________________
130: JAINS TODAY IN THE WORLD in order to purify body and soul. Concerning beverages, they drink water often boiled or filtered in India, so as not to swallow living organisms that might be in. 15
Jain laymen and women are not distinguished by wearing specific signs or clothes, as do ascetics. In India, the laymen dress themselves according to the tradition of the region they live in. Women wear sarees (sārīs) and jewellery, just like other women. In the West, both men and women dress according to the fashion of the country, although women tend to wear an ordinary saree at home and a very beautiful one on special occasions, like going to temple or attending sermons, festivals, religious meetings, etc. All Jains avoid natural silk, as its production requires the scalding of cocoons; it is the same for articles made with animal matter.
As concern especially the animals, Jains reject all suffering or injury to them, be it in the name of research, clothing, food or amusement. They are opposed to rough treatments, hunting, training, tethering, keeping in cage and displaying them in zoos and circuses. Instead, they support hospitals and refuges for ill, injured and old animals and birds. They are equally staunch defenders of the environmental and ecological causes, as stated in their formal “Jaina declaration upon nature".
Jain laymen and women who practice worship in temples take a bath, put on fresh clothes and leave their shoes at the entrance. Men belonging to the Svetāmbara section change their city clothes for a white "dhoti”. They wear a white veil on the chest and generally a piece of cloth on the mouth. They always perform “pājā." barefoot. Svetāmbara women when going to a temple put on them a clean saree, do also “pājā" barefoot and place often a piece of cloth on their mouth. The Digambara do not wear a veil on the mouth during
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
