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you would be causing harm to millions of living beings. Now to minimize our himsa even more, there are certain days every month when Jains should not eat any vegetables at all. Also Jains should only eat after sunrise and before sunset. On many auspicious days, Jains should try to fast, but if they are unable to fast they should give up small pleasures in food such as salt and spices (aymbil), as an act of self-restraint.
We carry out harm to other living beings in two different ways: 1. Direct - carrying out any harmful activity ourselves. 2. Indirect - asking or encouraging someone else to carry out harmful activities.
Most of us avoid direct himsa, but many of us perform indirect himsa without paying attention to it. We should not forget that even our indirect actions affect our souls. Most people think of himsa as only physical violence, but Jainism states that one should not ignore verbal and mental violence. Therefore, harm or injury can be caused by three means, physical, verbal, or mental, and each of these three can be done directly or indirectly
Many of us order vegetarian foods at restaurants without any regard for how it is cooked. Some people feel that what they do not know, does not affect them. This is wrong because as humans, we have the ability to think, and we can control what we do (some lower animals do not have the power to control their actions). Therefore, it is our obligation as higher beings to find out what goes on beyond what we can see. Many of us are too weak or too lazy to stop consuming food that is acquired by harmful means, even after knowing that what we are eating is not acceptable. It is wrong of us not to change our habits. We, as Jains, are supposed to restrain from such indulgences and find alternative ways to live. Our actions, methods, and knowledge determine how severe the himsa is that we are performing. So we must strive to do the least amount of himsa possible in all of our daily activities.
Along with this basic understanding of himsa, one must also learn about the consequences of one's deeds. Every action in our life leads to the accumulation or shedding of karma. Through acts of himsa, even in the smallest degree, one accumulates bad karmas of different types, depending on the action and one's feelings at the time. These karmas manifest in different physical ways from a simple bruise, to a more severe injury, to losing one's life prematurely. If the karma is severe enough, it can even cause one to be born in hell during the soul's next life. However, more than physical damage is the spiritual damage your soul goes through because of these karmas. Human manifestation is the only life during which a soul can make any spiritual progress because this is the only form in which one can control one's impulses. Through needless acts of himsa we add karma to our souls, further binding to the perpetual cycle of birth and rebirth. Therefore, next time you go out to eat, or to the grocery store, think about what you are about to eat, and if those few moments of gustatory pleasure are worth the consequences to your soul.
Dr. Premchand Gada is Vice President of the World Council of Jainism. He is compiling an Encyclopedia on Jainism.
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