Jain Journal 2014 07

Author(s): Satyaranjan Banerjee
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 52

Dr. Anindita Mitra : Jain Response to Environmental Crisis
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he called shallow ecology: ecological ethics which focused primarily on developed countries and preventing resource depletions for their benefit. He suggested that shallow ecology be replaced with deep ecology, a series of ethics which address the deeper issues around envirnmental destruction for the benefit and protection of nature itself?. Deep ecology concetrates on the deeper social and cultural issues surrounding environmental destruction, and in doing so, attempts to establish a comprehensive ethic for the prevention of further ecological damage. Later scholars such as Devall (1999), Sessions (1995) and Warwick (2003) supported Naess's philosophy, establishing it as a contemporary and essential environmental ethos in contemporary ecology. Lastly, deep ecology borrowed from the Hindu, lexicon and incorporated its non-violent approach to other living beings, known as ahimsā.
Connections Between Deep Ecology and Jainism :
This basic idea of non-violence is not only found in Hinduism, but is also a principle ethic within Jainism, although Jains interpret and apply non-violence differently. Ahimsa is so central to the Jain belief system that they champion it as their maxim; Ahimsā Paramo Dharma!. As one Jain ascetic explained, Ahimsa is not an ethic, but--the virtue: all other restraints are simply elaboration of this central one?. Jainism is considered by scholars to have developed as an sprout of Vedic Hinduism around the eighth century BC4,5, and is today a minority tradition centralized in Northern India. Although scholarly literature has traditionally engaged with Jainism as an ascetic world renouncing tradition, it has recently become associated with ecology and environmental ethics due to its application of non-violence towards the natural world? More specifically, it is doctrine of anekāntavāda (non-absolutism) and parasparopagraho jīvānām (interrelatedness) are compared to deep ecology's similar values of pluralism and an interconnection between all living beings. As Chapple states, ---The common concerns between Jainism and environmen