I Am Divine. So Are You by Devdutt Pattanaik

Author:Devdutt Pattanaik
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: null
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India
Published: 2017-04-05T04:00:00+00:00

As mentioned above, Jain followers have over centuries adapted to banking and trading activities instead of farming or animal husbandry. They became renowned as moneylenders, not discriminating between Hindu kings, Muslim sultans, or even the East India Company. As a community, Jains continue to dominate India’s business and entrepreneurial sectors.

Philosophy

Jainism believes in a naturalistic universe: all that exists is real. This metaphysic stands in contrast to that of Buddhism, where the existence of the universe is considered an illusory phenomenon, or ‘maya’. Both matter and spirit – or consciousness – are real and eternal. There are an infinite number of souls and objects in existence and all are real, not mere phenomena. They may change forms over time but remain in real existence forever.

The conscious entities are called ‘jiva’ and the non-conscious entities are called ‘a-jiva’. The former entities go through life accumulating karmic burden – which is a consequence of either meritorious actions or demeritorious actions. So the purpose of a conscious entity’s life is to minimise its karmic burden over time in order to attain moksha, or liberation, of the soul.

A core principle of Jainism is the experience of unity with all living beings. The word ‘sangha’ – which means a collective or communion of monks, nuns and lay votaries of the Jain community – also connotes the idea of equality of all people irrespective of caste, creed, sex, status or race. This principle of equality and communion with all living beings animates the very central practice of Jainism, which is radical non-violence. As a Jain sage put it: ‘The way I don’t like sorrow, other beings also do not like it. Therefore, I avoid violence, ask others to avoid the same, and do not inspire violence in others.’2

When a Jain calls himself a ‘shramana’ he believes that he takes ownership and responsibility for his own self-development or decadence, his own happiness and sorrow, growth and decline. Therefore, he is committed to a sincere effort of self-excellence. This can be accomplished by becoming self-reliant and self-exerting. Similarly, a ‘samana’ acts to extinguish or quieten down his inner landscapes. For instance, he consistently calms his own emotional outbursts and controls his anger. Thus, a Jain monk practises in equal measure shramana and samana, self-excellence and arduousness as well as self-control and calm, in order to achieve equanimity and communion with all living beings.

To explore what Jainism has to say about sexuality and gender, let us first explore its ethical framework. Jainism is an atheistic religion, in that it does not believe in a Creation metaphysic. Therefore, its ethical dimensions are brought about through observances of natural and social interactions rather than divine revelation. Enormous collections of Jain literary expositions deal with discipline, observances and ethical conduct. For example, the Mulachar of Vattakera and the Dusvaikalika Sutra are scriptures that deal with right conduct.

Conduct

Jainism celebrates the monastic lifestyle. As such, the Jain monk is considered an exemplar of virtuous Jain living. However, laypersons are equally encouraged to follow the principles of a monk’s life as much as possible in order to live the good life.

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