Book Title: Jainism by Vividus
Author(s): Ramnik V Shah
Publisher: Ramnik V Shah Canada

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Page 191
________________ of atoms of our body, 98% are replaced annually. Tissues, bones, the whole body structure have their own rates of replacements. The pancreas replaces most of its cells every 24 hours, the lining of the stomach changes every three days, the white blood cells are renewed in ten days, the skin is replaced in a month and so even the brain proteins with liver regeneration in six months. One can presume that every five years the entire body is renewed, only the shape, form and pattern of the body is maintained in tact as determined by our genetic blue print. My concern therefore, is not to ask you to give up observing the vow of non-violence in general but to bring about a sense of proportion in this observance. Instead of minute lifeforms inhabiting water, fire, light, breath etc, please learn to observe non-violence elsewhere in your daily food and lifedealings with family members, relations, friends and society at large. Again, on the vow of non-attachment to women, I have something interesting to say. This indeed, is a vow to abstain from indulging from lust for women. In 'samyaktva', equality, peace and harmony are implicit as I have already stated. In the institution of marriage and procreation devised by mankind, there is obviously an acknowledgement of human weakness and thereby an attempt to contain the greatest urge for sexual enjoyment in the name of balanced continuation of the human race, even invoking for that purpose blessings from the Divine who Himself is ultimately responsible for the original creation of a sexual desire. Sex is a challenge to man and his manhood thrown by no one else by the Divine to prove man or woman's understanding of 'Love' which in reality is a force of attraction to draw back unto Himself all that He created and separated from Him. If Divine desired procreation and thereby the continuation of the human race for eternity, let us be humble enough to accept that He had other means too. All creation is not necessarily by sex. In Samyaktva man is enjoined to treat the woman and the woman is enjoined to treat the man his or her equal and in marriage and procreation this equality certainly disapp 75

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