Jainism Eternal and Universal Path for Enlightenment

Author(s): Narendra Bhandari
Publisher: Research Institute of Scientific Secrets from Indian Oriental Scriptures Ahmedabad

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Jainism : The Eternal and Universal path for Enlightenment
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Jainism and Peace
Peace to all living beings is the credo of Jainism and therefore this book would remain incomplete if we do not mention the Jain concept of peace. According to Jainism, peace is a fundamental quality of the soul, essential for attaining infinite nanda, as discussed in chapter 2. Eternal peace is the primary state as well as the ultimate goal of soul. Peace is an internal aspect of mind as well as external aspect of the individual, family, society, nation, the world and indeed the whole universe; The internal peace of mind and external peace in the world are two different things; in the absolute sense, they are independent of each other but in practice they are inter-related as well. One can attain internal peace even when the external conditions are adverse and persons may appear externally peaceful even though internal peace eludes them. The Jain concept of peace is different from most other philosophies.
The basic Jain approach to Peace is the welfare (mangal) of all living beings, from smallest insects to the most evolved mammals. There are many aspects of peace in Jainism: 1. Peace (Shanti) is an eternal quality of the soul. One can attain eternal peace by
conquering one self, making one free of all the vices (anger, jealousy, competition, attachment, hatred etc) which are then automatically eliminated. When one is peaceful with him self then the family becomes peaceful, then the society, then the nation, then the world and then the whole universe. Welfare of self depends on the welfare of others; hence the principle of nonviolence. Welfare of all living creatures constitute the main thrust of Jain prayers. Peace entails respecting views of others even if they are contradictory; hence the principle of Anekintvid, discussed in Chapter 3. Peace can not be attained without sacrifice on part of the self. Hence the principles of Tapa, living frugally, aparigrah and isteya.
Peace in some other thoughts, particularly in the western approach, implies safe conditions for one self without much concern about the safety of others. In contrast, Jainism believes that safe conditions for one self are only ensured when it is safe for
3.