Lessons of Ahimsa and Anekanta for Contemporary Life

Author(s): Tara Sethia
Publisher: California State Polytechnic University Pomona

Page 156

Tara Sethia, "Mahavira's Teachings in Indian History Textbooks"
Like Keay, Stein is concerned more with the extraneous, the seemingly strange and the alien aspects of Indic traditions, including Jainism, than their key concepts and principles. Often, his statements about Jainism are contradictory and confusing.
Unlike the other five textbooks, Thapar weaves the discussion of Jainism along with her discussion of Buddhism throughout the narrative of her book, A History of India. The role of the Jains and the Buddhists in making India and Indian sciences known to the West is discussed. Also discussed in the narrative is Jain and Buddhist art and sculpture. The discussion of Mahāvīra and Jainism, however, is lacking both in clarity and substance. Moreover, the basic framework applied to the understanding of this religious tradition remain, as in other textbooks, primarily Western in approach.
While more specific aspects of these books are discussed in the sections that follow, I do want to underscore that the coverage of Mahāvīra and Jainism in these books is simply inadequate. Discussion of Jainism is marginalized, is primarily anchored in ancient India and does not show how Jainism, like other religions, also evolved through history. None of these books provides an understanding of the significance of the key concepts and role of Jainism in Indian history or even discusses the centrality of this tradition, especially of its core principles of nonviolence and compassion--ideas that have influenced and continue to influence political, peace, and environmental movements.
II. Misconceptions
Misconceptions about Jainism abound, and range from the meaning of simple names and terms to the understanding of its key concepts. A few examples will illustrate the points I wish to make in this context.
Jains in India and Abroad
One of common impression given in these texts is that Jains are prominent in Gujarat and Bombay [Wolpert, p. 54; Metcalf and Metcalf, p. xx] and, unlike Buddhism, Jainism "never spread beyond India... [Stein, p.70] Such statements give the impression
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