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The Jains through Time
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There is another aspect to abiding by the administered, the whole body will be religion of non-violence that has to do with poisoned. It is better to amputate a determining the quantity' of violence and poisonous finger than allow a person to non-violence in any action. Imagine an perish. This means that, if the poison of one action in which there is more non-violence part of the body is going to affect the than there is violence; this practice falls whole, then that part should be removed within the purview of non-violence. If an immediately. There is no need to weigh up act of violence today is the means for the whether the finger should be cut off or not. establishment of a much greater measure of Clearly the person has to be saved, for non-violence in the future, then it too without him the finger would in any case be counts as non-violence. On the other hand life-less'. In this context, Jain philosophy a small act of non-violence in the present, maintains that a small act of violence to which has within it the seeds of a much combat or avert a much greater one is a greater measure of violence in the future, form of non-violence only. It is nonmust itself count as violence.
violence because it prevents a greater injury
or violence from being done. Though The True Form of Ahimsa
outwardly violent, in reality it is full of When we reflect deeply on this subject we mercy and kindness. Its roots are in find that there are two types of violence. compassion, as its motivation is the One is the violence of attack, the other, prevention of a greater evil. For this reason violence for the purpose of defence. Should Jain philosophy maintains that this sort of both be seen in the same way? No. The defensive or preventative violence is violence which is used to put an end to consistent with non-violence and worthy of aggression may seem terrible at face value, emulation. but it cannot be categorised as violence alone. Imagine an abscess poisoning the Raja Chetak's Holy War body. If a remedy is not speedily In order to put the discussion about greater
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