JAINISM

1. JAINISM Jain Society Of Metropolitan Chicago Bartlett, IL

2. What is Religion? “What holds one from falling from spiritual degeneration is religion”

3. Why do we need a Religion?

4. Why do we need a Religion? A Moral Compass Guiding Light

5. What is Jainism? • Jainism is a religion and a way of life. • For thousands of years, Jains have been practicing vegetarianism, meditation, yoga, and environmentalism. • Jains believe in the soul in each living being from one sense to five senses, which is eternal and divine.

6. Jainism - Basic Beliefs • God, Universe and Life • God is not a Creator, Preserver or Destroyer of the universe • Life Suffering: • Ignorance is the root cause of all suffering • Karma attaches to the soul due to soul's ignorance • Ultimate Goal of Life • Removal of soul's ignorance, hence be free from all karma

7. Features of Jainism • Every living being is eternal, individual, and has a potential to become liberated or God • The principles governing the successions of life cycles (Birth, Life, and Death) is Karma • Our ignorance or intention behind our actions of body, mind, and speech bind us with Karma • Path of liberation is to follow Righteous Perception, Righteous Knowledge, and Righteous Conduct

8. Jain Religion Features • Desire is the root cause of all suffering • Conquer your desire by your own effort in order to attain liberation. • Self purification, penance, austerity, and meditation are essential for Righteous Conduct. • Nonviolence is the highest principle to be followed in thought, speech, and action. • One must cease injuring sentient creatures, large and small.

9. What is Jainism? • Jains are followers of JINA, the conqueror of inner enemies. • Inner enemies • Anger (Krodh) • Greed (lobh) • Ego (mäna) • Deceit (mäyä)

10. What is Jain Activity? Any activity of body, speech or mind that help us: 1. Eliminate anger, ego, deceit, greed within ourselves 2. Develop a vision to look for only good in others and completely ignore bad in others ~Acharya Haribhadrasuriji (700-770AD) in ‘Darshanshastra’

11. Unique Teachings of Jainism • Every living being has the potential to become God • Path of liberation is to follow righteous perception, righteous knowledge and righteous conduct • Conquer your desires through your own effort to attain liberation

12. Unique Teachings of Jainism • Ahimsa (Universal love) strengthens the autonomy of life everywhere • Anekäntväd (Non-absolutism) strengthens autonomy of thoughts & speech, and non-possessiveness • Aparigraha (Non-attachment) strengthens autonomy of interdependence • The above three realistic principles, which strengthen our belief that every living being has a right to self-existence.

14. These principles translate into three practices: • One should not kill • One should not trample others’ thoughts • One should not trample nature

15. Ahimsa (Non violence) • Ahimsa is disciplined behavior towards every living being - Dashvaikalika Sutra (6/9) • Absence of violence of any sort towards all beings at all times is Ahimsa. - Yogasutra • In its absolute definition, ‘Ahimsa is the absence of evil thoughts, feelings or attitude’

16. Ahimsa (Non violence) • Ahimsa is practiced at the physical level as well as mental level. In other words, it is stated that there should be no Himsa by mind, speech, and body. • Even hurting someone’s feelings is himsä (violence).

17. Compassionate Living Ahimsä (non-violence): • Not to cause pain to any living beings in words, in thoughts, and in actions. We do not have right to harm, abuse or exploit animals, birds, fish etc. • It is a compassionate living in harmony with nature. • Vegetarianism – To live a life with minimum violence and avoid animal by-products.

18. Jain Karma Theory • Law of Cause and Effect • Law of Action and Reaction • What one sows, one reaps • Our intention behind our actions of mind, speech, and body binds us with karma

19. Empowering Theory • While the Law of Karma dictates what we are experiencing now to be the result of our own past action, the Law - by clearly defining the principle of cause and effect - also lays before us positive future direction of our own choice and making • Only WE are responsible for our past, present and future and only WE can alter it. No one else can!

20. A profound truth for all times “One who neglects or disregards the existence of earth, air, fire, water and vegetation, disregards his own existence which is entwined with them” - Lord Mahavir (599-527 BC)

21. The ancient Jain scriptural aphorism • Parasparopgraho Jivänäm • Tattvärtha Sutra (2000 year old Scripture) All life is bound together by mutual support and interdependence • Environment is imbued in every living beings • If we harm “ONE” we harm “ALL” living beings • Refreshingly contemporary in its premise and in its promise. • Forms the basis of the modern day science of ecology

22. Environment Possesses Life • Jainism believes that all Five basic Elements of the Universe which makes our environment possess life • Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Vegetation • It also believes that every living being possesses one to five senses • Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, and Hearing • Vegetation, Earth, Air, Water etc. possess one sense (touch) while Animals and Humans possess all five senses. • Also human beings alone are blessed with the sixth sense of advanced developed thinking. Therefore, • Humanity is responsible for achieving oneness and harmony with all life by being careful, compassionate, loving and nonviolent.

23. Impact on Environment • To produce 1 lb. of meat, an average of 40 lb of vegetation is used. (This calculation takes in to consideration, the land clearing, as well as food for the live-stock till slaughter - food cattle are generally slaughtered prior to 2-years-old, dairy cattle may live 4 years before being turned into burgers). • To produce 1 lb. of meat, an average of 2500 gallons of water is used. (1 lb. of wheat requires 108 gallons of water, 1 lb. of rice needs 229 gallons of water, 1 lb. of potatoes require just 60 gallons of water).*Source: USDA  2001.

24. Impact on Environment • Waste released in the environment by US meat and dairy industry: 230,000 pounds per second, polluting our land, air and water systems. *Source: USDA  2001.

25. What does Jainism teach about ecology? • Non-Possessiveness / Self-restraint is the second most important Jain principle • Minimizing consumption provides respect for others’ life and environment • Reduce needs and wants as far as possible. • Reuse / Recycle Products - Not to waste the gifts of nature • Share resources • Nature provides enough for our NEED, but not enough for our GREED

26. What does Jainism teach about ecology? • Not possible to survive with absolute non-violence. Hence the destruction of one or the other form of life is essential for our survival. • Destruction of higher sensed living beings is a more cruel act because of higher development of their senses, which inflicts more pain on them. • It also has a greater impact on environment • Hence Jainism advocates vegetarianism against raising animals for food.

27. We kill other lives because of our greed and possessiveness. • This is the primary cause of all violence as well as imbalance in the environment.