Science And Jain Philosophy

Author(s): Raksha J Shah, Abhijit Muni, Pooja Banthia
Publisher: International Conference on Science and Jain Philosophy

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International Conference on Science and Jain Philosophy 2016
Let me describe at least few of them which are well accepted by the scientific community.
Vegetarianism: Heart disease is now the biggest killer in the world and it tops the list of commonest causes of death in the almost all the countries of the world. Everybody knows about Cholesterol being the most important cause of heart disease and heart attack. You must know that the only source of Cholesterol in food is "Animal Food". In other words, no plant based food has Cholesterol. So, all those who want to avoid heart disease have to compulsorily stop taking meats, fishes and eggs. Just shifting to vegetarianism can prevent millions of deaths. But there are two riders in this. One is that Milk is also an animal food and hence contains Cholesterol. But if fats can be removed from milk to great extent (double toned Milk and Skimmed Milk) milk becomes safer. It is recommended that people should also stop Milk and milk products completely and become VEGAN. The second fact is all the oils are Triglycerides and should be taken as less as possible to prevent heart disease and heart attack. So, we developed thousands of vegetarian recipes called "Zero oil Cooking". Otherwise vegetarian diet contains a lot of fiber and antioxidants - so, are very good for our heart and health. These also prevent cancer and keep us in good health.
Fasting and early dinner: Fasting is another good health advice from Jain philosophy. Fasting in different ways is good for our health. It gives rest to our intestines, reduces weight and makes us develop good mental control on our life/stress. Giving up intake of food after sunset is also another good practice and helps to keep the guts healthy. Gas -acidity improves, sleep becomes better, people can go to bed early. The body gets more time to utilize the calories and digest the food. Weight can also come down.
Stress management: Jain philosophy has unique ways to reduce stress and tension. Preksha meditation, Forgiveness, Non possessiveness (Aparigraha), Non violence (Ahimsha) and Tyag ( the art of restraining and giving up luxuries), Samayik - are all excellent ways of stress management. Meditation makes people peaceful and relaxed. Preksha meditation has been proven to control high Blood pressure, diabetes and lead to heart disease reversal. By managing stress by the above principles one can get rid of all the psychosomatic diseases. We can now see effects of violence across the world - Iraq, Syria, Afganisthan, Pakistan and some part of India also. Non violence is the key to reach the goal of universal peace. The quality of life will improve.
Other health friendly ways in Jainism Jainism has many other recommendations to its followers which are also very much health friendly. Pad Yatra or travelling by foot is an excellent way to improve fitness, burn calories, improve joints and make the heart healthy. The process of Ayambil- leads to non intake of any fats during the lunch, the only food time during the day. This is especially good for heart disease prevention. Jainism also recommends avoidance of five Vigais- sugar, milk, ghee, curds, and oil. This will definitely help in preventing high BP and heart disease.
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