Jainism and World Problems

Author(s): Champat Rai Jain
Publisher: ZZZ Unknown

Page 53

NEED FOR THE JAINA DOCTRINE
extermination, to kill out men of other religions. They have generally encouraged the belief that the infidels are the enemies of one's god, who is pleased if they are destroyed, and confers great boons on the slayers. Let each religion answer for itself why its followers have fought with their fellow-nen. I would only add that even among themselves they have fought, and fought with bitter hatred.
The Christians have their wars and persecutions, the Roman Catholics persecuting the Protestants and the Protestants the Roman Catholics.
The Muhammadans have their two big sects, the Sunnis and the Shias, who have not yet been able to conpose their differences.
Even the inild Hindus liave to their credit the persecution of the Jains and the wars between the Vaishvavites and the Shaivites. The vairagies (Hindu ascetics) of different sects even to-day seldoin meet without some bitterness being seeni among them.
Thus from these, religions, in their present form, it is no use hoping to expect that they will be helpful in bringing about an era of Peace on Earth.
There remains only one remedy, the last on niy list, which is ahiinsa. Ahimsa signifies Universal Love ; and its greatest beauty is to be found in the fact that it even robs a life and death struggle between men of its bitterness and hatred. This is fully illustrated in the life of the man Gandhi whose struggle for liberation is a real struggle and yet it is non-violent, and should and could be non-violent altogether.
AHIMSA is the one guiding actuating motto of Jainism, and I may say at once that the Jains have been known to be the most peaceful beings on earth.
The doctrine of Jainism is that he who causes harm or hurt to another living being without full justification also at the same time injures his own soul. A stain is left on the suully all such acts, and unless it is washed and removed