Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender - What is the Jain thing to do?

Q29. What is Jain view on lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender? In general, much of Jain community do not accept them as normal or equal people,  what can we do to accept them as equal human beings? What is the Jain thing to do as a family and community? How does Jainism guide us to accept the normalcy of such orientations?

 

We are grateful that our community is asking these questions. These questions have been around for ages, but often they are not talked about openly. We have received this question from individuals with different orientation, from parents whose children are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, and from youth in our community who wish to understand the Jain view on this topic. At the heart of each question we received, there was the concern that the actions, reactions, and behavior we often see towards people of different gender identities and sexual orientations do not feel aligned with Jain values. We set out to answer one question of compassion: How can we as Jains address discrimination and cultivate acceptance?

To address this topic, we researched Jain scriptures, scientific studies, and most importantly, held conversations with individuals who have experienced this situation.

 

Because heterosexuality has been the norm during the modern era, whenever we come across any lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, we often resort to one of three responses:

1.    Ostracize (exclude) them as abnormal or immoral

2.    Ask them hide their identities, lie about it, or change their orientation

3.    Accept them and enable them to live life true to themselves

We don't need an in-depth study of Jain scriptures to see that choices 1 and 2 are against Jain values. Not accepting an individual for who they are is not practicing anekantvad, ostracizing someone is a form of harsh violence, and asking someone to lie and live falsehood is not practicing satya. So, the Jain thing to do is to accept them, embrace them with no judgment or bias, and empower and enable them to live their authentic life being true to themselves in the same way we expect for ourselves.

 

Even though we can cognitively agree that choice #3 is most in line with Jain values, our social conditioning, cultural influence, and belief systems can make it difficult for us to put those values into practice. It can also be incredibly challenging for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people to understand and accept themselves, and often they are not able to open up about their identities because of the fear of how others will react, the fear of being judged, ostracized, ridiculed, or outcasted, fear of being discriminated against, or treated violently, and fear of how family will accept and handle the social discrimination faced as a fallout of such revelation. In addition, people born with different orientations may feel alone and ashamed as a result.

 

Centuries of programming and conditioning have led our society to adopt a very narrow window of what is considered normal, common, or morally acceptable. When something is not common, we think of it as abnormal, it becomes a taboo and a shameful thing, and because of that, such individuals across generations have chosen to keep their true orientation hidden.

 

We hear stories in our Jain community and in the news about the consequences of societal fears, offensive treatment, and non-acceptance. People have lost their lives, tried to commit suicide, or lived with anger, deceit, fear, and suppression day in and day out. And for us as Jains, becoming a “nimitt” (catalyst) for anyone’s such sorrow and misery is completely against true Jain values.

 

This article is specifically focused on what we can do as families, community, and society to create a more compassionate, tolerant, and accepting environment, and truly embrace anyone that falls outside norm in our traditional society. Each and every one of us have a responsibility and moral imperative in creating a more inclusive and accepting world.

Mithyatva/Ignorance

When we hold on to unexamined and wrong beliefs, Jainism refers to it as Mithyatva or Ignorance. Our ignorance is a major cause of suffering within us and others. There are many ignorant beliefs that people have held over years about lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals. For many of us, we can go about our lives holding onto these beliefs and we may never encounter personal situations to look more deeply into such beliefs.

 

However, in conversation with families who have faced these situations where a family member is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, their biggest learning and growth came from shedding their misguided beliefs and recognizing that their love towards the child is no different after learning this aspect about them. Only when they learn of their own child or a close relative being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, they realize that consciously or subconsciously they have been holding onto misguided beliefs. For example, they may believe being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is a disease that can be cured, that it is caused by the influence of Western culture, that the person has chosen to be this way, that they can be converted to heterosexual orientation if they try, that it is a punishment or shame on themselves or a reflection on bad parenting somehow, that it is a mental sickness, it is infectious, or you can turn lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender by hanging out with them. This kind of mindset often results in much suffering for the person and his or her family members. Such beliefs go against the core Jain values.

 

When life presents us with challenging and unexpected situations, how we respond at that time is our true test of wisdom and spirituality. Especially, when it comes to children, our first response as parents plays the most important role in creating a positive versus negative outcome. When our children choose to confide in us, our response will either encourage them to lead an authentic life or add further to their fear and trauma. It is fundamentally the responsibility of the parents and immediate family to protect and nurture their children by accepting them as they are.

Jain Literature

We researched Jain literature to understand how orientations are recognized.  In Bhagwati Sutra and Tattvartha Sutra three sexes are mentioned. They refer to the categories of Male, Female and Hermaphrodite. The Hermaphrodite are indicated as neither male nor female.

 

Further, they classify sexual disposition as different from the physical, sexual attributes of the body. Sexual disposition is also categorized as Male, Female and the third category as neither completely Male nor Female, nor common to both Male and Female categories.  Thus, mental disposition is recognized to be different from physical anatomy. This classification would, therefore, refer to what we now know as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender sexual orientations.

 

Jain philosophy and scriptures are quite clear on how each soul lands into a specific body and mental disposition based on the Body making (Naam) Karma and Mohaniya Karma.  This is also true for all animals with five senses. The scriptures clearly state that all souls, regardless of the mental and physical orientation, have the potential for liberation upon the exhaustion of Mohaniya Karma. Although Digamber scriptures say that a soul is capable of liberation only via male-body.

 

So, what this tells us is that lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender orientations are recognized in our scriptures and are not a weakness, defect, choice, fake, imaginary, or just mental formation. It is an attribute of the body, similar to the height or color of skin. Every soul has same potential, irrespective of their human body or orientation.

 

In the Hindu scriptures, Napunsak (hermaphrodite category) is one of the many names of Shiva. Shiva is sometimes portrayed as half male and Half female or Ardhanarishwara. In Brahmand Purana, Napunsaka is defined as neither male nor female sex type and further elaborates that the soul attains its sexual category in the womb itself. Hence, both Jain and Hindu scriptures accept such an event happening even before birth.

Science

Almost 50 years back, in December 1973, the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the largest psychiatric organization in the world, made history by issuing a resolution stating that homosexuality was not a mental illness or sickness. This declaration helped shift public opinion, marking a major milestone for LGBTQ equality.

 

The Indian Psychiatric Society (IPA), the largest society of mental health professionals in India, categorically stated in 2018 that homosexuality is not a disease and must not be regarded as such.

 

According to the Kinsey Institute, in studies conducted in the 1940’s and 1950’s, 10% of American males and 3% of American females were found to be gay/lesbian.

 

Based on data collected through 11 surveys conducted in the U.S. and four other countries in 2012, the key findings estimated 3.5% of adults in the United States identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual and an estimated 0.3% of adults are transgender. Even though more than 10 million people self-identified themselves, the numbers were probably undermeasured and underreported.

 

As acceptance and public opinion are shifting, the percentage reported has steadily increased since Gallup first measured LGBTQ identification in 2012. In 2021, Gallup finds that LGBTQ identification in U.S ticks up to 7.1%, which is approximately 23 million people. So, think about how many people are impacted and how we treat them becomes very important. We cannot afford to remain ignorant or indifferent about it.

Changing Attitudes in India

While general social attitudes in India regarding LGBTQ+ lags behind most Western countries, it is important to note that there have been some significant developments.  

For instance, between 1990 and 2014, the share of Indian respondents in the World Values Survey who believed “homosexuality is never justifiable" fell from 89% to 24%—from an overwhelming majority to a clear minority. 

 

“Supreme Count of India’s verdict on decriminalizing Section 377” in 2018 gave the country’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans community the freedom to safely express their sexual orientation. 

Page 6 from the verdict:

"... The natural identity of an individual should be treated to be absolutely essential to his being. What nature gives is natural. That is called nature within. Thus, that part of the personality of a person has to be respected and not despised or looked down upon. The said inherent nature and the associated natural impulses in that regard are to be accepted. Non-acceptance of it by any societal norm or notion and punishment by law on some obsolete idea and idealism affects the kernel of the identity of an individual. Destruction of individual identity would tantamount to crushing of intrinsic dignity that cumulatively encapsulates the values of privacy, choice, freedom of speech and other expressions...."

 

At this time, there are many LGBTQ+ organizations in India that provide resources and support for the community.

The Jain Thing to Do – Jain Values in Action

When we accept and embrace someone the way they are, then there is no judgment, no bias, no prejudices, no label - we accept them as a whole human being.

 

True acceptance shows up in our conscious and purposeful behavior as well as in subtle and subconscious behavior - we believe and behave towards lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals as an equal person, use the same mindset and scale for gays and lesbians as we would for a heterosexual people or couples while making any choices, we don’t hide their identity or ask them to hide, we advocate for them and we never apologize for them being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

 

Some people may feel that the issue of sexual orientation doesn’t concern them, so they do not wish to talk about it. They may take a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ type of attitude, as if ignoring it will make the issue disappear. Such denial and avoidance is a form of lying to oneself. Rather, it is more honorable and courageous to acknowledge that a diversity of sexual orientations exists, and to educate oneself about the truths of sexual orientation without judgment and condemnation.

 

These kinds of mindsets and behaviors can be a source of assurance and implicit societal acceptance. The more people change to a positive attitude towards LGBT individuals, the faster we can bring that change in our society.

 

To embody this level of acceptance in our thoughts and behavior, we must recognize the need for our own inner work and challenge ourselves to overcome the biases. This kind of inner transformation starts with knowledge and understanding. By not doing the inner work, we are increasing kashaya within us and it is a hinderance for our own spiritual growth.

 

Let’s look at a few core values and principles of Jainism and how they apply to this topic:

Ahimsa

Ahimsa means not causing harm and having compassion for any living being through our thoughts, words, or behavior. So, when we discriminate, ostracize, outcast, gossip towards anyone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender then we are creating himsa (violence). The principle of Ahimsa teaches us to hold compassion, love, and understanding towards them and treat them as equal.

Anekantvad

The principle of Anekantvad teaches us that “I am not the only one who is right, and others are not wrong. Others are right too”. The ultimate truth is complex and has many aspects. Anekantvad teaches us to accept and respect everyone, no exception. It also states that no single, specific statement can describe the nature of existence and the absolute truth. This principle is at the heart of understanding, embodying, and promoting diversity inclusion towards all gender identities. This principle urges us to create a more just, compassionate, and inclusive society.

Aparigraha

The principle of Aparigraha teaches us that the path to liberation can be achieved by giving up all emotional attachments, internal passions, sensual pleasures and material possession. All forms of parigraha (internal passions/kashaya) to the world are ultimately an obstacle to our journey to liberation. This principle reminds us to let go of our internal passions and attachments that make us shame or demean the individuals of LGBTQ orientation. It is a sign of our spiritual immaturity and therefore becoming an obstacle in our journey to liberation.

Satya

Satya means living one’s authentic life. Satya is about having the courage to know your truth, live it authentically, and never be apologetic about it. When we hide reality or ask others to hide their reality, then we are turning away from truth. This principle urges us to create an environment where lesbian, gay, bisexual and people of all gender identities feel empowered to be themselves and live authentically.

Soul

One of the core Jain beliefs in Jainism is that the universe constitutes of six fundamental substances and Soul (Jiva) is one of them. 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. Every human regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identities, is a soul and deserves the same acceptance, respect, safety, and compassion.

Spiritual Growth

Our spiritual progress lies in reducing and removing our mithyatva (ignornace) and kashaya (anger, ego, deceit, greed, attachment, aversion, and other vices). It lies in overcoming our fears, such as what would people say or think.

 

“Padhamam nanam tao daya“ (Dasavaikalik Sutra 4.10)- First knowledge (gyan) / understanding and then achar or conduct / action. At an individual level, we must first educate ourselves, understand, verify the information with our logic and internalize it. We must reflect on our own previously internalized bias and attempt to uproot our unconscious negative attitudes towards gays, lesbians, or any other gender identities.

Spirituality teaches that life is not what happens to us, but life is our response to what happens to us. It is about how we navigate (unexpected) situations in life without being consumed by despair, anger, or hatred. And recognizing that if we ask the right questions during a crisis then wisdom arises and it leads to spiritual growth.

External renunciation is meaningless if the Soul remains fettered by internal shackles (Kashaya or vices) - Bhava-Pahud (13). Our religious and spiritual practices are meaningless if our beliefs, ignorance, and behaviors end up causing suffering in other human beings.  

Summary

In summary, knowledge is power and once the knowledge becomes our own then we can make choices aligned with our values and we can educate those around us.

We believe this article will serve its purpose if:

·       Our community will help in creating a more inclusive and tolerant society, in which every human can live their authentic life and never feel apologetic about who they are or who they love.

·       LGBT individuals will find courage to accept themselves and live happy and fulfilling lives that are authentic to who they are.

·       Family and society show complete acceptance and compassion towards their children and others, regardless of their gender identities or any other external factors outside of the society’s definition of “normal.”

·       This awareness will enable a family to face the situation with understanding, patience, acceptance, love, and compassion, when a child opens up to them. The first response is critical.

·       The knowledge and awareness take away the fear of unknown.

·       It enables people in our community to hold meaningful conversations and use appropriate language when it comes to this topic.

·       It empowers and urges all of us to do the inner work to reduce and remove our mithyatva and kashaya.

Acknowledgments and References:

We would like to thank Jain Scientist Acharya Shree Vijay Nandighoshsuriji for sharing his knowledge on Jain literature as it relates to this topic. The information has been incorporated in this article based on the conversation with him.

We would also like to thank Dr. Vijay Mehta for sharing his journey, experiences, and insights with us. That helped us tremendously in drafting this article.

Dr. Mehta is retired Chief of Surgery from the city of Temple, Texas. He is an advocate for the LGBT community.  His son Parag came out to him on March 27, 1999, at the height of HIV epidemic and a wave of homophobia. In response to this news, Dr. Mehta wrote a letter to his family and friends sharing Parag’s truth and affirming his son’s decision to live as his true and authentic self. That letter has been shared by many in the Indian American community as a model for how to lead with love.

Dr. Mehta has been vocal about his journey from being a homophobic person to becoming an ally and counselor to others who may be traveling the same difficult path. His toast at his son's 2019 wedding – performed according to Jain rituals – went viral with more than 30 million views.  

Several resources shared by Dr. Mehta.

The speech: https://www.facebook.com/NowThisPolitics/videos/609815982949847

The Letter : https://www.facebook.com/paragie/posts/pfbid02MhbTRUCS1sA8VbEfBXsRtncycSo6ZfnVgzmUZ7RkjnRTkkwtLDNdnLWKzAiiW1TUl

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Jainism view on Eggs Consumption

Q13. Are Eggs unfertile? Then why are eggs not considered vegetarian food and why are Jains not allowed to eat eggs? What are the facts about Eggs?

Let’s first look at some of the most commonly followed diets, including Vegan and Vegetarian:

Within Vegetarian diet following community, Eggs have been a controversial food. As many argue that eggs produced for commercial sale are unfertilized then why are they not considered part of a vegetarian diet, like dairy products?As you can see from the above listed visual chart that definition of Vegetarian diet changes as you go across different parts of the world. People follow several different types of vegetarian diets. Vegan diet across the globe is the only diet that is purely plant-based diet and does not include consuming any direct or by-products from Animals.

How do Hens produce Eggs? Are all Eggs Unfertile?

Just as Female humans, Hens ovulate for the same reason: to reproduce. Female human ovaries also contain developing eggs. In women, a mature egg is released from the ovary once a month. If the egg becomes fertilized by male sperm, then it attaches to the wall of the uterus and begins to form an embryo. If the egg is not fertilized, it is eliminated during monthly menstrual cycle 

In chickens, the ovary is a cluster of developing ova, or yolks. If Rooster mates with Hen before Hen lays eggs, then these eggs can be fertilized, otherwise Hens lay eggs which are unfertilized. Most commercially available eggs are unfertilized since Hens are kept separately on farms for breeding eggs only.

Even though commercially produced eggs are unfertile, why should we avoid consuming as part of our vegetarian diet?

Let’s understand how birds produce eggs in the wild vs. on commercial farms today:

Although Hens do not menstruate like Female humans, the cycle of creating and passing much larger eggs relative to their body size and weight is arguably even more physically taxing, especially in modern hens who have been genetically manipulated to force them to bred to produce such unnaturally high rates of eggs. 

In fact, the process of making and passing an egg requires so much energy and labor that in nature, wild hens (aka The Red Jungle Fowl - from whom domestic hens are descended) lay only 10 to 15 eggs per year. Their bodies could never sustain the physical depletion of laying hundreds of eggs that domestic chickens have been forced to produce through genetic manipulation. 

It is a common misconception that Hens are always just naturally “giving” eggs, because modern Hens have been intensively bred to lay between 250 to 300 eggs a year. But in the wild, chickens, like all birds, lay only during breeding season — primarily in the spring — and only enough eggs to assure the survival of their genes.

Egg harvesting from chicken does not require killing chicken, like caviar or fish eggs are obtained by killing fish. Not every product that comes out of an animal requires killing that animal, the best example being milk. However, it does not mean there is no animal cruelty or violence (Himsa) involved in the process of harvesting these products (Eggs, Milk) even if direct killing act is not conducted. Extreme cruelty is inflicted on cows for milk and all associated dairy products as outlined in the View on Dairy Products Usage and Consumption blog post.

When you look closely, it becomes clear how the entire process of harvesting eggs involves inhumane cruelty or violence against these animals 

Any animal food that is produced at a large scale for commercial purposes, brings many unwanted and often unknown (to mass population) violence. Many inhumane practices are carried out to increase and sustain high production of eggs. 

Hatcheries often breed chickens in an undesirable/inhumane way. For example, 

• Female chicks are given hormone injections to boost their reproductive cycle earlier than nature intended. 
• Chickens are kept in a very tight space, crawling on top of each other, not able to stand on ground, no outdoor space.
• Chickens are poorly fed, which has many negative effects on chickens’ health. 
• Female chickens are left to die or used as food (for animal consumption) once their reproductive cycle stops and are not producing eggs anymore. 
• Most of the male chickens born are grounded up for food (while they are alive) as they do not have any reproductive value. 

Please refer to some of the highly viewed YouTube videos showing Egg production lifecycle, showcasing how much cruelty and violence is involved (Viewer discretion advised):

1.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9aQx8czbt8 - 6 min

2.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssOEJpBQErc - 3 min

3.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-gSoXwFlIE  -  1 min

All this violence is inherently part of producing “Unfertile” eggs that some may consider as valid vegetarian diet. 

What about eggs from free-range or cage-free, farm raised birds? Are they cruelty free?

With recently raised awareness of commercially raised chickens, many people recognized ethical problems that arise from animal factories producing animal products. And so, to distance themselves from such inherent cruelty and harm done to these animals, they turned to free range birds’ eggs, farm raised organic chicken eggs or some using their own backyard chickens. 

So, what’s wrong with that? This non-commercial egg production happens almost without human manipulation or intervention, where is the ethical problem or Himsa involved in there? 

Well, if you just scratch little beneath the surface. Such as:

1.    How are these hens bred? All hens in small farms, big farms or in animal factories are bred in hatcheries. 

2.    What happens to these hens when they no longer produce eggs? 

3.    What happens to roosters (male chicken babies) in this type of farming? 

Just because they are kept in a pleasant open farm space, free of medicines and antibiotics does not free then from untimely, unnatural killing. Killing of under productive Hens or unproductive Roosters are done regularly by these farms that declare their hens happy or consider them free range animals. 

Some eye-opening facts:

• Between 470 Million to 490 Million chickens are produced every year for eggs harvesting. Approximately, half of them are male babies. These male babies have no value in the egg production cycle and thus are killed through suffocation, maceration, carbon dioxide poisoning, electrocution, cervical dislocation etc.
• There is no such thing as slaughter free animal agricultural system. Animal factories, farm raised, cage-free, however they are bred.
• Even if one considers byproducts such as eggs as technically Vegetarian food, production/harvesting of eggs inherently involves violence and cruelty against these animals.
• Many studies show that eggs are harmful for human consumption due to high saturated fat in yolk. Many alternative plant-based proteins are healthier options.
• Animal farming and harvesting of animal by-products have much higher environmental impact compared to Vegetables/Fruits farming.
• As learned above, consuming eggs conducts harm against five-sense living beings vs. one-sense living beings when you follow only plant-based diet.
• As per https://unitedegg.com/facts-stats/, U.S. table egg production totaled 95.3 billion in 2018, up 3 percent from 2017. 
• The U.S. has 328 million commercial laying hens (January 2018), up 3 percent from January 2017. The daily rate of lay averaged 79 eggs per 100 layers (January 2018). On average, each laying hen produces 289 eggs per year.
• According to www.statista.com › Consumer Goods & FMCG › Food & Nutrition, In 2019, consumption of eggs in the United States was estimated at 289.5 per person.
• Millions of male chicks and laying hens are slaughtered every year as they lose their reproductive value - https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/chickens/egg-industry/
• Detrimental Environmental effects: In comparison to plant-based produce, the production of eggs, like other animal-based produce, generates negative effects on the environment, including the emission of greenhouse gases or the contamination of soil and water.

In short, even though immediate harvesting of animal byproducts such as MILK, EGGS are not killing them directly, if looked closely at the whole agricultural life cycle of its production, it comes to realization how much cruelty and violence is involved in every step of the way.

Lastly, we want to emphasis on why it is so important to stand by your compassionate choice and not make exceptions:

Many vegetarian diets following people in the modern world often make exceptions by allowing themselves to consume eggs as part of an ingredient of a food product, dish, while not consuming eggs directly as food. 

If you think - what harm do I really cause, what violence do I really conduct when I consume just one cookie, one piece of cake, a slice of bread, baked pie or a small chocolate bar once in a while… then

Think deeply and think broadly!  

1.    By saying YES to consuming products containing Eggs, you are promoting that industry at large. 

2.    You are participating in the cruel agricultural life cycle by consuming products made from eggs in any shape or form. Since the commercial industry is all about demand and supply. 

Think about the possibility if you decide to say NO to all products that contain animal products (e.g. Eggs) and instead ask for, demand for products made without animal products, byproducts. 

If enough of us choose to stay strong by our choice of being compassionate, we will help in creating demand for cruelty-free products of all kinds. Today we have so many Vegan options available in grocery stores, restaurants and shopping malls. 

Today, we are able to consume these cruelty-free products thanks to those before us who chose to stay strong by their choice of compassion. 

Is Ignorance Acceptable / Justifiable in Jainism...

Q12. There is so much violence in the preparation of commercial food items and products used on daily basis. Is it better to just remain ignorant about such violence or is it better to have knowledge/awareness about it?

This is an important overarching question. With so much violence around us, whether it is in the food items we eat, products we use, what we buy, where we buy from, environmental footprint or things we accumulate. All the choices we make have an impact.

There are situations in which violence is very apparent, for example using leather/wool/silk vs. cotton or eating meat vs. vegetables. And then there are situations when the violence is not very apparent but there is a high possibility of violence. For example,

• Goods made in countries where ethical standards, labor laws, environmental laws are lax or non-existent

• Food products, beauty products, cleaning products involving unethical or cruel treatment towards animals

• Dairy products (milk, butter, ghee, ice cream, sweets and so on) that inflicts highest cruelty on cows – every milk producing cows are slaughtered after about 5 years and almost every male calf is slaughtered immediately after birth.  

The intent of this question is to address the situations where violence is not apparently visible. So, under this context:

Is it better to make our choices while remaining ignorant about such violence or have knowledge about it and do the best that we can by following the Jain principle of minimum violence?

Nonviolence is the highest principle of Jain Religion. If our principle/value is nonviolence towards all living beings, then remaining ignorant is not an option.

Jainism Perspective on Knowledge vs. Ignorance

The core principle of Jainism is the path of knowledge. Spiritual growth means continuous learning, seeking for information and then changing our actions based on that.

If we conduct our action keeping ourselves in a state of ignorance (in Mithyatva or wrong belief) then we cannot make spiritual progress.  In fact, the Jain principle firmly states that any action performed in a state of ignorance is always wrong from spiritual point of view even if the action may have helped many other people.

Let’s explore few examples:

-     We are aware of potential violence in food we consume or product we use, yet we choose to remain ignorant and not make the effort to gain or verify the information. In this case, we are conducting our action in ignorance, there is no hope for our spiritual growth or change, and we continue to acquire more bad karma.

-     The impact of our tax dollars by the government which we may not have bothered to learn about or tried to influence through our obligation to participate in civic affairs.

-     The impact of our 401K (retirement) and other stock market investments which may be encouraging and enabling corporations to commit violence to improve our returns. How many of us have made a conscious effect to divest?

-     We donate some funds to charity and then we make sure that we receive good recognition for our donation, and we take pride in it. In this case, there is subtle ignorance at bhav / intention level. Our “Ego” is satisfied which indicates that our action has increased our vices (Kashayas) and hence we acquire more bad karma even though many people are being helped.

If we are conducting actions in wrong belief, delusion or by choosing to remain ignorant then it is inexcusable (unjustifiable) from Jainism perspective. In fact, willfully ignoring the knowledge of suffering caused by our actions is not only inexcusable, but we have an obligation to understand the consequences of every action we take. Jainism considers conducting actions under Mithyatva (delusion or wrong belief) as of the highest forms of sin. Without knowledge and awareness, we are in either in false belief or blindly following someone else and that invariable results in higher form karma bondage and stagnates spiritual growth.

Proper knowledge is required before any action is carried out. Jain Agam scripture Das-vaikalik Sutra states that “Padhamam Jnanam Tao Daya” (First knowledge then Conduct or non-violent action).

Once we have any new information, we must also test it with our own reasoning and verify with our experience and only then, it becomes our own. We can then use that wisdom for our future actions.  

Depending on our circumstances, we might not be able to act on information right away but with proper knowledge and awareness, there is hope!

Following Path of Minimum Violence for Our Healthy Survival

Human life cannot exist without violence. For our existence we need food, clothing, and shelter. Hence Jain principle states that for our survival, we must follow the path of minimum violence.

It is important for us to understand the guidelines of practicing minimum violence.

Muni Shree Nyayvijaji (the undisputed scholar of Jain Logic) explains how to practice minimum violence in his book Jain Darshan. Here are the links to his article on “The Principle of Minimum Violence for Human's Survival” in Hindi, English and Gujarati.

The Jain principle states that the degree of violence inflicted to any living being is proportional to the number of senses a living being possesses.

A living being who possesses more senses equate to more development of its faculty of knowledge.  Therefore, hurting or exploiting one five sense living being is worse than hurting many four sense living beings and three senses living beings and so on. Please refer to this blog post for details about five senses and their role from Ahimsa point of view.

The Order of Degree of Violence (highest to lowest) as per soul classification defined in Jiv-vichar book:

1.    Human Beings

2.    Five sensed Animals

3.    Four sensed Movable Beings such as flies, bees

4.    Three sensed Movable Beings such as ants, lice

5.    Two sensed Living Beings such as insects

6.    One sense Beings - vegetables, water, air, earth, and fire

Violence can be in any form such as killing, exploiting, verbal abuse, physical violence, emotional or mental abuse etc.

Since human life can healthily survive by consuming only one sense beings (fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, water etc.) we should not kill, hurt or exploit two to five senses living beings.  Hence Jainism propagates consuming only one sense being for healthy survival and no wastage. Any food we waste, or any clothing and shelter we do not use is also considered violence because we have killed more one sense beings than we need for our healthy survival.

In the past 100-200 years, our lifestyle has become part of a very complex and interconnected world of advanced technology, global economics, extreme specialization of labor, complex corporate and political dynamics, all of which lead to a disconnectedness between our personal actions and the resulting effects on the rest of the humanity and on the planet’s ecosystem. Hence, as conscious individuals we have an important moral obligation to become aware of these cause and effect dynamics, and to act in ways to reduce our role in it.

If our action cause the environmental degradation (such as using plastics plates, water bottles, bags, foams cups and glasses etc..) it should be considered the highest form of violence as it affects all of us living beings on the planet, causing death, displacement, disease, and other types of suffering. Also, our non-biodegradable waste (plastic, styrofoam etc.) destroys sea life significantly.

We must also make sure that we don't micro-manage our approach of minimizing violence to one sense so much that we lose the sight of the bigger picture of not hurting five sense living being. We need to always keep the highest goals of non-violence towards humans, other five sensed living beings and strive to minimize violence towards other four, three, and two sense movable living beings.

What can we do?

It seems like in our consumerist society, there is increasing amount of violence for companies to succeed and make money, and for consumers to get what they want and when they want it. In such situation, we must ensure that our actions are in in-sync with our values and principles.

When we buy something, we have a responsibility to understand how that product was produced and what violence may have been committed for it to be acquired. Similarly, when we throw something in the trash, we should understand the complete chain of events and set of consequences of the action. With the awareness, we can consciously avoid / limit actions that causes harm and we have an opportunity to choose an option with less violence rather than being ignorant and choosing the one that is most convenient / pleasurable in worldly sense.

We need to understand the principles and then apply them in current situation. We have been programmed certain way but when it comes to making our choices, 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.

Since life cannot exists without violence, we must strive towards minimizing violence. We are our own judge and jury when it comes to making our choices and determining our acceptable level of violence while simultaneously nurturing our spiritual growth.