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Had they abided by the Jain principles and diminished the extent to which the toxic emotions and base impulses had infected their behavior, the societal concomitant harm could have been mitigated and the world would have been a much better place.
Discussion on how to control Kashäyäs and break the Karmic Cycle
The root causes of the toxic emotions are ignorance and wrong beliefs. JAINISM has recommended many ways to address these causes and structured daily rituals (spiritual practices) as well.
The first step suggested to remove ignorance revolves around knowing, understanding, and forming a firm conviction about the true nature, identity and power of our own soul (swarup/inner self). A highly learned Jain Guru wrote centuries ago the following in Samaysaar- a highly regarded composition:
"I am really one, pure, without any ownership (of anger etc.), and full of knowledge and perception. By staying and being absorbed in such self (soul), I lead all these (anger etc.) to destruction."... Acharya Kund Kund (Translation by Paras Mal Agrawal)
Because we do not understand the wisdom contained in the above quote, we equate soul with body. Because of this fundamental error on our part, we tend to mistake the latter for the former. This ignorance manifests itself in the way we think and act. The correct approach is (1) to consider that the emotions, our body, and karma are all different from soul (2) to be cognizant of this fundamental truth every moment.
In reality, that is not what happens. Typically, when we receive a stimulus, the mind jumps, takes the charge and orders the body to take action without the soul (self) being cognizant.
The simple solution is to slow down before reacting to any stimulus. This will allow our soul/consciousness to take the lead and utilize its intrinsic qualities of forgiveness, humility, straightforwardness, contentment, charity, and compassion. The scriptures maintain that the fire of anger can best be extinguished through the exercise of compassion and forgiveness, arrogance through humility, deception through straightforwardness and greed through contentment.
The best way to slow down our reactions to day-to-day stimuli is through the practice of meditation. It is through meditation that we focus on our inner self, calm our minds, and reflect upon how we react. Once our mind becomes tranquil, we can start reacting positively to stimuli with a correct attitude.
