________________
Vol. XIX, No. 4
No doubt wealth is considered as a means by materialist and spiritualist as well, the only difference is that for materialist it is a means to lead a luxurious life but for spiritualist, as well as Jainas, it is a means to the welfare of human society and not for one's own enjoyment. The accumulation of wealth in itself is not an evil but it is the attachment towards its hording and lust for enjoyment of it, which makes it an evil. If we want to save the humanity from class-conflicts, we will have to accept self imposed limitation on our possessions and modes of consumption. That is why Lord Mahavira has propounded the vow of complete non-possession for monks and nuns and vow of limitation of possession for laities.
Secondly, to have a check on our luxurious life and modes of consumption he prescribed the vow of limitation in consumption. The property and wealth should be used for the welfare of humanity and to serve the needy, he proscribed the vow of charity. In Jainism the vow of charity is named as Atithi samvibhāga. It shows that charity is not an obligation towords the monks and weaker sections of society but through charity we give them what is their right. In Jainism it is the pious duty of a householder to fix a limit to his possessions as well as for his consumption and to use his extra money for the service of man-kind. It is through the observation of these vows that we can restore peace and harmony in human society and eradicate economic inequality and class conficts. Problem of Conflicts in Ideologies and Faiths
197
Jainism holds that reality is complex. It can be looked at and understood from various view-points or angles. For example, we can have hundreds of photographs of one tree from different angles. Though all of them give a true picture of it from a certain angle, yet they differ from each other. Not only this out neither each of them, nor the whole of them can give us a complete picture of that tree. They, individually as well as jointly, will give only a partial picture of it. So is the case with human knowledge
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
