- Should we use animals solely for human benefit? It is ethical/moral?
- If we don’t use animals, then how would we develop new treatments for deadly diseases? For Humans as well as for animal treatment?
- Animals and Humans don’t react the same way then is testing really useful/necessary?
- With animal testing, there is definite pain and suffering for animals, whereas there is uncertainty in benefits for humans
- What about new computer systems, mathematical model, human tissue, cell culture? What about using cadavers (human dead bodies) for research?
- Are there other alternatives to using animals?
Enriching Experience in Practicing Jainism. Your Jainism Related Questions Answered!!
Aug 4, 2019
Usage of Animals for Medical Research...
Jul 21, 2019
Jainism Perspective on use of Products that involves Violence / Himsa in Jain Rituals
Q5. Why are products that involve himsa or cruelty of movable beings (Tras Jiva) used in various Jain Rituals? Products like milk, wool, silk, peacock feathers, saffron, varakh etc. Should we continue to use them?
Rituals play an important part in our religion to build culture around the community, to inspire one another, strengthen religious values, build up interest in religion and for survival of any religion. However, rituals must be performed with the right understanding and interpretation, such that it provides an inspiring and uplifting experience. Rituals should enable our spiritual growth and serve as a reminder to reflect upon the Jain philosophies, values and proper conduct.
There are many rituals in place today that are rooted from generations of history and they are performed with the mindset that “this is how it’s always been done”. In some cases, these rituals are done in Mithyatva (ignorance), not knowing that some of these materials used in rituals do indeed come from violence. This Mithyatva can be seeded from lack of knowledge, lack of desire to gain information, blindly following rituals, believing in the wrong beliefs, lack of alignment with Jain values/principles, or fear of challenging that status quo.
Our intent in addressing this question is to create awareness, create a positive and enriching experience about the religion and answer questions for curious minds who want to understand rather than follow blindly. It will cause a little discomfort as we are stepping out of our comfort zone.
Now, let's understand the use of certain products in Jain rituals, spiritual intent behind the rituals, cruelty associated with these products in current times and potential alternatives.
Use of Milk in Abhishek and other rituals
Spiritual Significance:
The spiritual intent behind Abhishek is to make our life simple and pure by cleaning our souls, getting rid of our undesired qualities, and ultimately ending the cycle of birth and death (i.e. Moksha).
Background:
Jain literature indicates that during Tirthankar Abhishek only pure water called kshir samandra water was used. This water was so pure that it looked white in color. Hence to symbolize this water, people started to mix a small amount of milk with water and a tradition established.
Compassion / Non-violence Point of View:
In today’s commercial environment, the milk is produced in the most cruel way by depriving calf of its mother's milk, slaughtering male calves and ultimately slaughtering mother cows around 5 years of age. Also, there was never a reference made to use actual milk in any Jain scriptures.
Hurting or killing five sense animals are considered highest sin in Jain literature. Please visit the Jainism view on Dairy products blogpost for violence involved in modern day dairy industry.
What can we do now?
Given what we know and understand about commercial milk production, we should refrain from using milk, and milk products like ghee, sweets, especially in any religious rituals.
Other kinds of natural wool also known as, mohair, pashmina, shahtoosh, cashmere etc. have the same suffering and exploitation of animals.
Traditionally, the feathers are collected in the rainy season when a peacock shed them naturally one at a time. A digambar sadhu never walks without his picchika. Swetambars use picchi to clean Aangi (Puja) material from Murti every morning in the temple.
Peacock naturally discards one feather at a time and a new feather comes in. According to the tradition, in the past, the picchis were made from only using the naturally discarded feathers and they were replaced only when the Picchis were not usable.
Bottom Line:
Jun 8, 2019
Jainism Perspective on Condemning Others...
Q3. Why do Jains concentrate all their efforts in saving minutest bugs, yet ignore violence to human beings such as sometimes condemning other Jain sects, and considers other religion Gods as Ku-devs and Gurus as Ku-gurus etc.?
A3. This is a very perceptive question related to conduct/achar of Jain laypeople. Yes, some Jain laypeople might be carrying out this kind of behavior. However, at the same time, all of us have also witnessed Jain laypeople, who have truly internalized basic Jain values / principles and they live by those values starting with their immediate family, relatives, community, animals, plants, environment etc. Therefore, as fellow Jains, our primary responsibilities are:
- Understand, internalize and practice Jain values and principles.
- Do not take part in any behavior that is contradicting with our basic Jain values and principles.
- Understand potential root causes for such mindset and behavior and address them with integrity, honesty and humility so that it does not propagate in the future generations.
Jainism preaches Ahimsa (Non-violence) as well as Anekantvad (Non-absolutism). Now, let’s observe and discuss this kind of behavior from Jainism’s guiding principles perspective:
Ahimsa perspective:
Jainism believes Ahimsa should be practiced through our thoughts, words and actions towards all living beings (Of one, two, three, four or five senses), in our best power. So, this explains the Jain follower’s action with “Ahimsa” mindset take extra efforts of saving a little bug’s life. However, at the same time and in the situation from this question, these same Jain followers may forget another very important aspect of Ahimsa - to follow Ahimsa through words and thoughts as well towards all living beings. Condemning other Jain sects and other religions, preachers, gurus and followers of these Jain sects or other religion is considered Himsa towards 5-sense human beings through words and thoughts.
This contradicts with the basic guiding principles of Jainism and is considered “Mithyatva” (ignorance/false belief) of that Jain follower. Most importantly, we should note that one doing the condemning might be doing so from rooted cultural upbringings, surrounding, culture, media, peer pressure etc. and not from the understanding of basic religious principles.
Anekantvad Perspective:
Anekantvad is one of the other basic guiding principles of Jainism that encourages acceptance of relativism and pluralism. According to this doctrine, truth and reality are perceived differently from different points of view, and no single point of view is the complete truth. Jainism teaches non-judgement through the principle of Anekantvad.
(Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anekantavada)
Anekantvad is multiplicity of viewpoint or pluralism, Ekantvada is dogmatic viewpoint or Singularism. It is all about how we view and form an opinion about a given object or a situation. Truth (Existent) is expressed in many ways. One cannot make a definite statement about Truth or Existent, each statement is true in its own limited sense. To understand the nature of Existent, one requires the vision of seeing an entity from all direction, which is Anekantvad.
In regard to other religions, if these religions offer individuals a path to reducing their own kashayas (anger, ego, greed, deceit) and provide a peaceful way towards happiness, then that is a positive thing for all of us.
Again, it is important that we continue to focus on the core intent of Jainism, which is to eliminate our Mithyatva and reduce our kashayas, by practicing right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. This way we will break free from the cycle of life and death.
If other religions, scholars, teachers, provide a means for individuals to make positive progress, then that should not be judged or condemned just because it is a different way of practicing. It is our ego in action when we make negative comments about other religions and such actions have no place in this kind of context.
Let’s reflect and learn from Mahavir Swami’s life:
Mahavir Swami was born in Kshatriya (warrior) family, fought against injustices and malaises of class-based society. He had some disciples from untouchable class and his first Gandhar (disciple) was a Brahmin. His life is an example of holistically practicing Jain values. Nowhere in his teaching or lifestyle, will we see the condemning of other religion or their gurus.
There are many such examples in recent history and there are Jain followers in today’s world who are fighting for equality in society (regardless of religious belief) either as journalists, social workers, as community organizers etc. There might be some individuals carrying out actions that are not concert with Jain values and we should be able to correct these individuals, but to assert that all Jains are involved in such non-harmonious view is not true either.
Now, let’s introspect on the potential underlying root causes for such mindset and behavior in some Jain laypeople:
- Some of the Jain lay-community practice religion based on sermons/vyakhyan from ascetics and by blindly following traditional rituals. Most of the time they do without pondering on purpose, reasons behind them. Sermons accepted by faith alone and not testing with their own intellect, reasoning/experience, results into very little internalization of Jain values and principles. Eventually, that could become a mundane daily chore and a person becomes dogmatics instead of an involved activity that brings happiness and value to their life.
- The ascetics practice Ahimsa as Mahavrat and do not hurt even minutest bugs. Some ascetics preach that to the lay community, instead of Ahimsa Anuvrat of laypeople (ref - review Q2) and how laypeople should live a life with minimum violence. If the Jain values are not truly understood or internalized, then how does one define minimum violence in their environment without understanding and internalization of the Jain principles and values?
- Jain ascetics are mostly sectarian Jains. Some ascetics may not intentionally teach respect for other Jain sects and other religions. Sometimes in order to promote their sect, it may appear that they are degrading other Jain sects and condemning other religions. Jainism is a religion of humility and not egoist statements like, our religion is the only best or the most supreme religion.
Hence, for the situation in this question, the traditional laypeople interpret saving a minute bug is a Jain religion and they do not have any understanding that insulting or condemning other non-Jain human being or other religion is a violation of basic Jain principles.
Jain scriptures indicate that any activities we do that helps to eliminate Mithaytva and reduce our Kashayas is considered the Tirthankara’s preaching.
In summary,
The underlying values of all religions are to live in harmony with all living beings and help each other, with that we do not have any right to condemn other religions. At the same time, if there are any non-harmonious or harmful efforts, then we all have the responsibility to act and protect, without Kashayasarising within us.
When looking at other religions / cultures / sects etc. we must think, "I may not understand what others are doing, but it may be helping them reduce their Kashayas (anger, ego, greed, deceit)." We do not know what transformation is happening inside the other person. We may not agree with it but it might be right for others.
Any activity of body, mind and speech, which removes Mithyatva and reduces Kashaya is religion for us. For example, if reading any other religion book helps reduce my Kashayas then that is fine. Reducing Kashayas makes us Jain and by condemning others, we are actually building up our ego and increasing our kashayas. We should focus on our spiritual well-being, withdraw from violence and should respect all Souls and religions.
May 1, 2019
Purpose and Approach
The
story behind this blog and approach used to answer all the questions
Why this blog
The purpose of this blog is to address questions that have been collected by the Jaina Education Committee over the last 10+ years. These questions have been raised by the youth and professionals to their pathshala teachers, parents and/or Jain scholars. There are wide range of questions from, basic to complex ones, that involve experiences of modern times on various topics like - Ahimsa, Rituals, Environmental impact, Women Equality, Social Issues, Cleanliness, Health and Medicines, Profession/Business, Penance, Philosophy, Literature, and many others.
Such questions can be addressed in one of the two ways, by either:
- Asking them to not question anything about religion and simply believe and follow what is being said or
- Aid in understanding the values and principles that facilitates answer to those questions, so that individuals can use their own logic and wisdom to derive an answer for themselves.
Using first approach is easy and simple, but in the long run, will either drive the individuals away from religion and spiritual lifestyle, or create a community that would follow religion blindly, that is, without any understanding of their own and without any experience the intended benefits.
To avoid the pitfalls of this first approach, this blog therefore, uses the second approach to address the questions from a Jain values and principles perspective. The intent of this approach is to deepen individuals' understanding, and even be able to verify that understanding based on their own experience.
In Jainism, there are no "thou shalt" like commandments. On the contrary, Jainism is an introspective religion, and we should constantly ask ourselves - "Is it helping me?", "Is it making me better?". If the answer is yes, then "that's the right thing for me and I'm the only one who can answer these questions honestly."
This blog will provide a thought-process-based understanding of the core values and principles of Jainism and highlight the benefits and changes we should see within ourselves by using our own wisdom.
The core teaching by Bhagwan Mahavira urges us use our own logic, reasoning and learn from our own experiences.
“Whatever I say, you must test this with your own reasoning and verify it through your own experience.
Do not accept what I say blindly by faith alone until it passes the litmus test of intellect. Otherwise, it will never be yours.
If you accept what I teach based on the sacred texts, or from my convincing reasoning, or even because of my radiant personality, but not by testing with your own reasoning, then in the end this will create only darkness (ignorance) in you and not light.”
- Tirthankar Mahavir
(Ref Book - Harmony-Of-All-Religions by Maharshi Santsevi Maharaj - Page 100)
How...
This blog is written under guidance of Pravin Shah, Chairperson of the Jaina Education Committee, and a Jain scholar. For over 40 years, Pravin Shah has researched Jain literature and scriptures in pursuit of finding informed answers to many of the questions people have about Jainism. In addition to his in-depth knowledge of Jainism, he also has a deep understanding of life as a Jain in the United States. He strives to answer questions beyond the plain and familiar, “that’s the way it is”, no matter how controversial the question is. When it comes to religion, it is an extremely difficult task to challenge a belief system that has been held on for many years. It requires courage, dedication, calmness, open-mindedness, and commitment, to push past those beliefs and come to conclusions based on sound reasoning.
The team members of this blog are from various backgrounds, and from various geographic locations within the United States. The team holds regular sessions with Pravin Shah and each question has an author and editor assigned to it. Each article goes through thorough research and the team members also reaches to various scholars in India and in US. The responses are posted on this blog after it has gone through multiple reviews.
The current committee members for this effort are: Aditya Jain (India), Birju Doshi (CAN), Dhruti Ghiya (NJ), Hardik Mehta (NJ), Jina Shah (CA), Krupali Shah (IL), Minal Jayant Shah (IL), Rita Lodaya (NC), Sejal Shah (NC), Shilpa Shah (GA), Shruti Doshi (VA), Vinit Doshi (CT) and Pratiksha Shah (VA).