The concept of non-violence seems surreal in the world of extreme violence, both inside us, and outside us, that we live in. But there are those who still practice the philosophy of non-violence. Prof. Pankaj Jain who teaches religion and philosophy at the University of North Texas has spent his life researching this. You can listen to our full podcast with him here.
- How can the principle of non-violence even be relevant when there is such incessant violence all around us?
The answer is hidden in the question itself. As Mahatma Gandhi famously declared: ‘an eye for an eye will leave the entire world blind’. The only way out of this vicious cycle is non-violence not just towards humans but towards every being in the world, including the animals, the plants, the rivers, the mountains, the air, the energy, the entire planet. From Gandhi, this principle came to the USA when Dr. Martin Luther King based his Civil Rights Movement also on non-violence. Similarly, Nelson Mandela took inspiration also from Gandhi in his nonviolent struggle in South Africa. In India, recent leaders such as Sunderlal Bahuguna and Anna Hazare remind us of Gandhian ideas in their respective movements.
2. Tell us a bit about the Jain principle of non-violence and to what extremes it is practiced.
The Jain principle of non-violence is based on the taxonomy of beings in the world in categories according to the number of senses. The one-sensed beings, with the sense of touch, include earth, air, water, fire, and plant-bodied souls. Five-sense-d beings include humans, animals, and birds. To live is to consume the natural resources but by minimizing the consumption, the violence can also be minimized. Instead of consuming the other five-sensed beings such as animals or birds, Jains limited themselves to consuming only one-sensed beings, such as plants. Even among plants, any root or stem-based plants,e.g., carrot, radish, onion, garlic, potato, are discouraged to minimize the violence against the entire plant. The better option is to consume just the by-product of a plant instead of killing an entire plant. Also, the consumption of air, water, fire, and earth is also to be done with utmost care. For instance, some Jain monks and nuns cover their mouths to minimize the intake of air and any microbes that might accidentally enter as they speak or breathe. Also, many Jains avoid eating after sunset to avoid wasting energy coming from burning fossil fuel, for instance. Jain monks and nuns avoid riding a vehicle and consume only filtered water for such reasons. For Jains, the statement from the Mahabharata ‘Ahimsa Paramo Dharma’ (the greatest virtue is non-violence) is the ultimate virtue ethics. Nonviolence is the supreme dharma in the letter and the spirit.
3. Some of these practices do not sound practical but then how are people able to follow them?
Ordinary Jain people follow them to the best of their capabilities. For instance, many second-generation Jains in Europe and North America are now becoming vegans and are surprised to see their parents who might still be consuming dairy products. As we now know, cattle are subjected to extreme violence. Therefore, to consume their milk in any form is against the Jain principle of nonviolence. Many Jains have to step up to become vegan from being a strict vegetarian. With the spread of veganism across the world, Jain principle of nonviolence is becoming even more relevant. This is now widely known that violence against animals for meat consumption is one of the biggest reasons, if not the biggest reason, for climate change, for world hunger, for water scarcity, for forest destruction, for deadly diseases such as blood pressure and different kinds of cancers, as shown in films such as Cowspiracy and What The Health.
4. Tell us about the environmentalism in Jainism. Do you see a resurgence of interest in the environmentalism of Jainism? If yes, how? Illustrate with some examples.
In addition to avoiding meat consumption, Jains also continue to support hundreds of shelters and hospitals for animals and birds. The bird hospital in Delhi is one of the most prominent such examples, recently covered in a story in The Atlantic, for instance. Some Jains are also active in reforestation efforts around their sacred towns. For most Jains, avoiding meat will continue to be their best statement to keep their carbon footprint low. Indeed, the annual Greendex survey by National Geographic counts India as the greenest and vegetarianism is one of the biggest reasons for this lower carbon footprint of India, lower than China, Brazil, and many Western countries.
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