Jainism SG 2

Yogasastra

12th century, written by Hemacandra

written at the request of the King (Hemacandra was appointed at the royal court).

Organizes Jain teaching around the three jewels: right belief, right knowledge, right conduct

topics covered include: great & minor vows, meditation, breath control, methods for determining time of death

remains widely read and studied in Jain communities today

Hemacandra

initiated into Jain mendicant order at age 8

became one of the most celebrated Jain monk-scholars of his time

Wrote the Yogasastra at the request of King Kumarapala

liberation-centric ethos

traditional orthodox jain ethics are renunciatory and individualistic

ahimsa is key to liberating the soul from the cycle of rebirth; practicing ahimsa is a way to achieve liberation

liberation (moksa) is the ultimate goal

socio and ecocentric ethos

2nd gen diaspora community

ahimsa becomes about helping and protecting animals, environment, etc., rather than renouncing it

dharma in the bhagavad gita

duty, cosmic order, right action.

sva-dharma

one’s own particular duty, determined by caste, stage of life, and circumstance

three paths to liberation

karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, bhakti-yoga

jnana-yoga

the path of knowledge. understanding the true nature of the self (atman) and its identity with the eternal (brahman)

karma-yoga

path of disciplined action

acting without attachment to results

offering all actions to the divine

bhakti-yoga

the path of devotional love. personal love for Krishna as the culminating and most accessible path.

avatara

the divine descends into the world whenever cosmic order (dharma) is threatened

Three Jewels/Triratna in Buddhism

• I go to the Buddha for refuge

• I go to the Dharma for refuge

• I go to the Sangha for refuge

anekantavada

doctrine of manifold aspects

describes the world as a multifaceted, ever-changing reality

infinite viewpoints depending on time, place, nature, and state of viewer and viewed

noble eightfold path/the middle way

• WISDOM: right view, right resolve

• MEDITATION: right effort, right mindfulness, right meditation

• MORALITY: right speech, right action, right livelihood

right view

seeing and accepting the four noble truths

confidence in the buddha & his teachings

traditional religious outlook on life: belief in moral law of karma, respect for parents & religious teachers, belief in the possibility of personal spiritual progress

right resolve

developing right attitudes

freedom from desires

friendliness, compassion

developing a state of contentment

abandoning hatred

practicing ahimsa

right speech

avoiding lies, divisive speech, harsh speech, frivolous talk

right action

abstaining from wrongful conduct

right livelihood

occupation which causes no harm or suffering to others

right effort

developing the mind in a wholesome way

right mindfulness

development of constant awareness in 4 areas: body, feelings, mental state, thoughts

eliminating negative thought patterns like ill-will, sloth, doubts

right meditation

development of clarity and mental calm

intellectual ahimsa

mental tolerance, connecting anekantavada with the physical action of ahimsa

truthfulness

not only not lying

ahimsa supersedes; if what you’re saying is harmful, better not to say it

speech should be in harmony with principle of nonviolence

relationship between truthfulness and non-violence

truth which is unpleasant & unsuitable is not truthful even though it’s true

by telling lies, beings are reborn as lowest forms of life, animals, and hell beings

however, even though a statement may be true, it should not be spoken if it causes harm to others

food ethics and dietary restrictions

liquor: destroys intelligence and moral discernment

causes one to confuse family members and social roles

destroys beauty, fame, knowledge, purity, compassion

butter: within 48 mins of churning it becomes a breeding ground for subtle life

meat: cannot be obtained without killing

entire chain are killers: killer, buyer, cook, eater, one who approves

the one whose flesh i now eat will eat my flesh in the next life

even a small amount is like poison

meat-eaters made hunters, wolves, and jackals their teachers

honey: produced by destroying hundreds of thousands of tiny beings

disgusting, it is the spit-out/saliva of bees

leads to hell even if used as medicine

someone who praises its sweetness is unenlightened

five fig-tree fruits: teeming with worms

pious Jain should not eat them even in conditions of extreme hunger

• others: food with infinite-bodied organisms, unknown fruit, night food, pulses mixed with raw milk, fermented rice, curds kept for more than two days, tainted food

eating after sunset

in darkness, insects, ants, flies, fall imperceptibly into the food

moral responsibility

One who kills for meat, one who sells it, one who prepares it, one who eats it, one who approves of buying it, and one who gives it away are all killers.

He who desires to eat meat by killing living beings uproots the root of the tree of religion called compassion.

the one whose meat I eat here in this life he is going to eat me in the next

literary devices

• “fire in the form of passion burns him” metaphor

• “A drunken person rolls about like a carcass” simile

• “Who would eat at night where creatures such as insects may imperceptibly have fallen into the food, one’s sight being obstructed in the pitch-dark night?” rhetorical question

animal imagery

• being called a dog is an insult, deer are benign

• “One who kills and desires the meat of harmless animals in the forest, how would he be distinguished from a dog?”

anne vallely — from liberation to ecology

talks about shift in meaning and understanding of ahimsa for different groups of Jains: orthodox, first and second generation diaspora community

ethical transformation, not just translation

orthodox jainism & ahimsa

rooted in logic of karma: every act of harm binds the soul to the cycle of rebirth

directed inward: primary goal is purification and liberation (moksa) of individual soul

asceticism as highest expression; the ascetic who renounces the world models ideal ahimsa

vegetarianism=karmic hygiene, not ethical stance

first generation diaspora jains

traditional framework largely preserved

liberation (moksa) remains stated ideal

svetambara/digambara distinctions still meaningful

vegetarianism as marker of cultural identity

worry about practices diluting/next generation “losing” Jainism

second generation diaspora jains

ahimsa reframed; world is to be protected, not renounced

main concern: harm to animals, environment, other humans

ahimsa becomes environmental & animal rights philosophy

less sectarian, Jain identity is inclusive and cross-denominational

in many ways aligned with North American progressive culture

from liberation to ecology

reinterpretation of ahimsa; different understanding of nature and ideal role of humans

sociocentric interpretation estranges ahimsa from its liberation-centric focus + undermines function of Jain ascetic ideal

traditional concern for smallest life-forms becomes general concern for environment and ecology

traditional concern for animals as fellow living beings in karmic bondage becomes discourse of animal rights & protection

transformation of jain ethics

traditional ethics of nonviolence, self-control, and renunciation redefined to reflect concerns of modern diaspora community

in sociocentric view, ideal role for humans is to be actively engaged with nature to help preserve it

in traditional view, attachment to nature would be deluded belief and go against path to liberation

bhagavad gita

18 chapters/teachings; embedded in the mahabharata, one of world’s longest epics

set on the battlefield of Kurukseta on the eve of a war between cousin clans (Pandavas and Kauravas)

dialogue between warrior Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna who is revealed to be divine

Not a pacifist text: addresses how to act rightly in a world of violence and duty

arjuna’s moral dilemma

sees kinsmen, teachers, friends on both sides & collapses

Arjuna asks how he can fight against elders who deserve his worship

better to beg for scraps of food than eat meals smeared with the blood of the elders he killed

the flaw of pity blights my very being

krishna

• prince of the Yadava clan, Arjuna’s kinsman and friend

• In the Gita he reveals himself as the Supreme Being—the source and sustainer of all existence

karma-yoga

discipline in action surpasses renunciation of action

no one can ever not act: even sitting still is an action

the key is how someone acts: without ego or desire, offering action as sacrifice

acting without attachment to results, offering all actions to the divine (krishna)

you carry your practice from previous lives & each rebirth you get a little closer to perfection of disciplined action

the buddha

lived 5th century BCE

name: Siddhartha Gautama, born into wealth, a prince

Was married with a child but snuck out of it; wife Yasodhara, son Rahula

left palace because he was curious about the outside world

encountered an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and an ascetic

moved him to realize the nature of reality and to renounce the world, becoming teacher/the Buddha

four noble truths

life is suffering, suffering is caused by craving, suffering can have an end, there is a path which leads to the end of suffering

1. life is suffering

types of suffering: 1) biological, psychological/emotional 2) suffering due to change 3) dukha as formations

2. suffering is caused by craving

• craving: greed, hatred, delusion

• ignorance (first link in the twelvefold chain of dependent origination)

3. suffering can have an end

cessation; end of samsara; nirvana

removal of the cause of suffering by removing craving (greed, hatred, delusion, ignorance) ethical and spiritual transformation

4. there is a path which leads to the end of suffering

• eightfold path

• right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right meditation

dependent origination

theory of causation

all phenomena arise in dependence on causes & conditions

all phenomena lack intrinsic being of their own

nothing comes into being through its own power or volition

metaphysical realities like god or atman cannot exist, since they would need to transcend the causal nexus

no-self (anatman)

doctrine of no self

a person is not a thing, but a process—there is no human being, only becoming

everything is constantly changing; can’t say something exists that’s eternal and unchanging

Vessantara and perfection of generosity

perfection of generosity

perfected the practice of giving (dana)

took the lay practice of Buddhism (giving) to its furthest limits

exhibited extreme generosity born from compassion and realization of truths of selflessness and impermanence

by perfecting practices such as dana, he could become a Buddha and in doing so help everyone

Anekantavada (original)

arose out of necessity from Jain theory of the soul

Jains insisted soul is both eternal & undergoes change

Jains developed anekantavada to help defend their definitions of soul, karmic bondage, and path to liberation from criticisms of non-Jains

did not develop the doctrine as an extension of ahimsa

contemporary interpretations of anekantavada

extension of ahimsa as a form of tolerance and relativity

“intellectual ahimsa”

recognizes: everyone has a limited perspective on truth + all perspectives have some truth within them

just as all living beings are to be treated with respect and nonviolence in ahimsa, the perspectives of all beings should also be treated with respect and nonviolence