Rituals are meant to be Adaptive and are not Universal...

Q20. Are rituals meant to be adaptive? Do rituals need to change based on environment and place or in other words, are rituals universal? As an example, why are Samayik and Pratikraman rituals not allowed in the temple and is that applicable in all countries?

 

First let’s talk about what are rituals, the purpose of rituals and how they should be performed. Then we will talk about the adaptability and applicability of rituals in different environments/countries.

 

Rituals – What/Why/How

Ritual, in the religious context, is a set of activities performed to remind basic principles of the religion. Rituals have a symbolic and spiritual significance to the performer.

 

Rituals are important for any religion to build a culture, to strengthen their religious values, to create a sense of community, and for survival of a religion. Rituals are required and play a significant role to instill values and build up religious interest in children, youth, and future generations.

 

End Goals of Rituals

Rituals performed with proper understanding ultimately help us:

·        Reduces our kashayas (anger, ego, greed, deceit)

·        Reduces our attachment to worldly objects and physical relationships

·        Increase compassion toward other living beings

·        Realize true nature of the soul and ultimately lead to liberation

And achieving the above is essentially the aim of religion.

 

How to Perform Rituals

Rituals must be performed with proper knowledge, understanding and reflection. Practicing of any ritual should start with understanding the spiritual purpose of the rituals.

As we are performing any ritual, we need to pause and ask ourselves honestly: Am I doing this ritual with the right knowledge and understanding? Am I doing this ritual with proper yoga posture, proper recitation of sutra, and meditation? Am I reflecting on how this ritual is helping me?

With such reflections, it ends up being primary means of inner transformation.

Rituals performed mechanically, out of fear, ego, greed, deceit, or personal gain, are pointless and provide no spiritual benefit.  On the contrary it further degrades us spiritually because we practice the religion under fear and greed.

 

Please refer to “Rituals: What, Why, How” article for additional details.

 

Rituals are created by the people, and for the people. They are meant to be something that can be easily followed by the laypeople on daily basis in their current environment. Otherwise, it ends up becoming a paper exercise and not something that can be or will be followed by people.

 

 

Rituals are meant to be adaptive

If the rituals are adaptive and responsive to different cultures and social climates, then the rituals and religion remain relevant and vibrant. Hence people continue to stay actively involved. We have seen over history that rituals have changed to suit the needs of the changing times, but values and spiritual intent were kept intact.

As an example, there are distinct differences in the way rituals were performed during Lord Parshwanath’s time vs. Lord Mahavir’s time.

 

During Lord Parshvanath’s time, repentance ritual was performed only if one made a mistake or violated a vow. If an induvial made a mistake multiple times, then the repentance ritual was performed multiple times in a day. And if an individual didn’t make any mistake or violated a vow, then the repentance ritual was not performed.

 

Whereas during Lord Mahavir’s time, he introduced discipline around rituals. He introduced six essential rituals for laypeople like Samayik, Chauvisathho, Vandana, Pratikraman, Kayotsarg and Pacchakhan. This is an example of how the rituals were adjusted in accordance with time, but the spiritual intent of eliminating our Mithyatva and reducing kashayas remained the same.

 

There are rituals around seasons in India. The seasons are different in America, so the seasons related rituals won't be necessarily applicable. For example, there are areas in USA and Canada were sunset occurs sometimes around 3 PM. Will it be practical for individuals in those areas to follow not eating after sunset ritual?  

 

Another example is not eating mangoes during monsoon months in India. Is that applicable in America since it rains almost all year around in many parts of the country?

 

 

Rituals are not universal

Rituals depend on place, time, and environment we live in. But the purpose and spiritual intent remains the same. So, some rituals will be pertinent regardless of the country and some rituals won’t be. We must use our own wisdom to determine the rituals applicability in our current environment. 

Practicing of rituals starts with understanding the spiritual purpose of the ritual and practical applicability to follow the ritual while meeting all the responsibilities as laypeople. This becomes especially important when people migrate from one place to another.

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 the spiritual intent but instead following it mechanically. 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.

 

Ritual should not be mistaken as a religion

Ritual should not be mistaken as a religion, but rather the spiritual benefit that we gain directly/indirectly by performing a ritual is the religion. If we are getting spiritual benefit from a ritual, then it is a proper ritual versus a ritual just carried mechanically. Whatever rituals we do, we need to understand the spiritual purpose behind it and then see if we are achieving and/or improving towards achieving that purpose.

 

So, now that we understand rituals should be adaptive and they are not meant to be universal, let’s talk about specific question related Samayik and Pratikraman in detail:

 

 

Why does Jainism not allow Samayik and Pratikraman rituals in the temple and is that applicable in America?

This question has come up at the several Jain centers in America. Many of the small centers don’t have enough space to accommodate various simultaneous. Pratikramans during specifically during Paryushan to include Shvetämbar, Digambar, Sthanakvasi, Youth Pratikaman or Pratikaman performed in English language and so on.

Let’s first understand the purpose of Samayik and Pratikraman:

Samayik: The purpose of Samayik is to remain calm, undisturbed and in the state of equanimity for at least 48 minutes daily. This daily practice is intended to raise our spirituality and inner strength such that we can maintain the state of equanimity throughout the day.

Pratikraman: The purpose of Pratikraman is to reflect, repent, and re-approach upon wrong thoughts, words and actions and ask for forgiveness for the same. This daily practice keeps us constantly awake and aware about our way of living life.

The aims of both rituals are to prepare us in attaining divinity in our thoughts, words, and conduct through awareness and moment to moment mindfulness.

In our effort to understand if there are any scriptures or principles driven reasons for not performing such pious and spiritually uplifting rituals in the temple, we have found none. However, we were given some traditional reasons. We have also provided our perspective and logic for each of the reasons below:

Acharyas and Scholars indicate the following 4 reasons why we are not allowed to do Samayik and Pratikraman in the temple

1.     The primary function of temple is to do Puja and Chaitya Vandan of Tirthankar.  Samayik and Pratikraman are for self-reflection and meditation.  This may take long time.  During this time people sweat perspire and that degrades piousness of temple. 

2.     Samayik and Pratikraman when performed in a group, people seat around the circle and Sthapnacharya in the middle.  This will create Ashatana condition to Tirthankar because few people’s back will be in front of Tirthankar Murti.

3.     In Pratikraman vidhi, when Guru vandan vidhi occurs, if we to do it in the presence of Tirthankar then this is also considered Ashatana.

4.     Anybody can walk-into the temple and will disturb people’s Kaussag, Samayik, or Svadhyay, or meditation.

We need to evaluate the above reasons in different environment and culture from a logical and spiritual viewpoint:

1.     Originally the temples were meant for meditation, the murtis were used as symbol for meditation, and Jainism as well as Buddhism were against murti puja. Later, various rituals got introduced and meditative intent got lost. Also, if the length of the rituals is a concern, then why are Siddhachakra poojans performed in the temple which takes couple of hours? If poojans are allowed, then why not Samayik and Pratikraman?

2.     Regarding Ashatana because of people’s back in front of the murti, why not sit such that no one’s back is towards Tirthankar?

3.     Tirthankar are our first spiritual teachers / gurus then why can’t we recite guru vandan in front of our tirthankars? We do recite Ichcchami Khamasaman in front of tirthankara and monks/nuns and only difference is the number of times it is performed. We recite it for three times in the temple vs. two times in front of monks/nuns.

4.     The concern that anybody can walk in anytime and disturb meditation is more applicable in India since people come and go anytime, but not in USA, Canada, and many other countries.

As we can see that the reasons provided have no spiritual significance.  It is more driven by the culture and tradition in certain sects of Jainism. In America, during Samvatsari Pratikraman more space is required because the entire community does Pratikraman at the same time but in different rooms, such as Shvetambar hall, Sthanakvast hall, Shrimad hall, English Pratikraman hall. 

To indicate that we can do Samayik and Partikraman in a pious place like temple is logical as well as spiritual. The main goal for us is to achieve our spiritual (meditative) intent of these rituals in our current environment.

 

In Summary

We need to have clear understanding of the rituals and the purpose of rituals. For rituals to remain relevant, they need to be adaptive and we must use our own wisdom to determine the rituals applicability in our current environment. 

“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.”  – Tirthankar Mahavir

The above is the key message from Mahavir Swami, but the unfortunate situation is performing rituals without proper understanding and then not questioning it under the pretense of faith in religion. We must think about all the information holistically and make our decision keeping the spiritual aim in the forefront.

The ultimate purpose of any ritual is our inner transformation and we are the only ones who can track our progress honestly.

The intent is not to challenge or change a tradition just for sake of it but to understand principles and awareness, such that if a change is required in our current environment, then we can use our own wisdom and not become rigid or timid followers of cultural/legacy traditions.

Usage of Animals for Medical Research...

Q6. Does Jainism allow the usage of animals for medical research?

This is an important question that has very compelling perspectives for both sides, for and against the use of animals for medical research. Animals, from fruit fly to the mouse, are widely used in research. From Jain principles perspective, this question is straightforward, however, it can quickly become complicated in the current environment/lifestyle and also as we start hypothesizing scenarios.

Many factors come into consideration with using animals for testing/research:

• 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? 

These perspectives also vary with individual backgrounds, belief system and experiences in life. 

What is Jainism Perspective?

Using animals for any kind of research involves a lot of violence, exploitation and cruelty. It is a gruesome and cruel industry. Nowadays a huge number of animals are used in many types or research/testing: medicines, cosmetics, vaccines, agricultural, household materials, aeronautic, automotive, behavioral, consumer product testing etc. And these animals are subjected to horrifically painful experiments. Tens of millions of animals are used for testing every year, and it is just an approximation, since animal testing labs are not required by law to disclose the number of animals used for testing. 

From Jainism perspective, any kind of exploitation/use of animals is violence towards those animals and is not allowed. And there are no exceptions to the principles in our scripture. If any exceptions are allowed in our literature, then people will find ways to exploit it. Once there is a leeway, people get a tendency towards using animals for their benefit and it can become a problematic situation.          

What if the human race is at stake?

Amongst all the living beings, grown-up human beings possess a fully developed mind and human beings are the only ones who can do meditation and ultimately attain self-realization and liberation. So, if the entire human race is at stake then one must do whatever minimum is required, with Jain Acharaya’s permission, for the survival of the human race. We can protect ourselves but not have aggression (an example of aggression would let me destroy other before someone is going to attack me). 

What can we do at an individual level?

From a spiritual perspective, we should follow the path of minimum violence, do what is absolutely required for individual survival. We should not waste the human life, make the best of our human life and use every moment for our spiritual upliftment (i.e. reduce our Kashayas and eliminate Mithyatva).  

Now we have the information, we need to internalize the information, verify/test it with our experience, make it our own and then use it to make decisions that are right for us.  

From a practical perspective, at the individual level, we need to stop/avoid/minimize using any products that involve cruelty. We need to do the due diligence of gaining as much information as we can about everything that we use/consume and ensure that they are cruelty free. Plus, nowadays given technology/internet, we can do the required research efficiently and find cruelty free alternatives for all the products. There are cruelty free alternatives for vitamins and medicines too. 

Vaccines have been in ethical controversy for long, many vaccines also have animal by-products in them and hence it is not that straightforward. Some people take regular vaccines, and some opt for non-vaccination/religious exemption. For vaccines or any life-threatening diseases, we need to gain as much information as possible and then use our wisdom to decide at an individual level. 

In summary, we have to look at the purpose/objective from a holistic point of view and use our own wisdom to make a decision by applying Jain principles in our current environment. Please remember that under any situation, if we exploit animals there is big consequence and if we use them very minimum for our survival, the consequences to us is minimum.

References:

https://www.yourgenome.org/debates/should-animals-be-used-in-research

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruelty_Free_International

Jainism View on Dairy Products...

Q4. Dairy products are not a Vegetarian product (it is an animal product) why do Jains consume them?  Should they consume? Why is eating of Dairy product not prohibited in the Jain scriptures?

First, let’s talk about the question why dairy products are not prohibited in Jainism:

Jainism is an introspective religion and there are no “thou shalt” commandments in Jainism. Jainism provides a set of values/principles and guidelines on how we can apply them in our day-to-day life. It is up to each one of us to understand and internalize these values/principles and apply them mindfully in various aspects of our lives like how to consume and preserve natural resources, how to follow right ethics, what we should eat/not eat, wear/not wear, integrity with work and finance etc.

We shouldn’t accept anything blindly, but instead be conscious, logical and do the right thing using our wisdom. We have to make sure that there our conduct is consistent with our Jain principles and values.

Next, we will provide our perspectives on the history of cow’s milk usage, cow’s natural milk production cycle, modern day dairy industry, Ahimsa principle as it applies here and Mahavira preaching of Jain principles and his life stories. Then it is up to individuals to make their choices using their own awareness of the situation and wisdom.

Historic perspective on cow’s milk usage:

In olden days, India was primarily an agricultural country and farming industry was owned by individual independent family farmers. Bull was absolutely needed for farming and transportation. Without the availability of bull, human population in India could have extreme difficulties. Hence every farm family use to raise a few cows for the availability of bull. Milk was fed to calves.

Later, as the population of India increased, and India’s agricultural industry was unable to produce enough grains, vegetables, and fruits. So, farmers and others started using very small percentage of milk as food. This milk usage was for their survival and not selling. They treated the cow as their mother and took care of them as a part of the family member. Hence cruelty aspect was very minimum.

Let's understand how natural Cow milk production occurs:

The typical lifespan for a cow is 15-20 years. Just like humans, cows can produce milk only after the calf is born. And the cow naturally produces milk only until the calf is weaned off, which is approximately up to 15 to 18 months. Just like human mothers, cows naturally only produce the quantity of milk that is required by its calf. That is the law of nature for all mothers feeding their babies under natural environment.

How does the modern-day dairy industry work?

Cow’s lifecycle in commercial dairy industry:  

As soon as the cow is around 15 months, she is impregnated. The calf is born after ~9 months. And ~3 months post-delivery, the cow is impregnated again. Cow is made to deliver a calf every year to get continuous supply of milk. The newly born male calf is not allowed to consume its mother milk and mother cow’s all milk is used commercially. However, after 3 deliveries the milk supply goes down.

Statistics says that there is about 30% reduction in the milk production (after 3 deliveries) by age of 5 years. And when that happens, the dairy industry sends the cow to slaughterhouse, since it is not cost effective to keep that cow. And then the same lifecycle starts for the new cow. Cows don’t get any kind of natural or humane life in the process.

Use of hormones and mass milk production:

In the dairy industry, baby cows are given heavy doses of hormones to bring them to reproductive maturity faster than the natural cycle. Young cows are also given heavy hormones and artificially impregnated every year to keep them viable for producing milk. Immediately after a male calf is born, it is taken away from the mother cow.  The female calf is kept with mother for few weeks and then taken away. This causes enormous stress on the mother cow, so it often will not produce any milk for 1-2 days. Then she starts producing milk. In addition, the dairy industry usually uses machines for mass production and those machines are set to timers. 

Use of antibiotics:

The dairy and meat industry are exercising mass production and are not properly caring for the cows leaving them at risk of sickness and infection. For mass protection, the cows are treated with high doses of antibiotics. These severe antibiotics are sometimes used as preventive measures, regardless of true need. As a result, these antibiotics are also deposited within the cow’s milk supply.  Just like in humans, these heavy doses of antibiotics work the same way, by killing bad and good bacteria, which adversely affects their gut and their diet.

What happens to cows that are not producing enough milk or to the male calves?

Mass death of Cows:

Hundreds of years ago, bulls were used for farming and transportation but that is not the case now. The production of dairy products also necessitates the death of countless male calves that are of no use to the dairy farmer, as well as the premature death of cows slaughtered when their milk production decreases. Both male and female calves after kept up to a certain age for the sole purpose of reproduction and milk production.  If they are not needed or cannot be used by the meat/dairy industry, they are slaughtered for “veal” or “beef”.  And finally, older cows and bulls are sent to slaughterhouses.

Why dairy industry is also bad for the environment?

From recycling our household rubbish to cycling to work, we're all aware of ways to live a greener life. One of the most effective things an individual can do to lower their carbon footprint is to avoid all animal products.  Here is why:

The production of dairy and other animal products places a heavy burden on the environment - from crops and water required to feed the animals, to the transport and other processes involved from farm to fork.

The vast amount of grain feed required for meat and dairy production is a significant contributor to deforestation, habitat loss and species extinction. A third of the surface of North America is devoted to grazing. Half of American croplands grow livestock feed for meat and dairy products. 220 million acres of land in the USA have been deforested for livestock production. In Brazil alone, the equivalent of 5.6 million acres of land is used to grow soya beans for animals in Europe. This land contributes to developing world malnutrition by driving impoverished populations to grow cash crops for animal feed, rather than food for themselves.

World's 1.3 billion cows annually produce 100 million tons of methane a powerful greenhouse gas which traps 25 times as much solar heat as CO2. Livestock production accounts for more than half of all the water consumed in USA. And the waste released in the Environment by American Meat and Dairy Industry is 230,000 pounds per second, polluting our land, air and water systems (source: USDA  2001).

On the other hand, considerably lower quantities of crops and water are required to sustain a plant-based diet, making the switch to plant-based diet one of the easiest, most enjoyable and most effective ways to reduce our impact on the environment.

Now let’s look at this from Jainism values / principles perspective:

Ahimsa perspective:

Being vegetarian is just not enough from Ahimsa mindset, since consumption of dairy and other animal byproducts are considered equally high order of sin (Himsa) as consuming direct animal products (E.g. meat and other non-vegetarian food). Great deal of suffering is caused to animals in the dairy industry. While, Ahimsa teaches us that every living being (Animals included) has the right to life and freedom. Cows love their children just like us. They deserve to be safe and free from harm just like us. They have a capacity to experience grief or joy just like us. So why make them suffer?

Now the agricultural production in the world is such a level that it can feed the human population several times over.  There is no shortage of vegetarian food in the world. Milk and other dairy products are not needed for our healthy survival.

Mahavira’s Preaching Perspective

In addition to Ahimsa principle, Mahavir Swami also preached Samvar and Nirjara. In Nirjara, he explained six bahiya tapa, which includes that a Jain should practice “Ras Tyag”. They should not consume juicy food like milk, yogurt, butter, ghee, oil etc., since it affects human mind and makes it lazy and sleepy which is a hindrance to meditation or one’s spiritual progress

Mahavira’s Life Story Perspective

Jain Agam literature (scripture) consist of 65% stories and remaining 35% include Karnanu-yoga (geography, Karma philosophy, gunasthanak etc.), conduct or Achar (six Avashyak, Pratikraman, Samayik, Vows and Repentance), and Philosophy or Dravyanu-yog which include Jain philosophy of pure souls and impure souls.

The main purpose of the Jain stories is to explain Jain principles and conducts. And the significant portion of stories are created (mythology) by the author using the name of the historical personalities. But one should not derive the Jain principles or Jain conducts out of the story.

One such story is that Mahavir ate kheer (milk-based food item) in his first Parna (fast breaking Tapa). Hence many Jains do ask the question that what’s wrong with drinking milk if Mahavira ate kheer?

There is no Jain principle or Jain conduct described by Lord Mahavir that indicates to drink milk and consume dairy products.  On the contrary his teaching of Nirjara bahiya tapa (ras tyag) and ahimsa says to refrain from consumption of milk and dairy products, as explained above.

Bottom Line

There is significant violence and cruelty to five sense animals in the commercial dairy industry and cow’s milk is meant for its calf. Hurting or killing five sense animals are considered highest sin in Jain literature. So, based on that Jains should refrain from dairy products or any products that involves animal cruelty. However, we do understand that any kind of change is difficult especially when it has become a part of life. Even if we can’t make the transition, at a minimum, we should not blindly justify our actions and use our own wisdom to apply the Jain values in the current times.

Therefore, when it comes to dairy products or any products that involves animal cruelty, we need to do the due diligence of gaining as much information as we can. Plus, nowadays given technology/internet, we can do the required research very efficiently to ensure that we have the knowledge and awareness. It is up to each one of us to ensure that our conduct is in-sync with our Jain values and principles.

Our Guiding Principles

What are the guiding principles used to address the question?

We used the following guiding principles to address all the questions. It includes certain basic concepts that are very important to understand and to level set the basics of Jainism.

1. All of the responses are intended for lay people living in US society and not for monks or nuns. There is a difference in how monks/nuns vs. lay people follow Jainism. Monks/Nuns take five vows and laypeople have responsibilities for family, work, community, etc.
2. All of the responses are in reference to human beings with a fully developed mind, which mean individuals with ability to decide between right and wrong, freewill, free thinking and be able to meditate.
3. All of the responses are based on Jain values and principles and the intent is to create a positive and enriching experience about the religion. We are not imposing our views on anyone.
4. We will focus on the intent of the questions and consider possible implications of the answers.
5. We practice Anekantvad - different people are going to have different perspectives. Respect everyone irrespective of their choices; no exception. If there are multiple views then our attempt will be to reflect those in the answer.
6. Agamas are texts of Jainism based on the discourses (deshna) of the Tirthankara delivered in a samavasarana (divine preaching hall).
• The agamic literature and the Purvas were passed from one head of the order to his disciples for around 980 years after the nirvana of Tirthankara Mahavira. 
• It became difficult with time to keep the entire Jain literature committed to memory and written documentation started in the 5th century (~1000 years after Tirthankara Mahavira nirvana).
7. Jain Fundamental Beliefs:
• Universe has no beginning and no end. It is everlasting, eternal and has both finite and infinite component.
• The universe constitutes of six fundamental substances or entities known as Shad Dravya (Dravastikaya) and they are 
• Soul (Jiva)
• Matter (Pudgal)
• Principle of Motion (Dhamastikaya)
• Principle of Rest (Adharmastikaya)
• Space (Äkäsha)
• Time (Käl)
• All six substances are eternal. Although, they undergo countless and continuous changes, they do not transform from one substance to another and retain their inherent qualities.
• Soul (Jiva) is the only living substance, which has consciousness. Every living being is a soul. An infinite number of souls exist in the universe and they are all unique. The remaining 5 substances are non-living beings (Ajiva).
• Souls are classified into two major categories: Liberated Souls and Non-Liberated souls. Liberated souls known as Siddhas have ended their cycle of birth and death and they don’t have physical bodies. There are infinite number of non-liberated souls and they all have the possibility of achieving liberation. 
• Karma is one of the categories of matter (Pudgal), hence it exists since eternity.
• Soul is in Mithyätva (Delusion or ignorance and wrong belief) from Eternity.
• Karma is attached to the Soul from eternity. Our Mithyätva (Delusion or Illusion), Kashäya (vices) and the intention behind our actions of body, mind, and speech continue to bind us with new Karma.
• Principle governing the successions of life cycles (Birth, Life, and Death) is Karma.
8. Aim of Jainism:
• Enhance spiritual life, find happiness within and reduce kashays (greed, anger, lust, ego etc.) within.
• To realize the original attributes of a Soul by removing Mithyätva and Kashäya and thereby freeing the soul from its bondage to Karma.
• External renunciation is meaningless if the Soul remains fettered by internal shackles (Kashaya or vices) - Bhava-Puhad (13).
• The True Nature of a substance is the Religion of a substance - - any activity of Body, Mind and Speech which reduces/removes Mithyätva and  Kashäya (Anger, Ego, Deceit, and Greed) is known as Religion.
• Our conduct must be accompanied by compassion, friendship, love, sympathy, equanimity etc. otherwise it is merely mechanical action.
9. Mithyätva or Delusion means:
• False knowledge about the attributes of our soul and worldly realities.
• One does not know the Truth but one firmly believes the Untruth is Truth.
• Belief is held with absolute conviction and belief is not changeable even by compelling counter argument or proof to the contrary.
• Mithyätva (not Karma) is the root cause of all Sufferings.
10. Kashäya means Anger, Ego, Deceit, Greed, Attachment, Aversion and other vices.