Holistic Jain Spirituality: Comprehensive Approach to Ahimsa, Diet, Health, and Environment

1. Holistic Jain Spirituality:Comprehensive Approach to Ahimsa, Diet, Health, and Environment Pravin K. Shah JAINA Education Committee 509 Carriage Woods Circle Raleigh NC 27607-3969 Web - www.jainelibrary.org Email - jainaedu@gmail.com Tele - 919-859-4994

2. Holistic Approach to Jain Spirituality • Holistic (Comprehensive) Approach to Spirituality • Comprehensive means analyzing the whole system of Jain beliefs and practices with respect to Ahimsa, Compassion, Diet, Penance, Health and Environment rather than simply emphasizing its individual components. • Ahimsa and Compassion • Diet and 6 External Penances • Health • Environment

3. Goal of Jainism • Total Liberation from Karma / from Mithayatva (Ignorance) and Kshaya (Anger, Ego, Deceit, and Greed) • Two steps Process • Samvar: • Stoppage of New Karma via Right Conduct • Nirjarä: • Exhaustion of old Karma via Penance before they produce the result (SakamNirjara)

4. Goal of Jainism • Samvar: • Stoppage of New Karma via Right Conduct • Jain Practices – include Ahimsa, Aparigraha, Anekantvad, Physical Yoga, Spiritual Reflection etc. • 5 Samitis, 3 Guptis, 10 Yati Dharma, 12 Bhavna/ Reflections, 22 Parishaha, 5 Conducts • Nirjarä: • Exhaustion of old Karma via Penance • 6 External Penances (Diet, Health, Physical Yoga) • 6 Internal Penances (Spirituality)

5. Samvar – Right Conduct or Practices Ahimsa and Compassion • Guide Line of Practicing of Ahimsa for Laypeople • Nonviolence is the highest principle of Jain Religion • However, life can not exist without violence • Hence, for our existence (food and shelter) we must follow the path of minimum violence

6. Basic Jain Principle for Minimum Violence • The degree Violence inflicted is proportional to the number of senses a living being possesses…. • Violence to a living being which has more senses (Five, Four, Three, etc.. in these order) is more sinful act than thousands of One Sense living beings. • Violence to a living being which has more senses also creates a greater impact on the Environment • Order of Violence: Human, Animal, Insects, Bacteria (two senses), One sense beings (Vegetables, Water, Air, Earth, and Fire) • Since life can survive by consuming one sense beings, Jainism believes in Vegetarianism even though Vegetables have innumerable/infinite living beings which are killed for our survival (humans need food and shelter for survival).

7. Jain Diet – Follow the Path of Minimum Violence (Samvar) • Order of Degree of Violence (highest to lowest) • Violence or Exploitation of Human Beings (1st order Sin) - food, clothes, and shelters prepared by child labor, or by exploiting other human beings • Violence to five sensed Animals (2nd order Sin) - food prepared by exploiting and killing animals: • Meat, Milk, Cheese, Butter, Sweets, Ice-creams, Fish, Chicken, Eggs etc.. • Violence to four and three sensed movable beings such as flies, bees, insects (3rd order Sin)

8. Jain Diet – Follow the Path of Minimum Violence (Samvar) • Order of Degree of Violence (highest to lowest) • Violence to two sensed beings such as Bacteria etc.. (5th order Sin) • Violence to One Sensed Beings (minimum violence) • Water, fire, air, earth, and pratyek vegetables have innumerable souls • Root vegetables have infinite souls • Usage of One Sensed Beings should be minimum for Healthy Survival

9. Holistic Jain Diet Food Criteria • Jain Food must be conducive to the Ahimsa, Environment, Health and Spiritual upliftment. • One should not consume any food that can create the violence (Kashaya) within or degrades awareness • Not to Consume Anishta Food and Anupsevya Food • Anishta = Food which have no or very minimum nutrition value (junk food). • Anupsevya = Not a Food (Drugs, Tobaccos, etc..) • One should not eat any food that involves violence to Movable beings (Human, Animals, Birds, Insects etc..) • Hence Eat only strict Vegetarian (Vegan) Food.

10. Holistic Jain Diet Criteria • Consume Only “Healthy Vegan Food” • Food should be obtained with Minimum Destruction of Environment • Consume Minimum for Healthy Survival. Waste is Violence • Eat little less than your hunger and early in the day for good Health and for proper practice of Meditation.

11. Anishta and Anupsevya Food • Anishta Food:– • Any food which is not good for our health or spiritual upliftment and yet we consume it only due to our intense attachment (taste) towards that food. • Deep Fried Food • Stale Food - Fruits, Vegetables, and other Food that has developed fungus (not healthy) • Liquor • Anupsevya Food:– • Improper Food which contains no nutrition and hence should not to be consumed - Coal, Clay, Drugs, Tobacco etc.

12. Violence to Humans • Two Categories of Violence to Humans • Violence to Oneself – • from spiritual point of view, consuming food that degrades our health and awareness (junk food, drugs, liquor) • Violence to other Human Beings – • food, clothes, and shelters prepared by child labor, or by exploiting other human beings

13. Violence to Oneself Highest Sinful Act • 1. Degrades Awareness or Creates Kashay Within: • Food that affects our Awareness and hence our Spirituality (Samyakva). • Consumption of any intoxication should be avoided first for our spiritual growth. • Liquor, Beer, Opium, Bhang (Snuff), Drugs… • 2. Degrades Health: • Foods that have no or little nutrition value • Deep fried food, Soft drinks…

14. Food Related to Animal Cruelty • Meat, Chicken, Fish, Eggs • Dairy Products (highest cruelty to cows in commercial dairy) • Milk, Yogurt, Cheese, Butter, Ice-cream, Ghee, Sweets • Eggs – Fertilized or Non-fertilized (highest cruelty to birds in factory farming) • Honey (Bees are produced and raised) • Jello made from fish Gelatin • Varakh (Silver Foil) made using cow’s intestine.

15. Cruelty to Animals • American Culture (Psychology) • “Most people care about animals and do not want to see them harmed, but engage in a diet that requires them to be killed or suffer” • Classification of Animals – • Pets, Wild Animals, and Farm Animals • Treatment of farm animals can not be applied toward pets • One can not crammed dogs in a cage similar to chicken, which deprives fresh air, sunlight, and movement. • America - Dogs are Pet, Cows are Farm Animals • Other culture - Dogs for food, Cows are sacred • We have become so accustomed to (and often attached to) our forms of exploitation, often intertwining them deeply into our culture, religion, and way of life.

16. Cruelty to Animals • Statistics • Animals Killed per Day in USA • Cattle - 130,000 • Calves - 7,000 • Hogs - 360,000 • Chickens - 24,000,000

17. Cruelty in Dairy Industry • Cows are kept pregnant continually • Slaughtering 70% to 80% of baby calves slaughtered within six months by the Veal industry or within five years by the beef industry • Slaughtering the mother cow after five years of their fertile life while the life expectancy is 15 to 20 years • Everyday, hormones or drugs are injected to increase the milk yield.

18. Impact on Environment • Greenhouse effect • World's 1.3 billion cows annually produce 100 million tons of methane a powerful greenhouse gas which traps 25 times as much solar heat as CO2 • Water Consumption • Livestock (Cattle, Calves, Hogs, Pigs) production accounts for more than half of all the water consumed in USA.

19. Impact on Environment • Land Usage • A third of the surface of North America is devoted to grazing • Half of American croplands grow livestock feed for meat and dairy products • 220 million acres of land in the USA have been deforested for livestock production • 25 million acres in Brazil, and half the forests in Central America

20. Impact on Environment (continued) • To produce 1 lb. of Meat, an average of 40 lbs. of vegetation is used. • This calculation takes into consideration, the land clearing, as well as food for the live-stock until 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 water1 lb. of potatoes require just 60 gallons of water • *Source: USDA 2001.

21. Impact on Environment (continued) • Waste • Waste released in the Environment by American Meat and Dairy Industry: • 230,000 pounds per second, polluting our land, air and water systems. • *Source: USDA 2001.

22. Impact on Health • Impact on Health – Meat and Dairy Products • High Cholesterol • High Saturated Fats • High incidence of Prostate Cancer • Calcium Deficiency (recent study) • Less Hygienic

23. Cruelty in Egg Production • Poultry Farms – • Hens / Chicken are considered Egg producing Machines • Confined to Narrow Space • Attack One Another • De-beaked • Food Given • Bone meal, Blood meal, Excreta food, Meat meal, Fish meal, Grain • Unfertilized Egg • It is the Result of Biological Cycle of a Hen but they go through the same cruelty • Usage of Byproducts • Cosmetics, Cakes, Cookies, Candies, Wine "clearing" agent, Shampoos, Skin Care Products

24. Cruelty in Varakh (Silver Foil) Production • Manufactured using Cow's Intestine (Ox-gut) obtained from slaughterhouses • Thin strips of Silver placed between intestine and manually hammered to create Silver Foil. • Used to decorate sweets, betel nut, paan, Temple idols etc.. • Annually 255,000 Kgms used ($40 Million)

25. Jainism in Action – Eco friendly Religion • Caring for the Earth and Environment is the way of Life for the Jain Community by following the two key principles of Jainism in every day life • Ahimsä • Be Compassionate including to ourselves • Minimize injury to all forms of life including Air, Water, Earth, Plants and Animals • Be Strict Vegetarian / Vegan and avoid the use of complete Animal based products • Non-possessiveness / Self-restraint • Reduce our needs and wants as far as possible • Reuse / Recycle products, Eliminate Waste • Share Resources

26. Nirjarä – Jain Penance • Nirjarä is the process of exhaustion of karma already acquired • The karma exhaust themselves by producing the results (creating environment) when it is time for them to do so (known as AkamNirjara). • However at that time, new karma begin to pour in. • Hence it becomes difficult to be free of Karma. • Therefore, one should destroy the Karma before they produce the result. This is real Nirjarä (known as SakamNirjara)

27. Nirjarä – Jain Penance • Nirjarä is done by rigorous penance • Six External Penance: • Relates to Physical Body (Food and Exercise) • Pre-requisite to prepare our mind for Internal Penance which is true Nirjarä • Six Internal Penance: • Relates to spiritual improvement of Thought Process (meditation) – It is a real cause of liberation • Real Nirjarä removes/reduces Ghati Karma (Mohaniya Karma) before its Maturity

28. Nirjarä – Penance : External Penance • Anasan • Complete abstinence from eating and drinking • Alpähära or Unodari • Reduce the quantity of food one normally eats • Ichhänirodha or Vrittisamkshepa • Control of desire for food and material things • Rasatyäg • Give up stimulating or tasty food • honey, alcohol, butter, milk, tea, sweets, juices, fried foods, soft drinks, etc. • First 4 External Nirjarä relates to healthy diet

29. Nirjarä – Penance : External Penance • Sanlinatä (Vivikta_shaiyashan) • Stay in a lonely places free from all disturbances. Withdrawal of senses from external comfort. • Käya klesha • Tolerating physical pain voluntarily • Last two External Nirjarä relate to Healthy Body. • Healthy diet and healthy body are requirements for Real or SakamNirjara

30. Nirjarä – Penance : Internal Penance • Präyashchitta • Repentance for Bad Deeds with firm determination - not to do it again • Vinay • Humility and proper behavior towards all living beings • Vaiyävruttya or Vaiyävachcha • Rendering Selfless service to needy and sufferings • Swädhyäy • Study or Understanding of self (religious literature)

31. Nirjarä – Penance : Internal Penance • Dhyäna • Contemplation and Meditation on soul’s true nature • Käyotsarga or Vyutsarga • This is the ultimate internal austerity, where the activities of the body, speech, and mind are withdrawn and a person exist with complete awareness and bliss

32. The Book of Compassion: List of Articles • The Book has the following Articles: • My Visit to A Dairy Farm • Dairy Cows - Life, Usage, and Sufferings (New York Times) • Recycling of Slaughterhouse Waste (Rendering Plants) • Milk - Its Impact on Health, Cruelty, and Pollution • Is Nothing Sacred? - Cruelty towards India's Holy Animals • Vegetarianism - A Compassionate Approach to Life

33. The Book of Compassion: List of Articles • Varakh (Silver Foil) • Facts about Eggs • Story of Silk • Story of Pearls • The Myth about Milk • Puppy Mills: Breeding Ills • Alternatives to Animal Abuse • How our Diet affects the Environment • Note – All articles are available on Jain eLibrary Website • www.jainelibrary.org