________________
ENVIRONMENT
ur world and all the life on it is signalling distress - it's time for leadership from Jainism and the Jain community.
SIMPL
RAJESH SHAH EXPLAINS THE COURAGE OF LMNG A JAIN LIFESTYLE
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), a four-year study conducted by 1,300 experts from 95 countries, was released on 30 March 2005. The findings are grim: over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any other time in history. The degradation of ecosystem services could grow significantly worse in a non-linear way, by abrupt, unpredictable and potentially irreversible changes. We are conducting an experiment on ourselves and we have no control over what can happen. The changes have made the rich richer, but inequality is rising - the number of people in poverty,
five are dying every hour due to bad without safe water and lacking food water, more people are going to bed is increasing. While noting that our hungry every night. It looks like the activities have "resulted in a substantial problems are economic, social, medical and largely irreversible loss in the and ecological. But looking through a diversity of life on Earth," this human- Jain lens, all these man-made problems centric report made no reference to are symptoms of an increase in the the misery that other life forms are violence in our society. experiencing.
Creating a non-violent society will solve Similar reports like this have been most of the problems at the source. presented, such as in 1997 when
The MA points out that 'significant more than 1,500 of the world's most changes' are needed to reverse the distinguished senior scientists, including trends. The seeds of Jainism (ahimsa, the majority of Nobel laureates, signed a aparigraha, anekantvada) can help us landmark consensus declaration urging make these changes. We need to leaders worldwide to act immediately replant these seeds in today's society. to prevent the potentially devastating While the seeds are eternal, the consequences of human-induced global practices we follow were developed in warming. However, little action has an age when food was grown locally, resulted.
there was no oil-based transportation,
there was no electricity, all our waste So how does the MA relate to Jainism? was non-toxic and biodegradable, the The MA concludes that "it lies within human population was small while our power to ease the strains we are resources were plentiful - life was lived putting on the nature services of the quite differently. So the wise translated planet." Another conclusion is that "the Jain principles into practices mainly challenge of reversing the degradation around worship and food (since it was of ecosystems, while meeting
both a sign of consumption and a increasing demands for their services, main source of violence). Today the involves significant changes in policies, situation has changed. What we eat is institutions and practices that are not less important than how it was grown currently under way." Our society (whether toxic pesticides were used), refuses to face such news and embrace
where it was grown (was it grown in new opportunities. Jainism can provide the next town or 10,000 miles away), us a perspective to see this situation or what we are eating in (reusable or with clarity and act positively.
disposable utensils). Now it's time to
consider the karma generated by our Let's look at this situation: species are transportation ritual. Does it matter becoming extinct, asthma rates are
whether we walk, cycle or travel by bus, increasing in children, the poor are train, a hybrid car or an SUV? Whether o becoming poorer, 400 children under we drive fast or if we carpool? For Sain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
those of us who refuse to accept this man-made situation as inevitable and who want to struggle against the current system, how should we proceed?
The first step is awareness and acknowledgement. Our households use toxic chemicals that harm life downstream. Our marble comes from quarries that drain aquifers and deplete people, animals and plants of water. Our electricity comes from coal power plants that cause pollution and global warming. Our dams cause untold suffering and death due to flooding of prime land and displacement. Our petrol and plastics cause devastation at the source, pollution at the refining, global warming during use, suffocation at disposal and wars over control. Transportation for us and our goods is streaming pollution around the planet.
WWW.JAIN SPIRIT.COM
The second step is to practise sufficiency, control our wants and reduce our desires. While Jains admit that happiness comes not from our material goods, we need to put that into practice by reducing our drive to build wealth and acquire property. We need to stop compartmentalising our lives, in which we remain devout vegetarians
www.jainelibrary.org
