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Practices
In general, Jainism is a
study in extremes:
-
extreme atheism
-
extreme ahimsa
-
extreme asceticism
Asceticism:
Life is spirit, not
physical matter. Jainism is life affirming but world denying. Jains reject a
materialistic lifestyle. Jain monks reject physical aspects of worldly existence
(asceticism). Liberation of the soul from matter is up to
the efforts of the individual (this is a "do-it-yourself"
religion).
The way to release is
three-fold:
(non-violence):
-
a deep reverence for
all life no matter how small
-
All souls are equal
and, being in the process of working out their own salvation, must be
allowed to live the natural life span
-
To injure or kill
another living being is to bring great karmic disturbance to your own soul
-
Great care is taken
not to disturb the life of another creature (don’t step on bugs, strain
drinks, screen the air one breathes with a veil)
-
Care of animals -
Jains run animal hospitals, are strict vegetarians and sometimes rescue
animals for sale as food in marketplaces
-
Occupations avoid
harm to animals (no farming) and gravitate to doctors, teachers, lawyers,
business
-
Jains are, naturally,
strict vegetarians, avoiding any food that would destroy or even exploit
another living being. They are vegans, avoiding use of milk and
eggs. They also avoid eating vegetables that demand killing the plant to
get the food (no root vegatables).
Learn
more about Jain dietary regulations Jain
perspective of a dairy farm
Activity:
Try being vegetarian or vegan for a week
Learn
more about the practice of ahimsa in the everyday life of a Jain
(aparigraha):
-
to loose one’s
attachments to material possessions and material existence in this world
("possessions possess us" - keep us bound to/imprisoned in
matter and material life)
-
Strict asceticism
(renunciation of material life) is the supreme way to achieve release
of Jiva from Ajiva (to achieve liberation, Moksha)
-
"Holy
death" through self-starvation is seen as the ultimate and noble
rejection of material existence but only after long years of
working toward such release
(anekantwad):
-
a recognition of the
relativity of truth from the perspective of life in this world (in a
sense, non-attachment to one’s own opinions and beliefs)
-
a non-absolutism
which advances relationships with other persons
-
avoid lies and
exaggeration which place alternative points-of-view in a bad light
As you can see, release of
the soul from this material realm is a matter of how we live (our values), not
so much a matter of ritual practice or even of what we believe. As noted above,
Jainism tends to seek the positive through a negation of that which can hold us
back: do not be violent, do not be possessive, do not hate.
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