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EDUCATION
Jain Digest-Winter 2007
Jaintian and global. Citizenship
by Parth Savla
In 2006, there were nearly 9.4 million animals slaughtered daily for consumption and other uses according to the Humane Society of the United States; that's equivalent to the population of the State of Georgia. Since the Industrial Revolution, the global climate has risen by 1.1°F (0.6°C), and sea level has risen by an average of 4 inches. Not only does this mean a 20% rise in rainfall during the Indian summer monsoon, but the detrimental impact on agricultural production and subsistence for farming communities.
"Our loyalties are to the species and the planet. We speak for Earth. Our obligation to survive is owed not just to ourselves but also to that Cosmos, ancient and vast, from which we spring," said Carl Sagan, a prolific astronomer, astrophysicist, and writer as he echoes two of the fundamental ideals shared by Jain philosophy.
While the Jain principles of ahimsa (nonviolence) and aparigraha (non-possessiveness) have traditionally been practiced on the individual level to minimize the generation of destructive karma and nullify the impact of past harmful deeds these values have gained tremendous support from the academic, scientific, and activist communities.
Additionally, vegetarianism has several benefits when it comes to health and sustainable development. Subsisting on a well balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, and legumes lowers the risk of several health conditions. Vegetables and grains need much less land and water than animals. Livestock production for meat and dairy is a major cause of desertification (where the land dries out and loses its precious topsoil so vegetation is unable to grow on it) as well as deforestation (loss of trees). Nearly 85% of land erosion is associated with livestock production. One of the primary driving forces in the destruction of the Amazon rainforest is the desire to raise livestock. In a few short years, this land no longer becomes adequate for grazing, after which more rainforest land must be destroyed to raise cattle on.
In its philosophy of ahimsa. Jain philosophy also discourages any actions which support violence. With this thoughtfulness in mind, it is also important to look vegetarianism and its impact on the dairy industry. While drinking milk itself is aligned with vegetarianism, the procurement of most milk in the US is done through violent means. Nearly 30% of cattle slaughtered come from dairy cows that have exhausted their milk production and have no longer use. Mother cows are hooked up to machines several times a day to take milk that is intended for their babies, upon these calves being taken from them. Genetic manipulation, powerful hormones, and
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intensive milking are used by factory farmers to force cows to produce about 10 times as much milk as they naturally would. A cow's lifetime is typically about 25 years, however, most dairy cows are sent to slaughter before they are 5 years old.
They are also pumped full of bovine growth hormone (BGH), which contributes to a painful inflammation of the udder known as "mastitis." (BGH is used throughout the U.S., but has been banned in Europe and Canada because of concerns over human health and animal welfare.) According to the industry's own figures, between 30 and 50 percent of dairy cows suffer from mastitis, an extremely painful condition. In today's world of factory farming in the dairy industry, vegetarianism can save countless numbers of lives. Vegetarianism can also have a profound impact on global warming. The feces produced by chickens, turkeys, pigs, cows, and other animals release tremendous amounts of methane into the environment. Methane is 20 times more effective at trapping heat in our atmosphere as carbon dioxide and animal agriculture is the single largest emitter of methane in America. Even more potent at ruining our atmosphere is nitrous oxide emissions, which are 300 times worse than carbon dioxide gases. Quoted in a June 2007 article of the Herald Tribune (a British newspaper), a recent study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations found that the combination of animals' burps, the nitrous oxide gases from their decomposing manure and other factors,
including the energy needed to store and transport meat, were responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions - more than the entire transportation sector of Britain.
The ideology of Jainism addresses the issue of environmental sustainability from introspective, social, and ecological perspectives through the integration of ahimsa (non-violence), the principle of aparigraha (living a low consumption lifestyle). The principles of ahimsa and aparigraha are tantamount to harmoniously living in a symbiotic relationship with the world around us. In the Acharanga Sutra, Lord Mahavira skillfully describes the inextricable relationship between the desire for ownership and accumulation and its progression to violence. This desire soon results in action for acquisition. As this develops into intensity in action, the propensity towards in "owning" something, the greater the lengths one is willing consumption gradually increases. The greater the immersion to go to in order to satisfy that desire. Adopting the values of ahimsa and aparigraha with mindfulness begins to interrupt
this self-serving predilection.
In the current era, there are certain Jain communities, which are embarking on a new chapter in the evolution of Jain philosophy. Imbibing Jain principles into their lifestyle, the Jain community in the Unites States is breaking through the boundaries of intra and inter religious challenges, into humanitarian playing fields. For the first time in recent
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