Jain Heritage and Beyond

Author(s): Shailesh Shah
Publisher: Oshwal Associations of The UK

Page 61

Non violence
Ahimsa
The Jain worldview that all life forms are bonded souls struggling to set themselves free, and that karmic particles are keeping them bonded, has made nonviolence perhaps the most important of all Jain doctrines. Jains maintain that all living beings not just humans- have a soul, although impure to different degrees. The pure soul is the Jain ideal. Jains revere those who have attained that pure, liberated state. Jains maintain that even an impure soul must be revered because of its potential to be free someday. Hence, humans, animals, plants, all are similarly worthy of respects and reverence.
The Jain logic has generated a lifestyle of reverence for all living beings, and for the environment. If a person believes that his soul is potentially equal to that of another human being, he will not treat another human being- a person of another race, religion, nationality or gender- with contempt and bigotry. Furthermore, Jains believe that harming another living being, is in fact, harming its sacred Jiva. Such act only increases the Karmic bonding of our own soul, and defiles it further. If we believe that all souls have the same potential, how could we carelessly destroy a plant or animal life? How could we dare to hurt or even think ill of another living being? How could we strive to be anything but non violent? The Jain drive for minimizing of the universe and has made Jains passionately Vegetarian, non-aggressive, and stewards of the environment.
Jains do recognize that it is difficult to be completely non-violent. The air we breathe, the food we eat, our very acts of moving or walking, involve destroying many microbes and insects. Violence and harm to other living beings is thus inevitable. As a human, all we can really do is to examine our intent, inform ourselves, make intelligent choices based on that knowledge, and try to minimize harm to other living beings. Jains place great importance on the terms 'intelligent choice and intent. Later, when we study Karmic theory, we will see how effects of Karma depend upon our intent and passions. Jains believe that the world would be a better, more peaceful, more compassionate, and environmentally sustainable place if everyone embraced this concept of respect for all life.
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