Discovering JainismThursday, April 05, 2007
"I do not know if there is rebirth or not, or life after death. But, if it is true, I would like to be born in India as a Jain."
The wise words of prominent scientist, Albert Einstein, ignited my interest in Jainism. For those who are not familiar with this term, Jainism is a religion and philosophy that originated from India. Jainism is a little different from missionary religions, in the case that it does not actively seek faithful converts and more importantly, Jainism is not chauvinistic or supremacist. In the heart of Jainism is tolerance, acceptance and appreciation and this includes recognising and respecting differences. This ancient wisdom from India is increasingly important in our fragmented world as glaring differences threaten to divide our society and create destruction through the use of violence.
Jainism ask us to recognise and acknowledge the interdependence between of all souls that exist in our environment, regardless of its size, nature, gender, biology, religion or any other differences. This interdependence is founded on the principle that all souls have equal chance of gaining enlightenment, and the notion of enlightenment transcends the differences and labels that threaten to divide. Humans above all, with the most heightened consciousness places them in the best position to spot this interrelationship and appreciate them. From this fundamental platform, Jainism teaches that since all souls are regarded as equal, acceptance of diversity should be encouraged instead of denouncing such differences. This has huge implications in our world today as terrorism (conflict between religions), racism (conflict between races), and military violence (conflict between interests) continue to plague our society.
Another cornerstone of Jainism is its principle of non-violence. In fact, Jainism influenced the thoughts and actions of Mahatma Gandhi, an advocate of non-violence. The concept of non-violence stems from the belief that nobody wishes to be harmed by anything or anybody. By further extending this belief, there is no living being that has ever existed that wants to be harmed, and therefore we should not seek to harm in order to maintain this universal order. Some may confuse this teaching as not harming animals (becoming vegetarian), but this is not the case. Jainism recognises that some harm is unavoidable in life as there is always competing interests. What we can do is to lessen this harm and avoid causing unnecessary vice. In the words of Dr David Frawley, "non-violence is a call to action to make the world a more peaceful place."
Though not widely known, Jainism as an ancient wisdom has immense potential to heal our ailing world, where materialism, violence, racism and terrorism threatens to divide us into different camps, aiming for each other throats. With emphasis on individual responsibility, interconnectedness of all living systems, the principle of non-violence and the need to just live simply, Jainism proves to be an exciting spiritual journey, as well as a interesting philosophy, relevant to the 21st Century.
