Jain Spirit 2003 06 No 15

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 29

AHIMSA: ANCHORING AN ETHICAL WORLDVIEW
perspectives in our pursuit of truth; it also represents the unity and the wholeness of truth in the diversities of its seemingly conflicting manifestations. Anekanta is thus the philosophy of connectivity and co-existence, of relativity and reciprocity. It is the path of understanding, meditation, mutuality and humanity; the language and approach of spirituality that synthesises logic and experience to build defences of peace and tolerance in the minds of men, women and children.
The discipline of non-violence, the recognition of universal interdependence and the logic of the doctrine of manifold aspects lead inexorably to the avoidance of dogmatic, intolerant, inflexible, aggressive, harmful and unilateral attitudes towards the world around. It inspires the personal quest of every Jain for samyaktva: equanimity towards animate beings (jiva) and inanimate substances and objects (ajiva). It encourages an attitude of give and take, of live and let live. It offers a pragmatic peace plan based not on the domination or conquest of nature, nations or other people but on the
Indeed, the Jain faith goes one radical step further and declares unequivocally that waste and pollution are acts of violence.
Accumulation of possessions and enjoyment for personal ends should be minimised. Giving charitable donations and one's time for community projects generously is part of a Jain householder's obligations. That explains why Jain temples and pilgrimage centres are well endowed and well managed. It is this sense of social obligation, born out of religious teachings, that has led Jains to found and maintain innumerable schools, colleges, hospitals, clinics, lodging houses, hostels, orphanages, relief and rehabilitation camps for the handicapped, old, sick and disadvantaged, as well as hospitals for ailing birds and animals. Wealthy individuals are advised to recognise that beyond a certain point their wealth is superfluous and that they should manage the surplus as trustees for social benefit.
Jain monks undertake austere vows
Following ahimsa can save endangered animals like these tigers
equanimity of mind devoted to the preservation of the balance of the universe.
By taking the basic vows, the Jain laity endeavour to live a life of moderation and restraint, and practise abstinence and austerity. They must not procreate indiscriminately lest they overburden the world and its resources. Regular periods of fasting for self-purification are encouraged. In their use of the earth's resources, Jains take their cue from the bee [that] sucks honey in the blossoms of a tree without hurting the blossom and strengthens itself.” Wants should be reduced, desires should be moderated and restrained, and consumption levels kept within reasonable limits. Using any resource beyond one's needs and misuse of any part of nature is considered a form of theft.
The five fundamental teachings of Jainism and the fivefold Jain code of conduct are deeply rooted in its living ethos in unbroken continuity across the centuries. They offer the world today a time-tested anchor of moral imperatives and a viable route plan for humanity's common pilgrimage of holistic environmental protection, peace and harmony in the universe.
Dr. L. M. Singhvi lives in New Delhi where he is an eminent jurist. The above article is extracted from his recent book
Jain Temples in India and Around the World', published by Himalayan Books, 2002. The book is available from Jain Spirit at £30 plus p&p.
June - August 2003. Jain Spirit
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PHOTOS DIODIA Jain Education International 2010_03