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sex, egoistic family relationships and violence, the Jaina laity has always been a prosperous and powerful community where rulers, ministers and merchants have lived a full and successful life I have argued elsewhere that the spirit of what may be described as an ethical or spiritual humanism pervades the notion and reality of Jaina lay life 33 Modern humanism is based on the assumption of natural egoism which seeks to satisfy itself through science and social organization 34 The humanism of Jaina lay life is based on the assumption that if one engages in sensuous and social life within self-imposed restrictions, this very experience gradually tends to free the mind by revealing to it pleasures and pains of such life in their true perspective The doctrine of Anuvratas is consistent with the bodily and social needs of men and also serves to train them towards the Mahāvratas in due course of time
Of all the Mahāvi atas the first and the greatest is Ahimsā It has been called the ultimate essence of Dharma or righteousness by the Hindus, Buddhists and the Jainas alike And yet it remains undisputed that the Jainas have laid the greatest stress on it In the Brahmanical tradition the sacrificial religion is obviously inconsistent with the spirit of Ahimsā The Manusmı tı praises the Nuvrttıdharma as of great merit but allows the different Pravrttıdharma as without fault Sānkhya, Yoga, etc , fall within the Nivsttidharma and are in line with Buddhism and Jainism as sharing the common Śramanic outlook The Jaina doctrine of Ahimsā is distinguished by its apparent extremism arising from the peculiar Jaina doctrines of the soul and Karman which have been mentioned before The Jainas, again, continue to be the most important exponents of the doctrine today and in view of the popularity given to the idea of Ahusā by Gandhiji it should be useful to examine it a little
Ahimsā has been described as the chief of the 'Vratas' Vrata again has been defined as a deliberately adopted rule laying down what is to be done and how it is to be done, thus excluding what is not to be done The 'Vrata’ thus becomes in effect an avoidance or a 'Virati' It has been described as a psychic state consisting
