Observations & Views:
An item published in the New York Times of October 31, 2004 shows that some top industrialists and business leaders are realizing the virtue of vegetarianism. A growing number of vegetarian and vegan CEOS, including Steve Jobs of Apple Computers Inc., Michael Eisner from Walt Disney Co., John Mackey of Whole Foods Market Inc., Bill Ford of Ford Motor Co. and Norm Mason of Cat Communications International, have made it easier for employees to eat meat-free.
This should strengthen the determination of all Jains, youngsters as well as adults, to follow their vegetarian diet.
The article, 'Jainism: An Introduction'(1), presents the following facts about Indian religions: A student of science studies, observes, performs experiments and develops a theory to explain the results of his observations and experiments. Then the scientist designs further experiments to test the theory. This is the scientific process. It is a rational approach to uncover the secrets of nature. The ancient Indian sages have followed a similar approach to decipher the nature of reality. The religions of Indian origin evolved in ancient times through open-minded, unbiased, philosophical endeavors.
At various times in different regions of the universe principles similar to those of Hinduism and Jainism are discovered by philosophers. Based on this premise, Indian religions are eternal.
Similar concepts are presented by Kusuma Chandrapal. Discussing the eternal nature of Hinduism, she writes (2), "All other religions of the world claim their authority as delivered by a personal god, special messenger of god or angels, while Hindus, whose roots are in the Vedas, do not owe their authority to anybody. They are themselves the eternal authority, never written or created, and have existed throughout time immemorial. RISHIs are the spiritual discoverers of the Vedas just as eminent scientists are the discoverers of gravity, electricity, etc., which already existed in the eternal universe."
Often individuals, including Jains who profess multiplicity of viewpoints, fail to appreciate others' viewpoints. Kusuma Chandrapal observes, "Most of us tend to perceive the ideologies according to our own pet perspective and understanding when more often than not sentiments become acute due to severe differences in philosophy and our priorities, where emotions taking the upper hand stray from reality."
Commenting on the present wave of fundamentalism all over the world including the US and India, Kusuma Chandrapal says, "Secularism is not atheism, secular nations need not be brutal either, but one, where each citizen follows the righteous conduct, propagates, professes freely without crushing the faiths of other people under any circumstances. Faith is very personal and has to be respected. Hindus (as well as Jains) understand this fact and, therefore, find conversion so meaningless ... ."
Emphasizing the need for tolerance and amity, Ms. Chandrapal states, "We are differently made, but remember that society has and can progress only by close cooperation and interdependence. A person's happiness is bound by the happiness of society of which he/she is a part. This awareness alone gives a chance to grow beyond the narrow confines of one's horizon."
Mere talk of rationalism, nonviolence and multiplicity of viewpoints is meaningless unless we Jains adopt these virtues, in spirit and in our dealings with other members of society, Jains as well as non-Jains. This will help us look beyond our narrow selfish goals and create an atmosphere of tolerance and cooperation. Protecting our own traditions without any regard to the feelings of others is selfishness and violence. Such self-centered behavior leads to controversies, contentions and conflicts. We Jains should make sacrifices by giving up contentions in all situations. In most instances, differences of opinions and disputes arise over material symbols. These are not significant as far as our spiritual progress is concerned. However, grievous violence occurs when individuals lose their peace of mind, and when society is deprived of amity and harmony. - D. C. J.
Footnotes:
1. Jain Study Circular, January 1, 2004, pages 15-23. Back up
2. Letter to the editor, India Tribune, October 30, 2004. Back up
My Way Or No Way:
For most sensible and open-minded individuals, religion is a very personal matter. However, religious fundamentalists are mixing religion and politics at various levels. It is observed that often self-righteous individuals and groups shield themselves behind the facade of religion. Commenting on this situation, Sister Joan Chittister remarked(1), "anything that uses God as an instrument of oppression on other people is not of God. ... I simply do not believe that it (their belief) can be imposed on the beliefs of (other) people. ... (I am for) no single church or tradition that monitors and weighs and measures everybody else's attitudes, approaches or moral decisions. I believe that that's absolutely essential in a pluralistic world where we're all looking for the voice of conscience in our hearts. But when you take the religious voice and you turn it into a religion in the center of the system, do it our way, there's something wrong with that." This is an expressive example of the Jain belief of multiplicity of viewpoints. We Jains should be extremely circumspect and avoid claims of superiority of our beliefs.
Killing In 'Just Wars':
In many instances, the priorities of religious fundamentalists are incoherent. Everybody, including the Jains, agrees that abortion constitutes extreme violence. But most people consider that the killing in wars is alright. Observing this, Bill Moyers questioned, "Why is abortion a higher moral issue with many American Christians than the invasion of Iraq and the loss of life there?" Sister Chittister replied, "I do not know that ... I'm absolutely certain that some of the people that we're are killing there are pregnant women. ... That is military abortion." Bill Moyers retorted, "Somebody said to me the other day that Americans don't behead, but we do drop the smart bombs that do it for us." Sister Chittister further added, "(our pro-life) morality is deeply lacking. If all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed ... that's not pro-life."
Hunger And Poverty:
It is observed that charity, materialism and greed are in complicity - they are going hand in hand. There are multitudes of charitable institutions working toward 'good causes', spending time, money and material. Still the gap between the rich and poor is getting wider and hunger is spreading. Everybody is treating the symptoms without paying attention to the root causes - greed and materialism. Most people, who are pursuing money and materials, shed their feeling of guilt by indulging in charity. Mahatma Gandhi had observed that there is enough in this world to satisfy the need of the population, but there is not enough to satisfy everybody's greed.
The fact is that an enormous portion of natural resources of the world is expended on war material that is employed for hurting and killing people all over the world, and for destroying property and disrupting civilian life. If all the people of the world make a sincere and honest effort to divert these resources toward human welfare, all will be happy and content, and the threat of terrorism will be alleviated. Sister Joan Chittister points out, "he (Jesus) said 'Remember the poor. Keep the poor as your criteria.' We have one out of every 318 people on this planet ... refugees. They're following garbage cans in the back of restaurants around the world. They're following the resources that we took from their countries that are now jobs in somebody else's country. ... We've got to somehow or other recognize that when we go into a country and pay a little kid 20 cents an hour for a 70 hour week to make our shoes and our jeans, we have to ask ourselves how it is that we can export our industry but we can't export our Fair Labor Standards Act." Evidently, such practices breed discontent and resentment, the root causes of strife in the world.
Dogmatism:
Commenting on dogmatism, Bill Moyers remarked, "There are dogmatists who do not want to admit that the other side might have some claim to credibility." Sister Chittister added, "this whole notion that there is a truth, ... that is the eternal truth and the unquestionable truth means that ... we have to close our mind to those."
How many Jains make similar claims about Jainism? Shouldn't we avoid making statements of infallibility of the Jain tenets in view of our belief in relativism (SYAADAVAAD) and multiplicity of viewpoints (ANEKAANTAVAAD)? We believe, "Reality in its totality cannot be grasped by us. Only a universal observer (omniscient) can comprehend it completely. Yet even for an omniscient, it is impossible to know it and explain it without a standpoint or a viewpoint.(2)
- D. C. J.
Footnotes:
1. All quotations in this segment are from the PBS Program, NOW with Bill Moyers, November 12, 2004. Back up
Sister Joan Chittister, a Catholic nun, is a social psychologist and a regular columnist for The National Catholic Reporter.
2. AVASHYAK NIRYUKTI, 544; VISHESHAAVASHYAK BHAASHYA, 2748, L. D. Institute of Indology, Ahmehabad, 1968. Back up