________________
The Rise of Pinjrapoles and the Fall.... : 41
manifestation of non-possession. In their application to non-humans, nowhere are these concepts as kind and as demanding. While many people fail to notice even the largest of people as they bump into them on the street, ahiṁsā challenges Jains each day to notice the smallest of beings so as not to do them any harm at all. As attention to their vow of ahiṁsā permeates throughout Jain life, Jainas are required to be careful in their movement, speech, eating, placing and removing of objects and elimination of waste. All of these cares are to be kept in mind at all times so that Jains do not intentionally or unintentionally harm any sentient being. Care in movement manifests itself in a number of ways. Members of the Jain laity are encouraged to watch their steps as they walk so not to step on even the smallest of life-forms. They are also not supposed to travel after sunset as this is when many insects are out and it is hardest to see them, thus being hardest to avoid crushing them. Jain monks try to move the least possible to accomplish tasks and gently brushing their paths with a small broom or shed peacock feather whenever they do have to travel so they do not accidentally crush any small jīvas under their feet. The vow of aparigraha is also relevant here as a Jain is prohibited from feeling ownership of any living being and exploiting one for a method of locomotion. Surely both implies ownership and does great hiṁsā.
Jain care in speech manifests itself as Jainas avoiding derogatory words and even phrases that can be taken as insulting. Words of kindness are encouraged while other words are limited. Of more importance to our nonhuman brethren, to avoid the accidental swallowing of small arthropods when they breathe or speak, many Jain monks and some members of the laity also wear veils covering their noses and mouths when outside. Jain's care in eating results in one of the strictest diets on the planet. Jains eat an entirely lactovegetarian diet devoid of honey and rooted vegetables. Honey is forbidden since its collection amounts to violence toward bees and rooted vegetables are forbidden as well since uprooting them both kills the plant being uprooted and may cause violence to nonhuman animals that may be living underneath the ground. While Jains traditionally consume milk, there is dispute about this in today's age due to supplements now making a vegan diet possible and cruelties in the dairy industry. As a result,an increasing number of Jains today choose to avoid milk as well, especially in the West where standardized cruelty in the industry has gotten the most exposure." In addition to simply having restrictions on what they eat, Jains restrict how they eat. Much like Jains avoid traveling at night, they avoid cooking and eating at night to minimize the chance of insects getting into their cooking and accidentally getting killed. Some even take this practice of not eating after sunset on as an additional vow called anastamita. For the same reason, Jains also refrain from leaving liquids uncovered and strain their liquids for small organisms before use. In addition to the cares mentioned above, Jains show care for the myriad of nonhuman life in their choice of clothing, historically rejecting the use of fur, plumes and silk and traditionally using only leather made from naturally dead animals.
