Jain Declaration on Nature; Diet patterns and its impact on environment.

Submitted

11AC06- BHARANI.S & 11AC02 AISHWARYA.MB

• The word Jain is derived from Jina, which means the one victorious over the self and the external world. The Jinas are regarded more respect than the Gods. They include the 24 Tirthankaras or ford-finders (holy men), the last Tirthankara Mahavira (599-527 BC) is the founder of Jainism.

24 trithankara

JAINISM SYMBOL

The outline of the symbol is defined as the universe (Lok). The lower part of the symbol represents the seven hells (Naraki). The middle part of the universe contains the Earth and the planets (Manushyalok). The upper part contains the heavenly abodes (Devlok) of all the celestial beings and abode of the Siddhas (Siddhashila). Jains believe that this universe was neither created by anyone, nor can it be destroyed by anyone. It may change its form, but otherwise, it has always been and will always be here.

The raised hand means stop. The word in the center of the wheel is "Ahimsa". Ahimsa means non-violence. Between these two, they remind us to stop for a minute and think twice before doing anything. This gives us a chance to scrutinize our activities to be sure that they will not hurt anyone by our words, thoughts, or actions. We are also not supposed to ask or encourage others to take part in any harmful activity. The wheel in the hand shows that if we are not careful and ignore these warnings and carry on violent activities, then just as the wheel goes round and round, we will go round and round through the cycles of birth and death.

The four arms of the swastika remind us that during the cycles of birth and death we may be born into any one of the four destinies: heavenly beings, human beings, animal beings, (including birds, bugs, and plants) and hellish beings. Our aim should be the liberation and not the rebirth. To show how we can do this, the swastika reminds us that we should become the pillars of the four fold Jain Sangh, then only can we achieve liberation. The four pillars of the Jain Sangh are sädhus, sädhvis, shrävaks, and shrävikäs. This means that first, we should strive to be a true shrävaks or shrävikäs, and when we can overcome our social attachments, we should renounce the worldly life and follow the path of a sädhu or sädhvi to be liberated.

The three dots above the swastika represent the three jewels of Jainism: Samyak Darshan (Right Faith), Samyak Jnan (Right Knowledge), and Samyak Charitra (Right Conduct). We should have all three: right knowledge, right faith, and right conduct together, then only can we achieve the liberation. The right knowledge means having the knowledge that soul and body are separate and that the soul, not the body attains the salvation. The right faith means one must have faith in what is told by Jinas, who were omniscient. The right conduct means that our actions should be void of attachment and hatred.

At the very top part of the Jain Universe symbol is a small curved arc. This arc represents the abode of the Siddhas. It is known as the Siddhashila. It is the final resting place of the liberated souls. The dot represents a siddha. In order to achieve this stage, a soul must destroy all attached karmas. Every living being should strive for this state of the Salvation or Liberation.

JAIN TEACHINGS

• Ahimsa (non-violence)

“Ahimsa parmo dharmah” (Non-violence is the supreme religion).

• Parasparopagraho jivanam (interdependence)

All life is bound together by mutual support and interdependence. Jain cosmology recognizes the fundamental natural phenomenon of symbiosis or mutual dependence, which forms the basis of the modern day science of ecology. It is relevant to recall that the term `ecology’ was coined in the latter half of the nineteenth century from the Greek word oikos, meaning `home’, a place to which one returns.

• Anekantavada (the doctrine of manifold aspects)

Anekantavada describes the world as a multifaceted, everchanging reality with an infinity of viewpoints depending on the time, place, nature and state of the one who is the viewer and that which is viewed.

This leads to the doctrine of syadvada or relativity, which states that truth is relative to different viewpoints (nayas). What is true from one point of view is open to question from another. Absolute truth cannot be grasped from any particular viewpoint alone because absolute truth is the sum total of all the different viewpoints that make up the universe.

Because it is rooted in the doctrines of anekantavada and syadvada, Jainism does not look upon the universe from an anthropocentric, ethnocentric or egocentric viewpoint. It takes into account the viewpoints of other species, other communities and nations and other human beings.

• Samyaktva (equanimity)

It inspires the personal quest of every Jain for samyaktva (equanimity) towards both jiva (animate beings) and ajiva (inanimate substances and objects). It encourages an attitude of give and take and of live and let live. It offers a pragmatic peace plan based, not on the domination of nature, nations or other people, but on an equanimity of mind devoted to the preservation of the balance of the universe.

• Jiva-daya (compassion, empathy and charity)

Jiva-daya means caring for and sharing with all living beings, tending, protecting and serving them. It etrails universal friendliness (maitri), universal forgiveness (kshama) and universal fearlessness (abhaya).

JAINS CODE OF CONDUCT

• The five vratas (vows)

• Kindness to animals

• Vegetarianism

• Self-restraint and the avoidance of waste

• Charity

1. The five vratas (vows) in the Jain code of conduct are:

• Non-violence in thought, word and deed,

• To seek and speak the truth,

• To behave honestly and never to take anything by force or theft,

• To practise restraint and chastity in thought, word and deed,

• To practice non-acquisitiveness.

2. The transgressions against the vow of non-violence include all forms of cruelty to animals and human beings. Many centuries ago, Jains condemned as evil the common practice of animal sacrifice to the gods. It is generally forbidden to keep animals in captivity, to whip, mutilate or overload them or to deprive them of adequate food and drink. The injunction is modified in respect of domestic animals to the extent that they may be roped or even whipped occasionally but always mercifully with due consideration and without anger.

3. Except for allowing themselves a judicious use of one-sensed life in the form of vegetables, Jains would not consciously take any life for food or sport. As a community they are strict vegetarians, consuming neither meat, fish nor eggs. They confine themselves to vegetable and milk products

4. By taking the basic vows, the Jain laity endeavor to live a life of moderation and restraint and to practice a measure of abstinence and austerity. They must not procreate indiscriminately lest they overburden the universe and its resources. Regular periods of fasting for self-purification are encouraged.

In their use of the earth’s resources Jains take their cue from “the bee [that] sucks honey in the blossoms of a tree without hurting the blossom and strengthens itself’. Wants should be reduced, desires curbed and consumption levels kept within reasonable limits. Using any resource beyond one’s needs and misuse of any part of nature is considered a form of theft. Indeed, the Jain faith goes one radical step further and declares unequivocally that waste and creating pollution are acts of violence.

5. Accumulation of possessions and enjoyment for personal ends should be minimized. Giving charitable donations and one’s time for community projects generously is a part of a Jain householder’s obligations. That explains why the Jain temples and pilgrimage centers are well-endowed and well-managed. It is this sense of social obligation born out of religious teachings that has led the Jains to found and maintain innumerable schools, colleges, hospitals, clinics, lodging houses, hostels, orphanages, relief and rehabilitation camps for the handicapped, old, sick and disadvantaged as well as hospitals for ailing birds and animals. Wealthy individuals are advised to recognize that beyond a certain point their wealth is superfluous to their needs and that they should manage the surplus as trustees for social benefit.

The five fundamental teachings of Jainism and the five-fold Jain code of conduct outlined in this Declaration are deeply rooted in its living ethos in unbroken continuity across the centuries. They offer the world today a time-tested anchor of moral imperatives and a viable route plan for humanity’s common pilgrimage for holistic environmental protection, peace and harmony in the universe.

Three Jewels of Jainism

• The aim of Jain life is to achieve liberation of the soul.

• This is done by following the three jewels of Jain ethics.

o Right faith - Samyak darshana

o Right knowledge - Samyak jnana

o Right conduct - Samyak charitra

o samyak darshana "right perception". You can't achieve this unless you are determined to find the truth, and distinguish it from untruth.

o This means having an accurate and sufficient knowledge of the real Universe- this requires a true knowledge of the five (or six) substances and nine truths of the universe

o This means living your life according to jain ethical rules, to avoid doing harm to living things and freeing yourself from attachment and other impure attitudes and thoughts.

JAIN FOOD HABITS

• Jains are vegetarians, eat vegetables, squash, beans, peas, tomatoes, fruits, and lettuce.

• Jains do not eat steak, hamburgers, hot dogs, or any other kind of meat, chicken, eggs, turkeys, or any poultry items , fish, lobsters, oysters, or any kind of seafood.

• Honey is forbidden, because honey is a collection of eggs, excreta, dead bees, and saliva of bees.

• Jains avoid food products which involve injury to any life.

• Jains try to minimize violence even to plants; therefore, jains avoid eating root vegetables, such as onions, garlic, beets, carrots, and potatoes.

• Jains also should not drink beer, wine, liquor, whiskey, or any kind of alcohol.

• Jains should not waste any food.

• Jains offer food to poor people.

• Jains fast on certain religious days.

• Jains prefer to drink boiled water.

• Jains don't eat after sunset and before sunrise.

DIET

• An individual's diet is the sum of food and drink that he or she habitually consumes.

• Dieting is the practice of attempting to achieve or maintain a certain weight through diet. People's dietary choices are often affected by a variety of factors, including ethical and religious beliefs, clinical need, or a desire to control weight.

DIET TYPES

• Vegetarian diet

• Lacto vegetarianism

• Lacto-ovo vegetarianism

• Vegan diet

• Flexitarian diet

• Kangatarian

• Pescetarian diet

• Plant-based diet

• Fruitarianism

1.Vegatarian is one which excludes meat. Vegetarians also avoid food containing by-products of animal slaughter, such as animal-derived.

2. lacto vegetarian diet that includes certain types of dairy, but excludes eggs and animal derived. Its a common diet among followers of several religions, including Hinduism and Jainism, based on the principle of Ahimsa (non-harming).

3. lacto-ovo vegetarian diet that includes eggs and dairy.

4. Vegan diet In addition to the requirements of a vegetarian diet, vegans do not eat food produced by animals, such as eggs and dairy products.

5. Flexitarian A predominantly vegetarian diet, in which meat is occasionally consumed.

6. A diet originating from Australia. In addition to foods permissible in a vegetarian diet, kangaroo meat is also consumed.

7. Pescertarian A diet which includes fish but not meat.

8. Plant based: A broad term to describe diets in which animal products do not form a large proportion of the diet. Under some definitions a plant-based diet is fully vegetarian; under others it is possible to follow a plant-based diet whilst occasionally consuming meat.

9. Fruitarians involves the practice of following a diet that includes fruits, nuts and seeds, without animal products, vegetables and grains.Fruitarianism is a subset of dietary veganism.

Economic vegetarianism

Environmental vegetarianism

Economic vegetarians believe that nutrition can be acquired more efficiently and at a lower price through vegetables, grains, etc., rather than from meat. They argue that a vegetarian diet is rich in vitamins, dietary fiber, and complex carbohydrates, and carries with it fewer risks (such as heart disease, obesity, and bacterial infection) than animal flesh. Consequently, they consider the production of meat economically unsound.

Environmental vegetarianism is the practice of vegetarianism or veganism based on the indications that animal production, particularly by intensive agriculture, is environmentally unsustainable. The primary environmental concerns with animal products are pollution and the use of resources such as fossil fuels, water, and land

• The diets are accessed according to their damage to human health, ecosystems and resources.

• 3 to 4% of the impact on environment is due to eutrophication.

• Farm animals produce waste cannot be used as fertilizers due to their content. They enter water bodies and pollute them.

• One calorie of beef requires 40 calories of fuel and milk needs 14 calories. Grains, requires only 2.2 calories.

• Beef have the greatest impact on the environment, followed by fish, cheese and milk.

• Grazing cattle consume more water than that required for growing cereals.

• 25% of the total land area in the world is undergoing desertification. The increase requirement for land use for animal husbandry is associated with deforestation. Most of the forest cleared from the Amazon (88%) is used for cattle grazing.

• Consumption of animal products within the same way of food production (organic or conventional) also had a greater impact on the environment.

• The greatest percentage of the total impact (41 to 46%) comes from water consumption.

• Vegetarian and vegan diets help preserve environmental resources and reduce hunger and malnutrition problems in poorer nations.

• Researchers at the University of Chicago concluded that switching from standard American diet to a vegan diet is more effective in the fight against global warming than switching from a standard American car to a hybrid.

• In its report, the U.N. found that the meat industry causes local and global environmental problems even beyond global warming. It said that the meat industry should be a main focus in every discussion of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortages and pollution, and loss of biodiversity.

REFERANCES

• http://www.jainworld.com

• http://www.pachpadra.com/History-Of-Jainism.php

• http://www.religionfacts.com/jainism/ethics.htm

• http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/religion/jainism.html

• http://www.hinduwebsite.com/jainism/jainismintrod.asp

• http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/diet

• http://web.archive.org/web/20121007180810/http://www.alternet.org/story/134650/the_startling_effects_of_going_vegetarian_for_just_one_day

• http://web.archive.org/web/20121114192717/http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/blog/health/economic-advantages-vegetarian-diet

• http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=Rethinking+the+Meat-Guzzler&st=nyt&oref=slogin&

• L Baroni, L Cenci, M Tettamanti and M Berati "Evaluating the environmental impact of various dietary patterns combined with different food production systems" European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2006), 1–8.

• http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?13659-Dietary-patterns-and-environmental-impact