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134 Śramana, Vol 64, No. III, July-Sept. 2013
The goal of this paper has been to show that Jainism can offer more than just prohibitions of violence--who can and cannot be eaten, owned and addressed; the doctrines anekäntaväda actually provide an extremely rich tradition--perhaps the richest tradition from which to draw our strength for the coming age. As the world changes quickly, as species disappear, as new communities form and others recede into the background, as the boundary between human and non human, nature and culture recedes from the horizon at an ever quickening pace, bodies Jainism has fought so long to defend will depend increasingly upon our ability to form new communities of co-becomings. Their well being and existence will depend upon our ability to release our attachments to clean lines old ethical habits and definitions and jointly form new ones by inhabiting the perspectives of those who have been denied them. It will only be by the principles of anekantavada, syädväda, nayavada--of attempting to see the perspective of each creature--that we'll be able to gamble, albeit imperfectly, in the direction of messy, beautiful and ever increasing relations of ahimsa
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While I was unable to find the original text for this parable, I did find it quoted in a number of other texts, including Shugan Jain's lecture notes and several online references in the Jain E. Library. Including, "Stories From Jainism."
Select Papers on Jainism, Study Notes V.5.0. Volume II, pages 128, 111 and 133 I capitalize Omniscients in this paper for two reasons: 1. even careful readers can lose track of the difference between omniscience and omniscients--often appearing close together in this work: better to place the distinguishing mark at the beginning than the end of the word and 2. to indicate both a proper title and a theological status (e.g. God), for I argue the Omniscients function theologically.
I will attempt to make way for the elephant in this story, even as I also recognize the other elements that must be addressed. That is, given the servants, and the all-male, mostly disabled caste of the class--stratified characters in this story, there is no doubt this story of knowing-ness mut also be re-told and criticized from perspectives of post-colonial, Marxist, feminist, disabaility, race and other critical traditions. Indeed, as impressive scholarship on Jainism continues to arise, these perspectives must be taken up if Jainism is to speak to the disenfranchised, least privileged "knowers" in contemporary society. Christopher Chapple, "Equality Without Sentamentality, "In A Communion of Subjects. Full quote: "What else is it that should trace the insuperable line? Is it the faculty of reason, or perhaps, the faculty for discourse?...the question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but Can they suffer? Why should the law refuse its protection to any sensitive being?... The time will come when humanity will extend its mantle over everything which breathes..." Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1832) Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation.
The corresponding notion to "does it suffer" is also, "does it not suffer?" Work needs to be done on the permission giving device this question becomes should the answer to "does it suffer," be "no." Is it then okay to hurt or kill it?
Here again I appeal to Agamban's fallacy of assuming that other creatures do not have their own metaphysics just because we cannot perceive them or believe them to be incapable of such reasoning and abstraction. Of Mites and Men: Animality and Bare Life In Agamben's "The Open,
