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168: JAINS TODAY IN THE WORLD
Arrived at the top, pilgrims have to wait before they can approach the holy sanctuary, because there are plenty of people that climb there during religious festivals. It is the occasion for them to speak with other adepts coming from different places or to receive news of friends and acquaintances.
At last, it is the supreme moment of the sight (darśana) of the temple, of the statue of the Tîrthankara, of the footprints of revered beings, or of the slabs of marble remembering those who have practised the rite of “sallekhanā” here. Pilgrims express respectful greetings (añjali), set some flowers or other offerings, recite a short prayer, sing some "stotra" and, in the evening, they go down with the joy of having performed an extremely meritorious deed. Some of them start a fast one day before or even more. Their legs are unsteady when they reach the “dharmaśālā” to rest for the night. And, it is the return at home, the heart beaming of joy, after having seen so many things, met so many fellow devotees, and created so many memories...
e) Nature and life: Jains have always had a great respect for all that is endowed with life and therefore souls (jiva), be they humans, animals or plants, celestial or infernal. For them, non-violence towards all lives is the highest religion (ahiṁsā paramo dharmah). They have taken the vow to never voluntary cause harm to them. Ascetics, for their own part, have taken the vow of absolute nonviolence. We have seen the application of that principle in the prohibition to exert various professions, in the practice of vegetarianism or veganism, in the use of a “muhapatti" by some ascetics, in sweeping the path when walking, in the interdiction to eat at night, etc. We bring to mind their classification of all the living beings in motionless ones "sthāvara" that are in earth, water, fire, air and have only one sense, and in moving ones "trasa" with two, three, four and five senses, that must not be hurt, ill-treated, damaged, killed or destroyed
Jains have also a true cult for the environment. They are, since always, great ecologists and they militate in favour of the protection
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