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Chapter 2
JAIN WAY OF LIFE
In the previous chapter some of the basic sociological features of the Jain community, and the Jains' contribution to the Indian culture and society have been highlited. This chapter focuses on the Jain identity and the way of life which is mainly derived from their philosophy and religion, and more specifically from the doctrinally prescribed ethical code of conduct. The chapter also takes into account the Jain way of life in the diasporic context of North America and Europe.
The Jains primarily derive their identity from religion, that is, Jainism. This has been so for centuries now. Time and again the unequivocal emphasis has been placed in Jainism on the moksha-marg as the true path of liberation. That the Jain social identity as well as the culture and the way of life are distinct from others is clearly highlighted by Prof. Vilas A. Sangave (1980: 350) in his celebrated sociological survey that was done in the late 1940s. He writes that "the features of Jaina culture are quite distinct from other cultures especially in matters like outlook towards life and world, insistence on spiritual progress, and observance of Ahimsa or creed of nonviolence in all possible ways. The basic difference, it is stated, lies in the religious philosophy of Jainas and as religion moulds the entire way of life automatically becomes separate from other ways of life.”
Occasionally, a case is made out of the Jains being placed by some scholars in the Vaishya category of the Hindu Varna system. As has been pointed out by other scholars (Banks 1992; Cort 2001; Jain, J. P. 1983; Jain, R. K. 1999, Sangave 1980) this claim does not stand up to empirical scrutiny. In most of India, the Jains maintain their distinct way of life and identity. This is not the case, perhaps, where certain Jain castes (e.g. Agrawal, Khandelwal and Oswal) closely interact with their Hindu counterparts leading to even matrimonial relations (e.g. Agrawal, Khandelwal and Oswal Jains in Gujarat, Delhi and parts of Western Uttar Pradesh). The consistent campaign since the early 1990s exhorting the Jains to return themselves as Jains in the 2001 census and in the 2011 census has further been helpful in consolidating the Jain identity in terms of religion. It must however
23 | Jains in India and Abroad
