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Jainism and Animal Issues
their body parts, overworking them, or depriving them of food and water.
The meaning is clear. Bringing the animals into this world through artificial insemination, raising them in confined spaces and under artificial environment, forcing them to eat food that is full of hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals, depriving them of social life, inflicting upon them the pain of cruel experiments and killing them at early age - all of these are considered sinful acts and must be avoided as preached by Jainism.
It goes further. Performing or consenting to these acts is also considered equally sinful. The sale of animal flesh, leather, ivory, or anything that harms animals directly or indirectly is also undesirable according to this same sutra.
Jain holy books, monks, nuns, and scholars say, 'If you cannot help animals, do not harm them. They love their lives as much as we do ours. Let them live their life as mother nature intended for them.
Chandubhai Morbia
is my own duty to protect and for that no one else should suffer or bear pain but it should be me and that is why he cut his own flash and offered it to the hawk. He set an example that if we want to be benevolent ourselves then we should bear the pain or give up our own life rather than taking someone else's life or cause suffering to others.
Another story illustrates that humans are not the only ones who feel compassion. Animals also feel compassion and earn Karmic rewards. Once there was a big fire in a jungle. There was a small flat dry arca, where all the animals - clephants, deer, rabbits, squirrels, all rushed. The whole area filled up very fast. An old rabbit came late and saw that all the space was filled. But just then an elephant raised one of his legs to scratch his body. Quickly the rabbit jumped into the space created. But soon the elephant finished scratching. When he was about to put his leg back, he realized that there was a rabbit there, shivering from fear of being crushed under the elephant's weight. The elephant felt compassion for the poor little creature, and kept his leg up. It was a long time before the fire was extinguished and the animals returned to their homes. But the elephant carefully kept his leg up the whole time, with thoughts of compassion for the rabbit. Because of this noble, kind heroic deed, in his next life, the elephant returned to earth as a human in a royal family.
Narendra Sheth
Which Jain laws involve compassion for animals?
First Anuvrat and Mahavrat (limited and extended vows of Ahimsa) are all about compassionate protection for all lives, induding the animals. They ask us to be kind to animals and avoid various ways that are cruel to them. Again, in the seventh Anuvrat, fifteen kinds of sinful trades are forbidden. Pranatipar (taking a life) is number one on the list of eighteen Papasthanaks (sinful acts). Karuna Bhav (state of compassion) is stated as essential for liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. These are only a few examples to show how Jain literature inspires us to be compassionate. They also list many dire consequences of living a cruel life. Those who cause pain to others carn harsh Karmic sentences such as spending a long time in hell, or being born into poor circumstances in next life.
Chandubhai Morbia
What are examples of kindness to animals shown
by great Jain heroes? The Jain storybooks are full of such examples, but I will quote here only two.
Sixteenth Tirthankar, Shri. Shantinath Bhagwan, set an excellent example that humans do not necessarily have to compromise helpless creatures to meet one's need. Once, in one of his past lives as King Meghraj, he was caught in middle of a dilemma. A pigeon came rushing to him for shelter, trying to save her life from a hawk. The hawk came right after the pigeon, to feed herself and her hungry family. What did King Meghraj do? If he would not give up the pigeon, the hawk would starve. If he gave away the pigeon, then the hawk would kill her. Many of those who do not care for animals would say big deal!!! Give away the pigeon. Those who care for the immediate suffering of pigeons, but do not have foresight, would say to get the meat from a slaughterhouse and give it to the hawk. But neither of that happened. King Meghraj said it
What are some stories from the Jain traditions
related to showing compassion to animals?
Again, the Jain scriptures have too many stories to list them all here. But here are two of the most popular ones. They have been dramatized at Jain Sunday schools, year after year.
The first one is about Abhaykumar. In the times of 24th Tirthankar Mahavir Bhagwan, Shrenik was the king of Magadh. He was very wise and religious. Abhaykumar was his minister and he followed the concept of nonviolence, as preached by Mahavir. However, not all of his courtiers believed in this concept.
One day, while they were discussing some economic matters, a messenger brought news about a famine in some nearby states. Everyone talked about the possible consequences. One courtier said that now the cows and sheep will migrate from there to here, cating up our precious grains and fodder, and drinking our water reservoirs. Another courtier guessed that they could be sold cheaply here. And, another one suggested that we should open up new slaughterhouses and take advantage of the situation. One said that the treasury should collect additional taxes from such income. Another one thought that now the meat will be cheap, and everyone should eat more meat and worry less about vegetables.
Hearing all this, the wise minister, Abhaykumar was sad. But instead of arguing, he thought of teaching them all a lesson. That night, he went to the house of the first courtier. After showing proper respect, the courtier asked the reason for the visit. Abhaykumar answered, 'All of a sudden, King Shrenik got a disease. The doctor has prescribed two ounces of human heart flesh. I know how dearly you love the King, so I came to your house.' The courtier got scared. After removing two ounces from his heart, how
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