewish Tu Beshvat (Festival of the Trees) when trees are now planted by Jews all over the world, and the Christian Harvest Festival when Christians now not only give thanks for Nature's bounty but repent the harm they have done and promise to love and care for Nature in future. The new 'green' liturgies and services composed for the Harvest Festival have been published and broadcast worldwide and are used by thousands of churches.
As well as including teachings on nature conservation in their education, communication and worship, religious communities have engaged in direct environmental action. Below is an example of work by each member-faith of the Network.
Baha'i faith
Since Assisi, the Bahail faith has initiated more than 50 conversation projects in 30 countries, including treeplanting and reforestation efforts, the development and local manufacture of fuel-efficient stoves and rural research centres to
Jain ladies involved in the Jain Declaration on Nature trip
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