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BOOK REVIEW: JAINISM AND ECOLOGY
Hopefully the confluence of the two streams - religion and ecology - may help us develop new and sustaining relationships with the earth.
One important question raised in the introduction on the ecological crisis is: "Where have religions been on these issues and why have they been so late in their involvement?" The book assumes that the reader agrees there is a crisis. This may be a problem since the majority of Jains today, along with most world leaders and economists, still deny there is a crisis, one in which the basic elements sustaining life - sufficient water, clean air and arable land -are at risk. Most Jains are unaware of the 1992 Warning to Humanity signed by over 1000 scientists (including 105 Nobel laureates) from 70 countries. Umasvati says in the Tattvarthasutra, “A person with a deluded world-view is like an insane person who follows arbitrary whims and cannot distinguish true from false." An important discussion would centre on how to make people aware that if current trends continue, humanity will not.
For those Jains who admit life on this planet is at risk, this book will be useful in building a common understanding of issues. For those who want to do something, it will provide guidance for action, both at a personal and at a societal level. There is a lot to be done. As John Cort observes, "For those concerned with the environment ... the historical record of the Jains is on the whole not a positive one.” To put it more strongly: today's Jain community, as a whole, is accelerating the crisis. How Jainism answers another question in the introduction, "Does the search for otherworldly rewards override commitment to this world?" will reveal whether the religion aids us in our actions or it hampers us to save the planet.
Among the books in the series this is the thinnest one. Hinduism and Ecology, for example, has several chapters on activism, from a discussion of Gandhi's ecological values and actions, to the Chipko and the Save Narmada movements. This book has no similar stories of struggles in the Jain community.
Some topics brought up are a welcome surprise such as feminism and the role of women in Jainism. Sustainability is not only about the natural environment, but also about the social one. However, there are some important issues which are not raised:
. An examination of modern Jain lifestyles and values - the inevitable gap that arises between theories and practice. While Anne Vallely, in From Liberation to Ecology: Ethical Discourses among Orthodox and Diaspora Jains does discuss some new questions by Jains, some important ones on today's Jain community are not raised. How come the Jain business community shows unbridled ambition and greed? Why, despite
“How come the Jain business
community shows unbridled
ambition and greed?"
Jainism's call to simplicity, has it become so prosperous (at less than 1% of India's population, it is the richest community and pays around 80% of India's personal tax) and now is ostentatious?
A couple of essays list the 15 occupations unsuitable for Jains, but does not mention that these guidelines are completely ignored today. For example, Jains are into diamonds, chemicals (poisonous ones that have byproducts that devastate the environment) and finance (money that shows no character and can chase weapons, mining, land, etc.). Should this list of unsuitable occupations be modified for today's world? Instead of not being involved in the construction and sale of carts, should we not avoid automobiles?
• Jainism's approach to ecology and systems: while focusing on every life, it ignores species and behaviour at a macro level. A tree sends out hundreds of thousands of seeds, but does it expect each one to grow into a tree? If a mosquito lays a thousand eggs, should each one reach maturity and lay a thousand each? Nature produces abundance with the intent that the species flourish in harmony with others, not grow in numbers and overwhelm the planet.
Reflecting on these issues may be "an unhappy process of historical exploration," as Cort states, but it is
necessary to take Jainism and the Jain community from the crisis of today into a sustainable tomorrow. I feel that the book should have included a summary, a list of practical and theoretical questions to be answered for next steps.
In conclusion, it is heartening to see ecological questions being asked across all religions. Jains should read this book and resolve to take the next step themselves. Not to prove that Jainism is ecological, but to prove that Jains today are capable and actually can do more than their share to restore the earth and bring peace and harmony to all lifeforms on this planet. Jains currently can be described as passive but as Cort states, "Introducing anumodana and ninda into the understanding of ahimsa means that Jains are expected to be interventionists in their ethics." We should strive to publish the next book ourselves, include some answers and display some actions and results. 2
JAINISM AND ECOLOGY' edited by Christopher Key Chapple has been published by Centre for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School and Harvard University Press, 2002 ISBN 0-945454-34-1. Rajesh Shah is a freelance writer and environmental activist based in California.
December 2002 - February 2003. Jain Spirit
Jain Education International 2010_03
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