Jainism the Creed for All Times

Author(s): D S Baya
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 97

This being so and the Jaina concept of violence being related to violation of any one of the four vitalities of these one-sensed life-forms, observance of non-violence towards them would necessarily involve refraining from polluting the earth, water, air and resorting to cutting of trees and forests. I must emphasise that even in admissible industrial violence for plying one's trade and earning one's livelihood the Jaina precepts proscribed highly environment degrading activities like deforestation, burning of jungles, charcoal trade, emptying and drying water reservoirs, trading in animals and animal-produce like teeth and tusks, hides, bones, flesh etc; trading in drugs and poisons was also prohibited.
Another environment balancing aspect of wild and marine life must also not be ignored. It is a well-known fact that undisturbed wild life restores ecological balance and that marine life maintains the purity of river and ocean water. Hunting and fishing are, to say the least, not only violent acts towards gross and rational five-sensed beings but also heavily environment degrading acts. Non-violent life cannot and must not permit such gross violation of life and environment. Non-violence In The Scientific Age -
The scientific and technological advancement has been a mixed blessing for the humanity. It has given us the means of physical pleasure and eased the tedium but it has also resulted in some negative throw back in the form of competition, rat-race, tensions, environmental degradation, industrial diseases and the like. The increased mechanical and nuclear power at our command have also given us a false sense of security and a mentality to tread on the others' toes. All this does not augur well for the lifesystem in general and the human race in particular. After all, the means of mass destruction are only the tools of self-destruction more than they are the tools of others' destruction. The reports from the more advanced nations are more disturbing. The
AHIMSĀ (NON-VIOLENCE): 69