Showing posts with label atichar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label atichar. Show all posts

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.

We can also find alternative ways to complete the rituals, for example use only pure water or add small amount of non-dairy milk like almond milk instead of cow’s milk, use vegetable oil instead of ghee in any ritual. In the past about 100 years ago, Castor oil was used in the temple Arti and Mangal divo and other rituals.

Use of Woolen Katashanu and Charavalo during Samayik and Pratikraman Rituals
Spiritual Significance:
Samayik and Pratikraman are the most important rituals for our spiritual growth. The purpose of Samayik is to meditate, reflect and strengthen our soul on a daily basis. During Pratikraman ritual, we repent for our mistakes and wrongdoings. Hence the aims of both rituals are to prepare us in attaining divinity through perfection in conduct and Meditation.
Background:
Katashanu is used to sit on and Charavalo is used for any movement during the Samayik and Pratikraman rituals. In older days, during cold weather the woolen Katashanu and Charavalo provided health protection to insects and us.
Compassion / Non-violence Point of View:
Sheep which thrive in nature without human intervention, will grow just enough wool to protect themselves from the cold in the winter and to keep them cool in the summer. When it is time, they will shed their winter coat all by themselves.
Sheep used for wool production are bred to have way more wool than they would have produced naturally. Plus, when they have their wool shaved off (a process called shearing), the people are paid by how much wool they can get, and a lot of sheep get hurt and some even have parts of their ears or skin cut off. The wool industry does not only exploit sheep, but it is also very cruel to them.
Other kinds of natural wool also known as, mohair, pashmina, shahtoosh, cashmere etc. have the same suffering and exploitation of animals.
What can we do now?
Use alternatives to wool, including cotton, cotton flannel, polyester fleece or other cruelty-free fiber for Katashanu and Charavalo.
References:

Use of Silk in Places of Worship
Spiritual Significance:
The tradition says that silk is purest and cleanest material and it should be worn during Puja in temple rituals.
Background:
It all started around 1133 AD at the time of King Kumarpal, the King of Gujarat, a state in Western India. During his rule he was greatly influenced by a great Jain teacher Acharya Hemchandra. The King was so inspired by his teachings of Ahmisa (non-violence) and Compassion that he declared in his entire state to stop killing of animals for food, sport or fun.
It is said that he was further inspired by the saint to lead a religious life and perform puja (a symbolic worship to a Tirthankar Murti (idol) in the temple) to show his devotion to Lord Mahavir. The King decided to wear the best and most expensive new clothes to perform the puja and so he ordered the best of the material to be obtained. His men went and purchased the costliest, finest and softest material from China, called silk, for their King.  
At that time, no one knew that the imported material was made by killing silkworms, which involved sheer violence. But since then the tradition continues. Unfortunately, even today some people wear silk clothes in religious rituals justifying that King Kumarpal used it.
Compassion / Non-violence Point of View:
How many people know that the silk, one wears or uses involves 100% violence to silkworm, but one wears it with great pride in the places of worship? It is sad that one follows tradition blindly without questioning the origination or it’s making process. 15 silkworms are killed to get 1 gram of silk. Silkworms are usually boiled alive and female moths are slit open to check for diseases after they lay eggs.
What can we do now?
There are many other materials that look somewhat like silk are from man-made fibers known as artificial silk (art silk). Of these, rayon (viscose) is of vegetable origin; whereas nylon and polyester (terrene) are petroleum products. Although man-made fibers do not have direct himsa but they do have environmental impact that leads to indirect himsa. So, it is best to use material like cotton instead of any materials that involves himsa/violence. 
References:
The Book of Compassion pages 51-54.

Use of Peacock Feather
Spiritual Significance:
Peacock feather is used for a broom/picchi to clean Murti in the temple by one sect and the floor by another sect. The spiritual intent behind this usage is to practice Ahimsa and save insects and minutest micro-organism.
Background:
A Jain sadhu practices 5 mahavrats: Ahimsa mahavrat, Satya mahavrat, Asteya mahavrat, Brahmacharya mahavrat and Aparigraha mahavrat.


Digambar sadhu uses Picchi or Picchika to clean the floor as one of the aspects for practicing Ahimsa duirng moving from one place to another. The Picchis are made of peocock feathers (Swetambar sadhu use woolen Charavalo which has similar concerns from a compassion point of view). 

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 picchikaSwetambars 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.
Compassion / Non-violence Point of View:
Nowadays to collect peacock feathers manually from the forest takes a lot of labor which is very expensive. Hence now peacocks are raised just for feathers. They manually pluck all the feathers from live peacock and then kill the peacock. China is one of the biggest suppliers for peacock feathers. Also, nowadays picchis are replaced every year regardless of their usability. It is an annual ritual in certain tradition.
What can we do now?
Be aware and mindful of the spiritual intent behind picchi ritual. Ensure that the material used for such a compassionate purpose of saving minutest bugs does not involve so much violence towards peacock. Going forward, it is best to use other sweeping materials that does not involve violence towards any movable living beings. 

Use of Saffron in Puja
Spiritual Significance:
In the ancient Jain literature, there is no mention of using saffron for murti puja. Rather, only chandan (sandalwood) is used. The spiritual intent behind using chandan in puja is to remind us that by applying chandan to Bhagwan murti we wish to make ourselves peaceful, quiet and calm (samata).
Background:
Somewhere along history, someone mixed saffron with chandan, probably because of smell / color or because it is a very rich product and Jains traditionally like to use the best. It got introduced only a couple of hundred years ago and after one generation, these kinds of things become traditions.  
Compassion / Non-violence Point of View:
About 50,000 - 75,000 saffron flowers are plucked / destroyed to create 1 lb of saffron. Each flower only has one thread of saffron and using the saffron thread destroys the flower. There is a youtube video on saffron production.


Even though Saffron is a flower and not a movable living being, from compassion point of view, it is the sheer number of flowers that are destroyed for saffron production. And the use of saffron is not even indicated in our literature. Jain principle indicates that dravya puja should be done with minimum violence. 

In addition, saffron is significant acidic and the acid in saffron harms the marble murtis. Hence to protect the murtis, Acharyas at that time decided to put placeholders "tikkas" for where the saffron can be used during puja. We will never see "tikkas" on the old murtis. Tikkas on murtis gives out the perception that the murti is for puja only. The old murtis without tikkas, ornaments or other decorative material serves as a more conducive symbol for meditation and internalization of the Jain values and principles.
What can we do now?
Be aware and mindful of the spiritual intent behind the puja ritual. Ensure that the material used for such a pious purpose does not involve the significant large quantity of flowers and we achieve the intended spiritual benefit. Going forward, it is best to use only chandan rather than saffron mixed with chandan for puja. Also, if we were to use pure chandan instead of kesar then there is no damage to the murti either and there will be no need for "Tikas". And the murti will also serve the purpose of meditation object for the beginners. 
References:

Use of Varakh in rituals at Temple
Spiritual Significance: 
The belief is that more people would visit temple because of decoration of the Murti. This will help to spread Jain religion.
Background:
Varakh or silver / gold foil is used in many Jain temples on idols and in some religious ceremonies. Typically, we are unaware of the process used for manufacturing it. Mostly it is used to beautify the appearance of the murti and other sweet products used in Naivedya Puja.
Compassion / Non-violence Point of View:
Varakh is made by placing the pure metal (silver or gold) between parchment sheets or by manually pounding between the layers of ox gut. Varakh itself is not derived from an animal source. However, in manual method a crucial material of animal origin, ox-gut / animal intestine, is used in its manufacture. This ox-gut is obtained from the slaughterhouse.


Even though varakh can be made using machines, the costs with using machines is significantly higher. So, we can't really be sure what is source of the varakh production.
What can we do now?
Rather than using varakh, many temples today use metal moldings that are custom made to fit the murti.  These moldings replicate the gold/silver look and are not made with cow's intestines so that violence is eliminated. In reality, we do not need to use Varakh in any ritual or on food items at all.
References:
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) bans silver leaf (Varakh) of animal origin in food items: 

Bottom Line:
It is up to each one of us to ensure that our rituals/products are in-sync with our Jain values and principles. We don’t know who, why or when certain materials were introduced or changed in our rituals. But going forward, each of us as individuals can make a conscious choice, using our own knowledge, research and wisdom, of what we want to use.

There are many aspects that plays in a role when it comes to such changes, but it is up to each one of us, to not do things out of ignorance, fear, force, greed, guilt or reward. 


Without knowledge and awareness, we are either in false belief, blindly following someone else or unknowingly promoting the industries that involve cruelty towards animals and such actions result in karma bondage and limits spiritual growth. 

Therefore, when it comes religious rituals, products used for rituals or any such things, 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.

May 17, 2019

Is Jainism becoming a Kitchen Religion...


Q2.  Has Jainism become a “kitchen religion”? Or why is food given so much importance in Jain households?
First, let’s talk about what is meant by a "kitchen religion". The youth / young adults in today's world perceive Jainism as a “kitchen religion” when they extensively hear about food in religious context - we can eat this; we can’t eat this; we can eat at this time; we can’t eat at this time, we can’t eat green vegetable on certain days, we can’t eat root vegetables but certain root vegetables are exceptions. And in midst of all this, the fundamental Jain principles and how to apply these principles in their current environment are not explained or are given very low priority. 
We want to shed light on following Jain values and principles as they apply to this question, while keeping the spiritual growth perspective in the forefront:
·     Ahimsa Anuvrat (Vows) of Laypeople
·     Following path of Minimum Violence for Healthy Survival
·     Jainism is a Religion of Reflection, not Action
·   Actions done in Mithyatva (Ignorance/Wrong Beliefs) always acquire Pap karma
Our intent in addressing this question is to create a positive and enriching experience about the religion, create awareness and understanding, and answer questions for curious minds who want to understand rather than follow blindly. 
Ahimsa Anuvrat (Vows) for Lay People:
Jain conduct (achar) is different for Monk/Nuns than for Laypeople. When monks/nuns take five great vows (Mahavrat), they should follow it 100% of not hurting any living beings including one sense beings. For laypeople, we have responsibilities for family, work, community, religious organizations etc. that shouldn’t be ignored and hence our vows are different and called Anuvrat. Here’s the verse from yoga sastra that explains the ahimsa vow for lay people:
સ્થૂલ પ્રાણાતિપાત વિરમણ વ્રત:-
નિષ્કારણનિરપરાધીત્રસજીવોની સંકલ્પપૂર્વકની હિંસાનો ત્યાગ

Sthuul pranaatipat viramaan vrat:-
Nishkaran (without valid reason) Niraparadhi (not guilty) 
Trasjeevani (2-5 sensed beings) Sankalp-Poorvani (premeditated / planned) Himsa (violence) Tyaag (avoid / give up)
At the core, it means laypeople should avoid / give-up premeditated / planned violence towards movable (2-5 sensed) living beings, which are not guilty, and there is no valid reason. There is no mention in Jain scriptures (45 Agams) about prohibiting the consumption of root vegetable or any other green vegetables for laypeople. The kind of reference first appeared around 12th century (1700 year after Mahavir Swami's nirvana) and as time passed it become very strong tradition among most of the Jains. Please see the information below for accessing 45 Agams in Prakrit and Hindi languages on Jain eLibrary website.
For our healthy survivals, we need to use and consume minimum quantity of 1-sense living beings, which includes water, fire, air, soil, plants (which include pratyek and root vegetables). Anuvrat indicates non-violence against movable living beings (Triyanch / Tras beings) only.
Following Path of Minimum Violence for Healthy Survival:
Non-violence is the one of the highest principles of Jainism but life cannot exist without violence. Hence, laypeople need to follow the path of minimum violence for their healthy survival. 
Jainism says the degree of violence is proportional to the number of senses a living being possesses. Therefore, eating meat (one 5-sense living being) is worse than eating vegetables (innumerable 1-sense beings), even though innumerable one sense living beings are killed in eating of vegetables.   
Jainism also says one should not consume any junk or deep-fried food that doesn't have any nutritional value since food should be consumed for health, not for taste or desire (ref: Vanditu sutra Gatha 20 and 21).  Nutrition comes from produce, fruits and vegetables. 
Jain laypeople vow indicates to use or consume only plant base food (1-sense beings) responsibly. It also strongly indicates to avoid any kind of wastage. Any form of wastage is violence. For example, cooking more food than what you need and throwing out food is a form of violence. 
Therefore, as laypeople, we should follow a path of minimum violence. For any situation, we need to understand the values and principles and apply them in our environment using our own wisdom. 
Jainism is a Religion of Reflection, not Action:
The aim of Jainism is to enable our spiritual growth, such that our thoughts, words and actions are in alignment with Jain values and principles. May be Jainism is becoming a kitchen religion because we are focusing too much on doing or not doing things related to food, instead of understanding and reflecting on intent / bhaav behind it. We need to constantly ask ourselves:
·     What has been my spiritual growth? Is my Mithyatva eliminated? Is my Kashaya reduced? Am I getting closer to the true nature of my Soul, which is always being pure, peaceful, compassionate...?
·     Do I truly understand what and why am I doing it? Or am I just doing it blindly?
·     Am I directly or indirectly, consciously or subconsciously looking for recognition? Am I doing these activities for ego, greed or out of fear?
·     Am I creating any Kashaya or stress in the family? Is peace and harmony maintained in my family?
The reflection, reason and intent behind doing something is religion. The most important thing is to understand why we are doing any activity, whether it is any kind of penance, giving up any food or not eating at a certain time. We should do it for the right reasons and with complete understanding – we are doing this only for our spiritual progress. 
Actions done in Mithyatva (Ignorance / Wrong Beliefs) always acquire Pap karma:
Anytime we do something mechanically without understanding why, then we are doing that action under ignorance (Mithyatva) and it does not provide the intended spiritual growth. We need to understand the principles first and then apply them. 
We have been programmed by society that we must follow certain rules, like do not eat after sunset.  However, what is the thought behind that? As an example, one may be told that do not eat at night. If a layperson follows not eating at night rule but then in turn builds more kashayas (e.g. anger because cooking of the food is delayed, don’t get home on time especially during winter months in America or they are hungry and want to eat) then have truly benefited?
Vanditu is the Atichar (list of minor violations) for lay people, lay people practice 12 vows.  During pratikraman we ask for forgiveness for our Atichar with Vanditu sutra.  There is no mention of asking for forgiveness for eating after sunset at night in Vanditu. Don't get this wrong, we are not promoting eating at night. There are definite health and meditation practice benefits for not eating at night but making it a strict rule and following it without understanding is not beneficial for the individual's spiritual growth or for others around them. 
Penance/fasting is yet another aspect related to food. Is fasting easier than limiting intake of food (unodari)? When we practice unodari, it is in an internal process, nobody knows about it, it is not measurable and most difficult. Fasting is easy to measure and receives big recognition in family and society. 
After we fast, do we reflect on how our attachment to food has changed. The reduction to our attachment and getting closer to true nature of our soul is the spiritual act and the net result of any penance.  As an example, Mahavir Swami did not set out to fast.  Rather, he was in meditation and the fasting was a result of the meditation.  When he felt his body needed food then he went ahead and got food (Gochri). 
Fasting can also be looked as a way for training our minds. If we can train our minds to not eat at every instinct of eating, then in the future we can train our minds to not dwell on every negative thought/emotion. We can train our mind to control our eating habits, our thoughts and our actions. If being mindful about eating can transition to being mindful about our thoughts / emotions / actions, then that is a spiritual progress. This would be an internal process - we are the only ones who can truly assess that growth and others do not have a need to know. 
Summary
Food is an integral part of our life, but food should not be used as an indicator for being a Jain, following religion or our spiritual growth.
The purpose of all the actions in religious context is to look inward, enhance our spiritual life, find happiness within, and reduce kashayas. External renunciations are meaningless if nothing changes within. 
We all have different circumstances and different environments and we should use our own wisdom in every situation. Karma feels our reflections (bhaav) and do not see our actions.

References:
Searchable Agams

Please visit www.jainelibrary.org and search Agams by the serial numbers below
  • Searchable 45 Agams in Prakrit language - Serial Numbers 003701 to 003789 (All odd numbers like 003701(Agam01), 003703 (00Agam02), ........ 003789 (00Agam45).
  • Searchable 45 Agams in Hindi Translation - Serial Numbers 034667 to 034714 Continuous Serial Number of 45 Agams