Jain Rituals - What, Why, How

Q14. Why are rituals important? How should the rituals be performed? What are some of the essential rituals?

First let's define rituals and then we will look into why and how they should be performed. We will also talk about the essential rituals for Jains.

What are rituals?

Ritual, in the religious context, is a set of activities performed to remind basic principles of the religion. They are done in accordance with religious guidelines, social customs, or normal protocols.

Rituals have a symbolic and spiritual significance to the performer. Every religion in the world has their own set of rituals. Rituals are created for the people, by the people, and are an integral part of all religions. Rituals are not meant to be some monotonous, pointless, or meaningless activities, but each ritual has a deep meaning behind it.

There are two aspects that we should consider – Dravya puja and Bhava puja.

• Dravya puja – The physical activities and recitation of sutras are called the rites and rituals. 
• Bhava Puja – The internal reflection that occurs while doing Dravya puja is known as Bhava puja.

The Dravya Puja which is the symbolic aspect must be carried out with proper internal reflection and meditation (Bhava puja) such that our spiritual progress (reduction of our vices or Kashaya) occurs. Without spiritual progress, only performing the Dravya puja has no value.

We must also ensure that we are not using any products like milk, wool, silk, peacock feathers, saffron, varakh, kasturi etc. in Dravya puja that involves significant cruelty. Please refer to the Use of Products that involves Violence / Himsa in Jain Rituals blog post for understanding the cruelty associated with these products in current times and potential alternatives.

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. 

In summary, the internal reflection, meditation and removing mithyatva and kashayas are the goals to be attained and the rituals are the means to achieve that goal.

Why are rituals important?

Rituals are important for any religion to build a culture, strengthen their religious values, and to create a sense of community. Rituals performed with proper understanding are a must 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. 

The rituals are interwoven in the daily life of a pious Jain to help cultivate virtues like non-violence, tolerance, non-attachment, humbleness, forgiveness, straightforwardness and many more. These virtues help us in daily aspects of life and enable us to live a spiritual, joyful, and peaceful life.

Rituals done properly 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

Rituals are intended to enable spiritual growth and serve as a reminder to reflect upon the Jain philosophies, values, and proper conduct. Rituals keep the religion alive and help imprint the religious principles into our minds.

How the rituals should be performed?

Jain Agam Das-vaikalik sutra states the following:

“Padhamum Jnanm Tao Daya.“

First knowledge (Jnan) / understanding and then conduct or action.

This one line provides the essence of how our Tirthankars envisioned the rituals should be performed. But unfortunately, at times, the rituals are performed as some repetitive or habitual activities. They become part of our programmed routine or checklist instead of spiritual experience. We end up focusing on the count or getting it done. 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?

The rituals must be performed with the right understanding and interpretation, such that it provides spiritual benefits and an inspiring and uplifting experience. We should not carry out any ritual mechanically, blindly, or follow them as tradition without our own wisdom.

For example: The spiritual benefit of fasting is to reduce the attachment or desire towards food. If fasting or any kind of penance is just done mechanically, then it doesn’t result in spiritual benefit. After we fast, we should reflect on how our attachment to food has changed. The reduction to our attachment and getting closer to the true nature of our soul is the spiritual act and the net result of any penance.

The Jain ritual defines that the sutras are to be recited in a certain physical posture and correct pronunciation along with proper reflection in order to derive a spiritual benefit of a ritual. Both physical and internal reflection are various forms of Yoga. In general, Yoga is defined as that which connects with the soul or leads to liberation.

There are two forms of Yoga for rituals, namely:

• Kriya-Yoga includes all physical movement, activity, physical posture and recitation of sutras.
• Jnana-Yoga is the knowledge about the ritual along with proper internal reflection during its performance. It instills the feelings and thoughts as per the meaning of the ritual and absorbs it in the consciousness.

Kriya and Jnana together are critical for the proper performance of any ritual.

Practicing of any ritual starts with understanding the spiritual purpose of the rituals. Ritual must be performed with proper knowledge, understanding and reflection.

Daily Essential Jain Rituals

Jainism is a very practical religion and it helps us in every walk of life. There are several rituals in place to remind us and help us progress spiritually. One of the ways is a daily practice of six Avashyaka (essentials). Mahavir Swami introduced the six essential rituals to practice daily. There are some differences that exist between Shvetambar and Digambar traditions.

Six Essentials of Shvetämbar-Tradition

Samayik	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.
Chauvisattho	To pray and remember the qualities of the 24 Tirthankaras. This daily practice is intended to appreciate the Tirthankaras virtues and emulate those in our daily life.
Vandana	To respect Ascetics and provide food (Gochari) and other items like clothes and medicine. This daily practice is intended to cultivate respect, humility, and selfless service.
Pratikraman	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.
Kayotsarga	To stay motionless for a varying length of time (Meditation). During Kayotsarga one is neither in the past nor in the future. This daily practice helps us concentrate on the true nature of our soul. Self-awareness is in the present and hence, it can help detach ourselves from worldly attachments.
Pratyakhyana	To take vows to renounce certain activities which can reduce the influx of karmas. This daily practice is intended to discipline ourselves, to control our desires and prepare us for bigger renunciation.

Six Essentials of Digambar-Tradition

Devapujä	Paying respect and appreciating the virtues of the Tirthankaras
Gurupästi	Devotion and service to ascetics
Swädhyäy	Studying of Scriptures
Sanyam	Self-restraint
Tapa	Penance
Däna	Charity

The purpose of these six Aavashyaks is to raise our spirituality and reduce/eliminate our kashayas (anger, ego, greed, deceit) on a daily basis.

Occasion Oriented Jain Rituals:

Following are some of the most popular festivals in Jainism –

Pancha Kalyänak – Five major events (Pancha Kalyänak) of the life of a Tirthankar

Conception Event (Chyavana Kalyänak)	When a Tirthankar’s soul is conceived in the mother’s womb.
Birth Event (Janma Kalyänak)	When a Tirthankar is born
Renunciation Event (Dikshä Kalyänak)	When a would-be Tirthankar gives up all worldly possessions and family relationships and initiates into the ascetic order
Omniscience Event (Keval-jnän Kalyänak)	When a Tirthankar becomes free of the four Ghäti Karma by the practice of severe discipline, penance, and meditation, and attains Keval-jnän.
Nirvana Event (Nirvana Kalyänak)	When a Tirthankar is liberated from the cycle of birth and death and becomes a Siddha. The Tirthankar destroys the remaining four Aghäti Karma and is now free from all Karma.

Paryushan/Dash Lakshana - During the months of August- September, Paryushan/Dash Lakshana is an important festival of forgiveness and atonement for Jains. Paryushan means staying close to our soul.

Mahavir Janma Kalyanak - It is also known as Mahavir Jayanti. It is an auspicious occasion to celebrate the birth of Lord Mahavir, the 24th and the last Tirthankara, over 2600 years ago. It is observed on the thirteenth day of the bright half of the moon in the month of Chaitra (March/April).

Diwali - Diwali teaches us to uphold the true values of life, to destroy ignorance that prevents humanity, and to drive away darkness that engulfs the light of knowledge. Diwali is celebrated for five days and each day has its own significance: Dhanteras, Kali Chaudas, Diwali (Nirvana day for Mahavir Swami), New Year and Bhai Beej.

Navpad Oli - Nine Elements – It is also called Ayambil Oli. Jain observes Festival of Navpad oli, that last for nine days, twice a year. The first one falls in the bright fortnight of Ashwina month (September/October) and the second during the bright fortnight of Chaitra month (March/April).

Ashtanhika Parv - This is a Jain festival celebrated for eight days three times a year in the months of Kartik (October/November), Falgun (February/March), and Ashdah (June/July). It is celebrated from the eighth day of Shukla Paksh (Waxing moon Cycle) till Purnima/Guru Purnima every year.

Summary

Rituals are important and critical stepping-stones for our spiritual progress. Rituals performed mechanically without knowledge, understanding, and reflection does not provide any spiritual benefit. Also, if the rituals are performed out of fear, ego, greed, deceit, or personal gain, they are pointless and provide no benefit.

We want to ensure that rituals are performed with the right understanding and are enhancing our spiritual growth. Rituals done properly help reduce/eliminate our kashayas (anger, ego, greed, deceit), help us realize the true nature of the soul and ultimately leads us to liberation.

The daily rituals / practices are intended to raise our spirituality, increase our inner strength, practice meditation, self-control, reflection, self-awareness, and essentially allow us to live by our Jain values and maintain the state of equanimity in all situations.

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.

Jainism view on Wars, Fighting for Injustice, Oppression, Freedom...

Q11. What is Jain view on wars - political, economic, religious or ethnic? How about fighting for injustice, oppression and freedom?

These are important question that we will address from various perspectives. We will look at it from Jain values/principles, scriptures, examples from history and logical reasoning so that we can use our own wisdom in any given situation and keep our spirituality intact and progressing. We are addressing this question from lay-people (shravak and shravikas) perspective.

We will talk about this in two parts. First Jainism views on spirituality to prevent situations like war, injustice, oppression or slavery and then what can we do if we are in any of such situations.

Jainism perspective on spirituality and war:

There are many references in Jain scriptures that all underpins the importance of living a spiritual, compassionate and peaceful life.

Jainism advocates and provides guidance on removing societal conditions that preludes the war, mainly reduce inequality and insecurity, overcoming our inner weaknesses and structuring our life based on spiritual awareness.

-    Ahimsa is at the core of Jainism. Ahimsa means to not hurt any living beings, through our thoughts, words or actions. It means to respect all living beings and have compassion towards all living beings, no exceptions.

-    In Sutrakritang, it is clearly mentioned that there is nothing higher than the sense of security, it says one should not fear from others and one should not cause fear to others. Accumulation of arms and weapons are considered a means of security yet these, instead of giving security, generate fear and a sense of insecurity in the party that doesn’t have them. These insecurities start a race for accumulation of superior weapon and eventually a war.

-    Lord Mahavira in Acharanga sutra proclaimed "Atthi sattham parenaparam, Natthi asattham parenaparam" i.e. There are weapons superior to each other, but nothing is superior to disarmament or non-violence. It is the selfish and aggressive outlook of an individual or a society that gives birth to war and violence.

-    Tattvartha sutra written by Acharya Umaswati (aka Umaswami) stated that mutual cooperation is the essential nature of human beings and the function of the soul is to help one another.

-    Uttaradhyayana Sutra underpins the importance of war with oneself to get rid of insecurities that runs as precursor for war and conflicts.

Ideally, we don’t want war, injustice, oppression or slavery. But what if we are in middle of any such situation? What is our responsibility and what are acceptable actions for lay people?

What can we do if we are any undesirable situations like war, injustice, oppression, slavery?

For lay people it is very important to understand the Jain principles and scriptures such that we maintain our spirituality, yet we don’t miss out on fulfilling any of our responsibilities.

Agams contains the vows (vrat) for Shravak/Shravika and for Sadhu/Sadhvis, and they are different for both.

Mahavrat is vows for Sadhu/Sadhvi and it includes complete non-violence. 

Ahimsa vow for Shravak and Shravika is called Anuvrat. Here’s the verse from yoga sastra that explains the ahimsa vow for laypeople:

સ્થૂલ પ્રાણાતિપાત વિરમણ વ્રત:-

નિષ્કારણ, નિરપરાધી, ત્રસજીવોની સંકલ્પપૂર્વકની હિંસાનો ત્યાગ

Sthuul pranaatipat viramaan vrat 

Nishkaran (without valid reason) Niraparadhi (not guilty)
Trasjeevai (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 2-5 sensed living beings, which are not guilty, and there is no valid reason.

So, for lay people, minimum violence for protection is acceptable. It is our responsibility as lay people to protect our self, family, religion, state and country and if needed we should use force or violence. None of our values/principles are meant to make us weak or prevent us from fulfilling our responsibilities. We must take the required action for protection but without any kashayas (anger, ego, greed, deceit) internally.

In history, we have many examples, such as historically very famous Acharya Shri Kalakacharya for the protection Sadhviji, King Bhamasha, Vastupal and Tejpal fought for protection of self and others. Contemporary times are very different from 2500 years ago, however, the application of Jain values/principles remains the same.

Little more recent example is of Gandhiji fighting for injustice, oppression and freedom.  During the British rule over India, British had a law that forbid Indians to mine their own salt.  On top of that, the British imposed a tax on salt which was coming from India’s own land.  Gandhiji felt this was wrong. But he did not go off in the middle of the night to break the law. His intention was not to cheat the law. Rather, he told the British that he was doing a salt march and will be mining the salt and he is willing to be arrested. He was protesting for the sake of the cause, not protesting for any other reason.

Let’s look at a more practical example.  If an intruder enters our house and we harm that individual in self-defense, then that is acceptable. But violence out of aggression or revenge is not acceptable.  If the intruder leaves and we yet go after him for the purpose of harming him instead turning him to the authority, then that is not acceptable.

Bottom line

Ideally, we don’t want war, oppression or any kind of injustice. And at an individual level, we should raise our spirituality such that we don’t introduce or escalate situations that starts the injustice or wars. However, if we are in any situation that requires us to protect self, family, religion, country then we must act but without aggression or any kashayas within.

We must follow the law of the land we reside in; we can protest the law but cannot violate the law.  We must be very mindful and honest in deciding if a war/fight is for a valid cause and not with an intention to hurt 2-5 sense living beings, personal gains or to gain more power over others.

Jainism view on Sallekhana, Suicide, Euthanasia and Death Penalty.

Q10. What is Sallekhana? What is Suicide & Euthanasia? Is Sallekhana considered Suicide? What are Jain views on Death Penalty?

We are addressing this question from the perspective of lay people

SALLEKHANA:

It is also known as Santhara, Samadhi-maran, Samlehna.

Jain definition of Sallekhana is very explicit and clear.

Sallekhana is the religious practice performed with FULL AWARENESS & KNOWLEDGE of voluntarily fasting to death by gradually reducing/limiting one's movements, then gradually reducing the intake of solid food, and finally reducing the intake of fluids.

Jainism believes that the process of sallekhana at the end of one’s life, while being engaged in meditation, serves to prevent the accumulation of bad karmas as well as assisting the soul in spiritual purification.

Observing Sallekhana leads to Ahimsa as the person observing it detaches or reduces his/her Kashayas, which are considered the root cause of himsa.

Jain religion allows to perform Sallekhana to monks, nuns, shravaks, and shravikas. Sallekhana is rare, performed only when death is imminent.

Sallekhana should be performed only when a person:

-        Is terminally ill

-        With no hope of a cure or recovery

-        Is fully aware about his condition

-        Realizes that there is no usefulness of his life to be able to further his spiritual progress

In other words, a person is not capable of doing Nirjara of one’s karma and hence his human life is a burden to others. Then, and ONLY then, can he take a vow (pachhkhan) of Sallekhana from a Guru, and the Guru must agree with the decision before giving pachhkhan.

A person in a coma or in severe pain, who is not completely aware about his/her state of mind should not be given the vow of Santharo. The decision to take Sallekhana cannot be taken by relatives or society or disciples and must never be done for fame or prestige.

Sallekhana is a private event and it is taken with an intention of having a spiritual death. It should not be made a public affair and turn it into a celebration because person taking the vow needs privacy to remain in meditative state until the last breath.

Process of performing Sallekhana

The person who decides to take the vow of Sallekhana:

-        Makes the decision to end his/her life and family members are aware (unlike suicide)

-        Should discuss with a Guru and get Guru’s permission

-        Requests forgiveness from others and forgives all for any sinful acts in their life

-        Remains in the state of forgiveness & in Pratikraman 

-        Should eliminate all the fear, grief, hatred, regret, prejudice, attachment, etc. from his mind to the fullest extent

-        Remains in meditative state on the innermost self, the soul till the end

If after taking the Sallekhana vow, a person has doubts or second thoughts, then the process of Sallekhana must not be continued, and one should withdraw from it.

If after taking the Sallekhana vow, arta-dhyaan (sorrowful dhyaan) occurs in the person due to not drinking water, not consuming any food, or not taking any medicines, then the process of Sallekhana must not be continued, and one should withdraw from it. Then one should take appropriate steps to eliminate arta-dhyaan because in arta-dhyaan the person is immersed in thoughts of suffering, agony and anguish. Such mental state leads to very high negative karma bondage and defeats the purpose of having a spiritual death.

Sallekhana is not considered suicide, and unlike suicide, it is not spontaneous or immediate. On the contrary, it is a slow process and can take as many as 30+ days.  A person taking Sallekhana has to be fully aware to make the decision with his/her own will.

So, for a successful and rightful Sallekhana, the decision must be made VOLUNTARILY, with FULL KNOWLEDGE/AWARENESS, PROPER PLANNING, and undertaken CALMLY & PEACEFULLY, with a focus on SPIRITUALITY, FORGIVENESS, and reduction in one’s own Kashayas.

SUICIDE:

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. It is an immediate death. A person can decide to take his/her own life when he/she is depressed, when one is experiencing intense emotional pain, or generally thinks that life is not worth living. As far as Jain religion is considered, suicide is considered as committing a murder. Suicide is an instantaneous and purposeful killing hence one acquires Karmas equivalent of killing a five-sensed human being.

As per Jainism, from all the life forms (84 lakh yoni) where our soul can take birth, it is only this very human birth which is the most precious. This is because human life is viewed as a rare opportunity for the soul to reach enlightenment and ultimately Liberation.

So, to commit suicide, regardless of any circumstance/situation the person is in, is depriving one's self from the opportunity to reduce or eliminate kashayas/karmas and there by hindering their own spiritual growth or liberation. Therefore, Suicide is NOT ACCEPTABLE AND NOT ALLOWED in Jainism.

EUTHANASIA:

It is also known as mercy killing.

Euthanasia is an act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals in relatively painless way for reasons of mercy.

From Jain point of view, euthanasia is NOT considered as sallekhana.

DEATH PENALTY:

Strictly from Jain principles point of view, we do not have any right to take some one’s life and hence Death penalty is NOT acceptable. 

However, we MUST obey the laws of the land that we reside in.  One can protest the law but cannot violate the law.