Jain Digest 1992 07 Vol 19 No 03

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

Page 22

Jain Digest
Vantage Point
Editor:
The next step to greaterAHIMSA by Narendra Sheth, San Diego, CA and Saurabh Dalal, Lanham, MD
Jai Jinendra.
Our congratulations to Mr. Sulekh C. Jain on his thought-provoking article captioned "Are We Jains Yet?". This writer has indeed opened our eyes and gives a lot of food for thought which is very much needed for the benefit of our community.
This type of article should be published more in this digest as this will be very knowledgeable for the young readers.
Harilal N. Doshi Singapore
To youths Editor:
The Jain youths and students of Pittsburgh are honored and excited that our city has been given the opportunity to host the 1993 Biennial JAINA Convention. The theme of this convention is "Jainism: Past Present and Future." This will be an excellent time to regain some of our heritage. This will be an occasion where you will be able to meet other Jains, not only from around the country but from around the world. The three day convention will be a cultural, educational, and social experience of a lifetime. Come and join us. Let us show what we can do.
We Jains strive to live with minimum violence towards otherliving beings. We are, after all, good vegetarians as well as kind-hearted and generous people. What more could we possibly do? Wecould try to better understand how our actions directly or indirectly hurt other creatures.
A silkworm, at a certain stage in its life, goes through ametamorphosis where it turns into a butterfly-like moth. In preparation for this process, it spends a week spinning a protective cocoon in which it will reside for two to three weeks enabling this transformation. Although the cocoon is basically the silkworm's dry and hardened saliva, it is also a continuous, fine, silky thread which can be hundreds of feet in length. If the silk moth emerges from the cocoon, the thread breaks into many small, commercially worthless pieces. Therefore, the manufacture of silk requires the killing of the insect inside the cocoons by either placement in boiling water or drying in ovens. About 2500 silkworms are required to yield a single pound of raw silk. This amounts to many hundreds of silkworms for an im"pure" silk tie and several thousand for an im" pure" silk saree. Can we instead "beautify" our bodies with rayon, nylon, milkweed seed pod and silk tree fibers? Please think about this especially during Paryusan.
Down, wool and cashmere also involve tremendous cruelty. Down is the soft, fine, plucked feathers of ducks and geese which is used as a filling for winter coats, pillows and bed comforters. The birds are painfully de-feathered four to five times in their lives. Sheep would normally grow enough wool to insulate themselves from extreme temperatures. Through scientific breeding, sheep now produce more wool which can adversely affect them. The shearing or wool-cutting process is rough and bleeding often results, a truly traumatic experience for the sheep. Cashmere is the soft hair which comes from the underbelly of goats. A very similar story is found behind its use. Many horrible procedures are performed on these animals to maximize their profitability while kept on "farms". When the animals become older and their flesh becomes more economically valuable than their feathers or hair, they are coldly and routinely sent to the slaughterhouse. Plant and synthetic fibers can be more durable, less expensive and obviously more free of cruelty. Please check labels carefully to ensure that a humane alternative like Thinsulate, cotton or acrylic is being chosen.
Leather is the chief by-product of the meat industry and its use directly and significantly contributes to the profits of that industry. Shoes, belts, bags, jackets, seats/furniture, sporting goods, etc. which use leather, all contribute to keeping the slaughterhouses running- a business activity which we all are so morally against. Many animals like cows, horses, sheep, goats and pigs are killed for their flesh and hides as well as "exotic" and sometimes endangered animals like Kangaroos, alligators, snakes, buffaloes and ostriches. Canvas, rubber, cotton, and synthetics like plastic and vinyl are all durable and usually less expensive alternatives. They can be "better than leather" and do not require mass slaughter or savage hunting. Although synthetics at present are environmentally unfriendly, the leather industry quietly causes severe environmental problems as well and the products are far from biodegradable. The same story is true for fur and, fortunately, fur is not popular with Jains. Please, let us consider not involving ourselves in the exploitation of animals and perhaps resolve to limiting our overall purchases.
Can a truly compassionate Jain delight in silk, down, wool, cashmere, leather, fur, and the like? Many people have changed their attitudes toward a harmonious, more "naturally" positive and responsible view on other forms of life. For those that do not support these industries, please strengthen your resolve, set an example and spread the word because we can move mountains; for those that still do purchase and use these items, make a vow today to not participate in these injustices any longer. As the demand for these items declines, these industries will rightfully die away instead of the wonderful creatures who have for so long. For this to ever be possible, you and I must take this next step to greater AHIMSA.
Sanjay Vora Youth Coordinator, Jain Youth Group of Pittsburgh 687 Presque Isle Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15239
He, who has subdued his passions and desires, who has realised the secret of the Universe in entirety:
Who has discoursed upon the teachings of Right Path of Liberation for the benefit of all in a quite unselfish manor;
Who is variously termed Buddha, Mahavira, Jina, Hari, Hara, Brahma and Self;
In Him, imbued with deep devotion, may this mind (of mine) eternally dwell!
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