Jainism Abroad

Author(s): Pratap J Tolia
Publisher: Vardhaman Bharati International Foundation

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Prof. Pratapkumar J. Toliya: "Sanathan Dharma" according to Jainism is "Eternal, Consciousness, And Eternal Dharma": it won't be lasting immediately. The truth which was before sometime in the past, which is now, in the present also and will be present in future also, Sanathan Means "Eternal Truth".
Dr. John Monelesco: How does non-violence come into the picture?
Dr. T.J. Salagia: The Non-violence is when Jainism believes that if God has created all of us, Then we have a responsibility to every living soul, every living creature including plants. Plants have a life too, So we should not kill anybody and when there is no killing, it is non-violence.
Dr. John Monelesco: Then how would we survive?
Dr. T.J. Salagia: O.K. It is a very good question discussed by Americans and friends. Human form of life is the highest form of the life. In order to protect human form of life, one should do bare minimum killing. The fruits, Plants and Vegetables have only one form of life and not 5 senses - they have only one sense: that means it is alright to kill them in order to protect yourself and preserve because from here you have the possibility to go to Moksha or Heaven.
Dr. John Monelesco: Where's the logic in this? To kill is to kill, whether you kill one plant or 10 plants, where is the difference? You still have killed. If we have to survive, we have to kill according to you; I know you wear a hand kerchief, so you won't swallow a bee or insect by accident, but even if you are a vegetarian you have to kill plants. Now why hasn't Jainism devised the formula that you can live on "Prana" alone?
Dr. T.J. Salagia: It was the begin of Priests and Sadhus. Yes, they could live on them alone. But.....
Dr. John Monelesco: If the sadhus can live on Prana, which, by the way ladies and gentlemen, is Air, nothing else but the energy in the air, if you want to do justice to the principle of non-violence and not killing, then the spread of the secret - how to live on prana - should have been proliferated amongst the people and I know that you have a population explosion now, but it wasn't always so, about 300 years ago and Jainism must be as old as by 2000 years. How old is it? Prof. Pratapkumar J. Toliya: More than 5000 years - it dates back to Pre-historic times. Dr. John Monelesco: All right, We go back to prehistoric time when man was not affected and contaminated by civilization. He was in his primitive stage, he was near the Gods, and so he should have been perceptive then and there to learn the lesson of surviving on 'Prana' alone. The way we see it because Jainism goes beyond the age of Agriculture and Industry. In those primitive days, when Jainism started and agriculture hadn't even caught on then, wasn't there a rule you have to kill the beasts of the jungle and survive that way? All those eminent and powerful sadhus in those days, had they taught everybody to survive on Prana, I think then the philosophy of Jainism would have made sense'. Dr. T.J. Salagia: Before the agriculture time they were used to live on "Prana" in one sense, because according to Jain Scripture, there used to be Trees - "Wishful Trees", you go and stand under the trees and your wish is fulfilled. Suppose you would like to eat an apple, you feel like you tasted the apple. Before Lord Adinatha, the first Jain Tirthankara, there used to be "Kalpa-vruksha" - an imaginary tree, when you stand under it, your wish gets fulfilled, and your wishful thinking will come true at that time. Prof. Pratapkumar J. Toliya: I will tell something more here, The thing is, when Adinatha taught this philosophy at that time he had the power enough out of it himself, even his disciples and sadhus had the impact and power to transcribe their Prana unto all the human beings and beasts. The beasts were able to forget enmity in their presence, because of the impact of such non-violence and love. Without violence also they were able to pull on with their agriculture, with their feeding and other requirements of life. There was no difficulty for them, because they had self-discipline and that 'Prana' helped everyone, not only Adinatha, but his disciple and other sadhus, each and every one. Dr. John Monelesco: I had a discussion about 27 years ago in Kashmir, India with a very eminent Guru because from a political stand point, with all these millions starving now and again over there wouldn't it have been a miracle if some of the sadhus came down from the mountains and spread "Prana" in the sense of the old Biblical Mana. You know, what can I say?...