Wishing all the Jains a Happy Paryushan week. May we seek to find what really it is that our Tirthankars wanted us to find within ourselves, which is kevalgyaan, only knowledge, i.e. Nirvaan. I am happy to be born among a set of people who believe in non-violence and self-control. Jainisms birth can be traced to a moment of epiphany to King Rishabdev, who saw the live animals about to be slaughtered for his wedding feast and decided to set them free, and give it all up to find the true essence of life. I am happy that we have never engaged in any form of religious violence, even though we may have been subjected to it. Our priests are supposed to wear a cloth around their noses and mouths to avoid inhaling and thereby killing microscopic insects, which is a highly noble objective indeed. Jains run many retirement homes for animals where they are cared for till they die naturally. We had a high degree of advancement in science and technology in our ancient times. Our 1000 year old pillar in the compound of the Qutub Minar for instance, has not yet rusted! However now we have a lot to do when it comes to using our temple funds for the betterment of society instead of merely building yet another behemoth of a Jain Derasar. We also use silk, leather and milk in our daily lives which we must realise are all forms of violence. We have strayed from the path of self and social upliftment and have resorted to spending huge sums on building the next big temple or upashray. We must remember how our Tirthankars have shown us the way, and analyse how far we have strayed from it. We must also stop calling ourselves as a religion, if we are to achieve our objective of all living beings, including insects, being equal.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 10:25:20 +0000
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