Jainism and Democracy

Author(s): Indra Chandra Shastri
Publisher: I A S S Jain Conference New Delhi

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JAINISM AND DEMOCRACY
non-violence among the people. Even the Muslims of these parts dislike killing or impeaching animals. They are less quarrelsome and believe in compromise more than in fight.
The growth of Vaishanavism and Jainism side by side in the same region and period suggests that they were against mutual hatred. They followed a common way of life, possessed a generous mentality and bore a charitable attitude towards the neighbour and his belief. In Gujarata still there are many families where different traditions are followed by the individual members according to their choice without any restriction. If the wife is a Jain the husband is a Vaishnava and their relations are very sweet. Both the traditions have infused in their life a sense of mutual love and tolerance.. Sometimes, one can further observe that it is not only a tolerance but a positive respect for all that is divine, for the sanctity of all faiths and creeds.
In the Mahayana Buddhism the ideal of non-violence has developed into a special form. Here, it is not merely a negative virtue, but positive to the extreme. The Bodhisattva sacrificing his life to feed birds and insects is nothing but the extreme form compassion which would appear nonsense to the humanist. The Vedic systems allow these extreme forms in a certain stage only. When the aspirant has risen above all passions and crossed the narrow boundaries of wordly relations, he is free to act as he likes. When the causes of dis~ traction are removed control from out side becomes Passions are the cause of violence and
unnecessary.