Jains in India and Abroad

Author(s): Prakash C Jain
Publisher: International Summer School for Jain Studies

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essentially consists in respecting and honouring all living beings through the practice of non-violence, non-absolutism and nonpossessiveness. These are briefly discussed below.
1. Non-Violence (Ahimsa)
Non-violence, as already mentioned, is central to Jainism. Not surprisingly, the edict "Ahimsa Permo Dharmah" (Non-violence is the supreme religion) is the motto of Jainism. Quite a few Jain beliefs, rituals and practices, including choice of occupation emanate from this central theme (Amar 2009; Weber 1958).
There is no equivalent term in English for ahimsa, the closest being "non-violence (avoidance of injury or reverence for life)" But these terms do not fully explain the meaning of ahimsa, because the Jainist notion of ahimsa is much deeper, extensive and all inclusive, wideranging than these terms would imply. The Jains believe that every living organism howsoever small is endowed with a soul which in its inherent nature and potentialities is no different from that of the human beings. Therefore, one must avoid any kind of injury-mental, verbal and physical-to all organisms, including oneself. As Yogendra Jain (2007: 13) put it, “The circle of non-violence is multi-layered. We begin with being nonviolent toward the self. This means that we do not harm ourselves physically by smoking, drinking, or using illicit drugs. Also, it means that we do not harm ourselves mentally by stress, self criticism, or negative thoughts. From the self, we expand our circle of non-violence toward family. Probably the most difficult practice is compassion and forgiveness toward our enemies, which is the next circle, and finally environment." (See also Chapple 1993, 2002).
From the perspective of Jain doctrine, practice and belief, violence is one of the most pervasive phenomena in our daily life. While some forms of violence are quite manifest, many other forms are latent, unintended and unavoidable. Jainism does take into account the numerous situations in life where one has to face dilemma about the use of violence, and compromise the vow of ahimsa. This becomes clear when we look into the typology of violence suggested in the Jain scriptures. Accordingly, violence is classified into the following four categories: life-style-generated (arambhi), vocational (udyogi), defensive (virodhi) and intentional (sankalpi). For example, bathing
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