YJA Convention 1996 07 San Francisco CA Second

Author(s): Young Jains of America (YJA)
Publisher: Young Jains of America YJA USA

Page 30

EXPERIMENTS IN JAINISM
Compiled by Atul K. Shah Presented by the Young Jains of UK
Introduction
In the western world, Jains have had great material successes and we own our home, car and have access to a regular healthy diet. Yet despite all these achievements, we are not happy. Often we are unhappy in our jobs and unsettled in our career. There is increasing tension in our families, and a constant rift between the young and old. Young people at college become confused about their values since the environment values 'freedom' and thus there are many distractions. Discipline is missing from our lives and as a result, we are losing direction and wavering from real happiness.
Many of us are involved in a search for a 'real' and everlasting form of happiness. As Jains, we naturally look into first to our own religion, but find it very difficult to implement it into practice in our own lives. We have heard lectures on Jainism and understand its basic philosophy of non-violence (ahimsa), non-acquisition (aparigraha) and tapes (self-control). For the lay of the reader, a simple explanation of the key Jain principles is given in the appendix. Jainism prescribes a simple path to happiness, where one must not injure living beings, not be greedy and must control one's passions and desires. However, very few of us practice these principles.
For example, it is very difficult for us not to get angry, even though our religion emphasizes the virtue of non-violence. We own big houses, even when there are only a few people living in them. This violates the principle of aparigraha, which explains that one must not take pride from material pleasures and acquire only necessary items. We cannot resist the temptation of tasty foods, even when we are not hungry! Our passions are often very difficult to control, yet tapas suggests that this self-control is crucial if one wants to attain 'real' happiness.
Why is it that we do not practice these rich principles?
Reasons for not practicing Jainism
Several reasons can be offered for this:
1. Commitment
We lack a serious commitment towards pursuing the path to 'real' happiness because it requires sacrifice. For example, to practice aparigraha, one has to limit one's possessions and this restricts one' comforts.
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