Monday, September 28, 2015

Please Forgive Me For All My Mistakes

Please Forget And Forgive
I express my Kshama Bhawana for everyone. I hope you all will forgive me and forget all mistakes committed willingly or unwillingly by me during last year and oblige me.
Further I promise , I will try my best not to hurt you in coming days.
Uttam Kshama

Danendra Jain


Mere se jane -anjane me hui bhul ke liye mai kshama prarthi hun.  
Asha hai aap hame khama kar hame anugrahit karenge.  ----

aapka apna Danendra Jain
28.09.2015


If you have time, please listen following message
by Sister B K Shivani
Carefully,pacefully, attentively and full focus

Click Here to Listen "Harmony In Relation" By Sister B K Shivani

जिस प्रकार अग्नि सब कुछ जला कर ख़ाक कर देती है, उसी प्रकार क्रोध भी इस जीवन को जलाकर ख़ाक कर देता है |
जिस प्रकार जल अग्नि को शांत कर देता है, उसी प्रकार क्षमा रूपी जल भी क्रोध रूपी अग्नि को शांत कर देता है |
अतः बंधुओं अपने जीवन को ख़ाक होने से बचाने हेतु आइये हम अपने जीवन को क्षमा रूपी जल से सींचे ताकि इस आतम रूपी बगिया के धर्म रूपी वृक्ष में संयम रूपी फूल खिले और मोक्ष रूपी फल सभी को प्राप्त हों|
जन्म से लेकर मोक्ष तक की इस अनंत यात्रा का अंत करने की पहली सीढ़ी क्षमा है तो आइये आप सभी को क्षमा करके एवं सभी से क्षमा मांग कर इस मोक्ष सीढ़ी में पहला पग रखना चाहता हूँ|
ॐ नमः सबको क्षमा सबसे क्षमा


Read Following too collected from other website


I forgive all living beings of the Universe,
May all living beings forgive me for my faults.
I have friendship for all living beings,
I do not have any animosity towards anybody!

This aphorism (Sutra) is one of the humble and great way to ask for forgiveness with the unity of the speech, mind, and body.

The process of shredding our karmäs (wrong acts / works) really begins by asking for forgiveness with true feelings, and to take the vow not to repeat mistakes. The quality of the forgiveness requires humility (vinay - absence of ego) and suppression of anger.

In one of his Holy discourse Lord Mahavir (the 24th Tirthankara - prophet of Jainism) has said "Forgiveness (Kshama) is the ornament of a brave person".
The Bravery does not lie in proving the power but in Forgiving. At times we also experience that to Forgive one is the most difficult task in life.

On this auspicious occasion of Kshamavani Divas, I respectfully seek Kshama from you and all living beings for hurting the feelings of any one, knowingly or unknowingly, in thought, word and action (mana, vachana aur kaya) during the past year, directly or indirectly and knowingly or unknowingly in any form, for any unpleasant and unwanted happenings.

I also forgive all living beings that may have caused any pain and suffering to me. My friendship be with all living beings and no hostility towards anyone.

"Forgiveness Day" is a day of forgiving and seeking forgiveness for the followers of Jainism. It is celebrated on the Samvatsari, the last day of the annual Paryusana festival, which coincides with the Chaturthi, 4th day of Shukla Paksha, in the holy month of Bhadrapad, according to the Jain calendar. "Micchami Dukkadam" is the common phrase when asking for forgiveness. It is a Prakrit phrase meaning, May all the evil that has been done be fruitless.

This year 2015 , Kshamavani Diwas is  being celebrated today on September 28. On this sacred day, every member of the Jain community approaches everyone, irrespective of religion, and begs for forgiveness for all their faults or mistakes, committed either knowingly or unknowingly. Thus relieved of the heavy burden hanging over their head of the sins of yesteryears, they start life afresh, living in peaceful co-existence with others. 

Indeed, this day is not merely a traditional ritual, but a first step on their path to liberation or salvation, the final goal of every man's life, according to the teachings of Jainism.

Mahavira said we should forgive our own soul first. To forgive others is a practical application of this supreme forgiveness. It is the path of spiritual purification. Mahavira said: "The one whom you hurt or kill is you. All souls are equal and similar and have the same nature and qualities". Ahimsa Paramo Dharma. Anger begets more anger and forgiveness and love beget more forgiveness and love. Forgiveness benefits both the forgiver and the forgiven.

Forgiveness is the other name of non-violence (Ahimsa) which shows the right path of 'Live and Let Live' to one and all. Forgiveness teaches us Ahimsa (non-violence) and through ahimsa we should learn to practice forbearance.


Khamemi Savve Jiva            I forgive all living beings.
Savve Jiva Khamantu me   May all souls forgive me,
Mitti me Savva Bhooesu     I am friendly terms with all,
Veram Majjham Na Kenvi   I have no animosity toward any soul.
Michchhami Dukkadam   May all my faults be dissolved.

खम्मामि सव्व जीवेषु सव्वे जीवा खमन्तु में, मित्ति में सव्व भू ए सू वैरम् मज्झणम् केण वि |
Khämemi Savve Jivä, Savve Jivä Khamantu Mi Mitti Me Savva bhuesu, Veram majjham na Kenai.

[सब जीवों को मै क्षमा करता हूं, सब जीव मुझे क्षमा करे | सब जीवो से मेरा मैत्री भाव रहे, किसी से वैर-भाव नही रहे |

Kshamavani Parva celebrates forgiveness as a way to a life of love, friendship, peace and harmony. When you forgive, you stop feeling resentful; there is no more indignation or anger against another for a perceived offence, difference or mistake; there is no clamour for punishment. It means the end of violence (Himsa).




Thursday, September 17, 2015

Message For People Who Protest Ban On Meat Sale

Dear friends,

I know many of you are very angry these days as we Jains are supposed to have taken your rights to eat meat. We intolerant bunch of goons have reportedly taken away your personal liberty. We are the Taliban, if some liberal activists are to be believed.
All these become easy for you to believe because these activists are in media and they control what you read in the newspapers or hear on TV. It also becomes easy for you to think they are telling the truth because the current ruling party, the BJP, has a national president who is Jain by religion.

Today, the media claimed that Haryana, another BJP ruled state, too had banned meat. Whereas the truth was that it had just appealed some slaughter houses to remain closed for Paryushan Parva, our festival of self purification. An appeal was presented as a ban to you!

And this has led people to believe that Jains are asking for such bans. I say this because I have been subjected to such taunts and abuse on Twitter. People have mocked my faith, my customs, and some even threatened to throw meats loaves in my house in protest.
And I wonder why so much hate! Because I didn’t even ask for this ban!

The media never cared to tell you but I hope you know the truth that this ban has existed for decades. And no, it is not a ban on you eating any meat – you are still free to do that – but a ban on slaughter houses for a few days and a ban on sale of meat in some selected regions of India. In fact, in states like Rajasthan, the duration of this annual ban has actually been reduced this year when compared with the duration during the Congress rule.

Yes, you are going to tell me that it doesn’t justify the ban just because it existed for all these years. I am not even telling you that. But just take a chill pill for a moment, and think – if this ban existed for so many decades, why did you not hear any outrage or protest over this all these years?

Have you not become pawn in the politics of some selected parties? Congress was the party that introduced such bans in many areas and now they are protesting against the same. Shiv Sena too was a party to the decision by virtue of controlling local bodies, and even they are now protesting.

Do you seriously not see the politics here? And this politics is being helped by those in the media who wear the mask of neutrality and intellectualism.

All these decades nobody had a problem as they thought it was not a big deal if the slaughter houses remain closed for a few days in a year, that too in some areas where Jain population reside. It was about giving up limited personal liberty on select days to show respect to fellow Indians. Even courts upheld this view.

Don’t we give up our personal liberties on 3 national holidays? They are dry days and we can’t buy liquor. Technically that is also ban, and that is nationwide. This meat ban is not nationwide.

Don’t we give up our personal liberties when we hear loud azaan five times a day from a local mosque or loud music from a local pandal during various pujas? Remember, personal liberty is also about choosing what you are exposed to.

Nearly all leading restaurants and meat shops offer only halaal meat in order to respect Muslim sentiments. Will it not be unreasonable if Hindus start demanding jhatka meat just to insist on personal choice and liberty? Hindus don’t insist on that because they have “adjusted” to accommodate fellow Indians.

Yes, apart from “jugaad”, other thing we Indian do is “adjusting”. We care for each other and adjust to make space for each other.
But now it looks like my country is all set to demand individual liberties.
And it’s not a bad thing. We as a society have to evolve.

Ever since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India, many people have evolved and started growing up (by their own admission). Our stand up comedians have evolved – they don’t make the same jokes. Our journalists have evolved – they have now started seeing things (like this meat ban) that they were blind to all these years.

So my dear friend angry with Jains over meat ban, you too have the right to evolve. We all have the right to evolve. I just hope that this evolution and growing up is not selective.
Keeping this in mind, I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lift this meat ban as it is hurting the sentiments of Indians who are evolving very fast. Sentiments of Jains will be taken care of by those who care and those who can adjust a little.

We Jains might appeal to people in our localities to close meat shops for a few days and if they do that voluntarily, we will be happy that they care for us. But please don’t enforce anything.
I can’t take any more hate due to my surname.
  • written by Ankit Jain (on Twitter @indiantweeter)
http://www.opindia.com/2015/09/open-letter-to-fellow-indians-from-a-jain-youth-over-meat-ban/


My views are as under:----------------

 
People of India should understand true colours of such leaders. Person like Thakres, Lalu,Mulayam, Mayawati, are least concerned for mankind, they are concerned for vote bank.


Jains are not significant in number and hence politicians of all colours came together to stop BJP or anyone who suggested ban on sale of meat ,that too only for four days. Politicians do not think what is good for humanity and what is good for animals life or what is good for keeping environment pollution free. They ignite fire on emotional issues , divide voters in different segments and then try to win the election . They can go to any ugly extent for the sake of vote, for the sake of power and money.

 
Jains have true faith in true non-violence and they do not Believe in killing even thought of others. Jains follow syadwad (
Anekantwad, or the principle of plurality of viewpoints) theory and believes in adjustment and recnciliation. They respect views of others and want that people should follow the principles of non-violence in thoughts and action, not only for preaching sermons to others. Politicians who are greedy of money, power and post go to Gandhi samadhi to act as if they are followers of Gandhi's non-violence.


Politicians pay tribute to Gandhiji every now and then. They take oath by keeping hands on Bhagwat Gita or Kuran that they will follow the path of Non-violence , teachings of Gandhiji and follow in true spirit what is written in Constitution. But unfortunately politicians in general  do not act what they preach and they do not think what they speak. Their acts and deeds, and thoughts are altogether different. As a matter of fact they are ready to kill anyone and crush thoughts of anyone if it helps them in getting power ,post and money.

People who eat meat will never like ban on beef. Meat eaters do not know the origin of meat when they eat it in some hotel or public bhoj. It should not be astonishing to anyone that meat eaters or beef eaters can also be man eaters. There may be people who find test in Human flash too. Flash eaters do not hesitate in killing not only an animal but also in killing a human being for serving self interest. This is universally truth, and not only for India. Violence is growing worldwide only because of these people who find test in flash of animals, including that of human being.


We Jains believe in giving respect to thought of everyone and by our action others will be motivated. Let others cry and remain non-vegetarians or meat lovers. respect them too, this is philosophy of our great religion. Killing and attacking thought of others is also a type of violence. Jainism believes in giving respect to all faiths and all thoughts , knows the value of reconciliation and hence propagate the theory of Syadvad (
Anekantwad, or the principle of plurality of viewpoints). But they must propagate and spread the principles of non-violence and love for all beings to awaken those who are in darkness of knowledge. 


Meat eater are far far bigger in number than non-eaters. You are right that use of pressure  in the larger interest of community is advisable from the principles of Non-violence and the same was preached by Gandhi ji too. But it does not hold good in case of meat ban.

But the question here is whether violence or political pressure  can stop violence. Even Lord Mahavira moved from one corner to other to spread his message of non violence. But still more than 90% of population are meat eaters. And  it is not at all justified to stop meat eater  eating meat or selling meat because after all it is their choice in the same way as Jains have choice not to eat meat. All are free to have their choice and choose their eatables .


However Jains should try to convince  meat eaters by scientific logics and proofs that eating meat is injurious to health as well as it affects balance of nature created by GOD. Meat eater stop eating meat and become purely vegetarian when they fall ill and Doctors suggest them to stop eating meat.

Can microscopically small population of Jain can stop violent thoughts and actions of larger community by using sword or by resorting to violence? 
And is such act not contradictory and in conflict with  Jain principles of reconciliation and respect to all?

Jain should rather move from one corner to other to spread the principles of Non-violence. But unfortunately majority of Jains are busy in Ahar Bihar of Jain Munis and Jain Munis are busy in conducting Bidhans, Organising Panch Kalyanak and construction of new temples in Madhuwan only.

Who will then complete the unfinished task of Lord Mahavira?

Can you imagine that mere construction of hundreds of costly Jain Temples in one place or in some places can help in motivating followers of non-violence or eaters of meat or beef to stop such practices? Are these temples helpful in spreading the principles of Jainism?

Keeping in view the present position of Jains and that of greedy politicians, it is advisable that Jains come out with silent protest march all over the country , specially in Maharashtra and more empathetically in Mumbai to express annoyance against Thakres . There are a good number of rich business men in Jains, they can spend crores of rupees to distribute pamphlets and placing big size hoardings all over the country displaying the message of benefits of non-violence for mankind and protesting the acts of Thakres.

Please note it , that Prime Miister of India Mr.  Narendra Modi, Chief Minister  Of Maharashtra Mr. Fernavis, CMs of many other states and a large section of Indian population are also supporter of  ban on sale of beef . It is a positive point. However sale on meat cannot be banned fully until there are eaters in good numbers. But if government want to respect the sentiments of  Lovers of Non-Violence, they should at least ensure that act of cutting or butchering animals in not performed in public place and these materials are not sold by displaying them in public domain. Sale of meat can be confined to some covered shops only and it can be ensured in entire country without giving rise to any controversy. Jains have to come forward in spreading the message of Non-violence by conducing various meetings with non-Jains, through newspapers, through free literatures and so on. Jain should stop focusing on construction of new temples at Madhuwan and try to teach people who are on wrong path due to lack of knowledge and lack of understanding the value of non-violence.

Merely abusing on facebook or sending message on Whatsapp will not serve the desired purpose.


Following is the message of Lord Mahavira

The spiritual power and moral grandeur of Mahavir's teachings impressed the masses. He made religion simple and natural, free from elaborate ritual complexities. His teachings reflected the popular impulse towards internal beauty and harmony of the soul.


His message of nonviolence (Ahimsa), truth (Satya), non-stealing (Achaurya), celibacy (Brahma-charya), and non-possession (Aparigraha) is full of universal compassion. He said that,

"A living body is not merely an integration of limbs and flesh but it is the abode of the soul which potentially has perfect perception(Anant-darshana), perfect knowledge (Anant-jnana), perfect power (Anant-virya), and perfect bliss (Anant-sukha)."

Mahavir's message reflects freedom and spiritual joy of the living being.


Mahavir was quite successful in eradicating from human intellect the conception of God as creator, protector, and destroyer. He also denounced the worship of gods and goddesses as a means of salvation. He taught the idea of supremacy of human life and stressed the importance of the positive attitude of life.

Lord Mahavir also preached the gospel of universal love, emphasizing that all living beings, irrespective of their size, shape, and form how spiritually developed or under-developed, are equal and we should love and respect them.

Jainism existed before Mahavir, and his teachings were based on those of his predecessors. Thus, unlike Buddha, Mahavir was more of a reformer and propagator of an existing religious order than the founder of a new faith. He followed the well established creed of his redecessor Tirthankara Parshvanath. 

However, Mahavir did reorganize the philosophical tenets of Jainism to correspond to his times. Lord Mahavir preached five great vows while Lord Parshva preached four great vows.
In the matters of spiritual advancement, as envisioned by Mahavir, both men and women are on an equal footing. 

The lure of renunciation and liberation attracted women as well. Many women followed Mahavir's path and renounced the world in search of ultimate happiness.

In a few centuries after Mahavir's nirvana, Jain religious order (Sangha) grew more and more complex. There were schisms on some minor points although they did not affect the original doctrines as preached by the Tirthankars. Later generations saw the introduction of ritualistic complexities which almost placed Mahavir and other Tirthankars on the throne of Hindu deities.

PRINCIPLES OF JAINISM
The fundamental principles of Jainism can be briefly stated as follows.
  1. The first fundamental principle of Jainism is that, man's personality is dual, that is, material and spiritual. Jaina philosophy regards that every mundane soul is bound by subtle particles of matter known as Karma from the very beginning. It considers that just as gold is found in an alloy form in the mines, in the same way mundane souls are found along with the Karma bondage from time eternal. The impurity of the mundane soul is thus treated as an existing condition.
  2. The second principle that man is not perfect is based on the first principle. The imperfectness in man is attributed to the existence of Karma in his soul. The human soul is in a position to attain perfection and in that true and eternal state it is endowed with four characteristics, viz., Ananta-darsana, Ananta-Jnana, Ananta-virya and Ananta-sukha, i. e., infinite perception or faith, infinite knowledge, infinite power and infinite bliss.
  3. Even though man is not perfect, the third principle states that by his spiritual nature man can and must control his material nature. It is only after the entire subjugation of matter that the soul attains perfection, freedom and happiness. It is emphatically maintained that man will be able to sail across the ocean of births and achieve perfection through the control of senses and thought.
  4. The last basic principle stresses that it is only each individual that can separate his own soul and the matter combined with it. The separation cannot be effected by any other person. This means that man himself, and he alone, is responsible for all that is good or bad in his life. He cannot absolve himself from the responsibility of experiencing the fruits of his actions. This principle distinguishes Jainism from other religions, e. g., Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.
No God, nor His prophet or deputy or beloved can interfere with human life. The soul, and that alone, is directly and necessarily responsible for all that it does. God is regarded as completely unconcerned with creation of the universe or with any happening in the universe. The universe goes on of its own accord. Because of this definite attitude towards God, Jainism is accused of being atheistic. It is true in the sense that Jainism does not attribute the creation of universe to God. But at the same time Jainism cannot be labeled as atheistic because it believes in Godhood, in innumerable gods, in Punya and Papa, i. e., merit and demerit, in religious practices, etc. According to Jainism the emancipated soul is considered as God and it is absolutely not concerned with the task of creation of this world.

Anekantwad-A blessing from Jinas;

A tool for Compassionate Communication

Hema Pokharna, Ph.D. ,
Researcher - University of Chicago. , Director - Journeys of Life


One of the important aspects of Jainism is the concept of Anekantwad, or the principle of plurality of viewpoints. It is central to the idea of tolerance and mutual respect. Each person has a perception of the world which is a mix of both truth and ignorance. These perceptions are valid but are incomplete views of reality. This concept is usually explained with the aid of the parable of seven blind men and an elephant. The story demonstrates that truth can be visualized from seven angles and these views of truth are mere additions to the human knowledge. When viewed together, they present the picture of universal reality. I recently read that Mahatma Gandhi agreed with this, saying, "It has been my experience that I am always true from my point of view, and often wrong from the point of view of my honest critics. I know we are both right from our respective points of view."
Our present challenge is that we live in a world of difference. Yet, as we are interdependent we have to live together. Anekantwad has a lot to offer us and help us learn to live with our differences in peace and harmony. I would like us Jains to use Anekantwad as an instrument to facilitate our conversations and dialogues respectfully in a nonviolent manner when we run into the blind men (represented in the story), who seem to appear in our lives and promote division and injustice, betraying the very ideals and teachings that lie at the heart of Ahimsa. Can Jains take this challenge of shaping the lives of billions in wise and wonderful ways Anekantwad offers? There is hope that the world can be transformed through dialogues and relationships can be nurtured among people of differences by working towards a just, peaceful and sustainable future. The well-being of the Earth and all life depends on this collaboration.
As we begin to chart our course of existence on the basis of Anekantwad, we must master the art of choosing. We make choices and decisions from the most day to day mundane to those forks-in-the-road choices which have great consequences. If we can be guided by the principle "Mitti me savva bhuveshu” (Universal friendliness) the process of making a choice can be made easier. Practice of this principle requires learning to recognize that SPIRIT (atman/soul) is an invisible force also made visible in the blind men we encounter in our daily lives who make choices and live in ways that are very different than what Jains would do and is in conflict with our values of Ahimsa. At such junctures Jains can stop and ask themselves if their reactions and responses to these blind men are guided by friendship and nonviolence?Can we apply the principle of Anekantwad and explore what choices do we have in our responses? For example how do we relate to people who eat meat or to people who express their views (however unreasonable or opportunistic they may be) by damaging Jain Murtis? Or how do we stand by our Buddhist brothers who break down in the face of violence and cruelty? How can we use Anekantwad to motivate people to renounce violence and take responsibility for their actions without furthering violence by blaming them, or punishing them in anyway? To include understanding of Anekantwad in our thinking requires us to consciously learn how to express our selves in a larger context of expansion and with an intention to empower all concerned. It is the conscious decision to live our lives with joy and friendliness. It is a chosen approach to life, a chosen attitude and a constant awareness. Practice of friendship is a necessary beginning to recognize and practice nonviolence and develop the quality of wholesome life prescribed to us by the Jinas.
Jainism is a way of life, experimented and perfected by humans and shared by those who have attained perfect knowledge, omniscience and self-control by their own personal efforts and have been liberated from the bonds of worldly existence, the cycle of births and deaths; although the supreme ideal of Jain religion is nonviolence (Ahimsa), equal kindness, and reverence for all forms of life in speech, thought, and action. The practice comes from the supreme tool of Anekantwad. Anekantwad is the tool for transformation of human passions like desire, hatred, anger and greed to love and compassion for all living beings. Literally, Jina does mean one who has transformed oneself and acquired a special quality of response from within which one is devoid of reaction based on hormones or external circumstances but a response from one’s innate ability and generative, infinite and abundant source of compassion.
Like research, Anekantwad is a perspective. It is the original mind asking a question and setting an experiment to answer in a bigger and bolder way that benefits all involved. It is not about pebble picking but about building magnificent castles.
The path of universal friendliness and love is the process of increasing access to the unlimited potential we have and moving with anticipation of its enfoldment by being open, alert, guided, transformed, fulfilled and healed to wholeness.Anekantwad is the ability to not only count the seeds in an apple but to develop a skill and ability to make visible the apples in a seed and develop the art of possibility. This becomes an art and can be engaged only through alert experiences and moving forward with trust and patience to wait for wholesome possibilities to unfold. This is the human search. This search although partially predetermined in the karmic sense definitely does not run through predetermined paths. If the paths were predetermined or in control of an external force the realm of possibility would not exist and the whole beauty of aliveness would be lost. And as Victor Hugo says "Its nothing to die; its frightful not to live”, Jains have to sharpen their Anekantwad "saw” to face and embody the moral code of "Live and Let Live” using the principle of Ahimsa We have to learn to choose to be strong when we have a default option of being miserable and knowing that the effort and work is the same. as the directing idea and evolving force of the living.
Ahimsa is the conscious decision to live our lives. In the midst of turmoil, pain and adversity, in bad times, Jains have been encouraged to maintain samatabhav (equanimity) or connection with the divine self and manifest peace and bliss.It also means to keep one’s mind unagitated and calm in situations of misery and happiness, gain and loss, victory and defeat etc. without losing one’s balance or evenness. To practice and maintain samtabhav, it requires a decision on our part - it is a chosen approach to life, a chosen attitude and a chosen awareness. Living with such awareness means finding ways to overcome inappropriate demands, injustice, and even abuse, and not engaging in fights in which everyone loses. It is to examine things we do regardless of our current life situation and realize that we have a power within us to do things with more love and respect. Anekantwad is not only about us improving ourselves but learning to let go of what blocks our heart. In the infinity of life all is perfect, whole and complete. Anekantwad is about keeping our selves centered and connected with the purpose and potential of our lives as we unfold the sources of unhappiness and disconnection from our vitality. The awareness and moment to moment practice of Ahimsa generates the compassion within us, thus perfecting the art of Anekantwad. This awareness becomes the vehicle to spread this bliss to the world around us. In modern world when countless opinions can be twittered, a need arises for a virtuoso to channel the different vectors of opinions in a unified direction of peace and harmony, instead of letting them fly to destruct each other.It is for us to use our Jain heritage to change ourselves and the world around us for the best.

Liberation Of Animal

Are Peter Singer’s ideas too dangerous to hear?-By peter Kavanagh 13.09.2015

Philosopher Peter Singer is being celebrated at Western University this week. His polarizing views have put him at the forefront of debates over such topics as euthanasia and assisted suicide.

 
If you are an animal, Peter Singer might be the closest thing you have to Moses. If you are a severely disabled human baby — or a disability activist — he’s more akin to the Angel of Death.
 
This week, the 69-year-old Australian philosopher is being celebrated at Western University in London, Ont. In lectures and conversations, the power of his logic, the force of his world view, the startling and sometimes unexpected conclusions to his arguments will be on full display.
 
Singer, the Ira W. DeCamp professor of bioethics at Princeton University, is a utilitarian who wants to maximize happiness and minimize pain. He isn’t so much concerned with rescue animals as with industrial agriculture. Stop the mass production and slaughter of chickens, he argues, and you will maximize happiness much more than if you rescue an abandoned pit bull.
 
He is also a consequentialist: the outcome of your actions matters much more than the principle you act on. Forget about donating money to a museum or opera company; instead, contribute to saving lives in the Third World. The difference in impact will be measurable and remarkable.

Message For People Who Protest Proposed Ban On Meat Sale
 
Singer is a master of practical ethics and at the forefront of debates involving health care, euthanasia and assisted suicide. Just after the publication this spring of his latest book, The Most Good You Can Do: How Effective Altruism Is Changing Ideas About Living Ethically, he gave interviews reiterating his views on rationing health care. Singer believes health care is by definition a scare resource, and scare resources need rationing. This logic leads him to argue that some severely disabled infants should be killed after birth to minimize their pain and that of their parents, as well as to save health-care dollars.
 
To his supporters, Singer is an essential thinker. Western University philosophy professor Anthony Skelton, one of the organizers of this week’s celebration, explains, “Everyone in philosophy who writes on these topics deals with Singer’s views.”
 
Amy Hasbrouck, a Montreal lawyer and chair of Not Dead Yet, a North American disability rights group, agrees completely, but with a twist. “Given the prestige of his position, Singer gives legitimacy not only to eugenicist views, but also to the related and commonly held view that life with a disability is a fate worse than death,” she said in an interview. “This view is what drives the current push toward legalization of assisted suicide.”
 
The tribute at Western’s Rotman Institute of Philosophy takes place on the 40th anniversary of Singer’s book Animal Liberation. Skelton thinks the celebration is appropriate because it is, he says, “one of the few books in philosophy that have served as the intellectual basis for social change.
 
“The book’s main message, that our treatment of non-human animals is speciesist, has generated a large and influential following both within and without philosophy, which is not to say that it is not hotly contested,” Skelton adds. “Some think Singer has gone too far and some think that he has not gone far enough.”
 
It is the success of Animal Liberation that has many in the disabled community concerned about their own status in a world guided by Singer-influenced ethical thinking.
Ryerson University professor emerita Catherine Frazee, a leading disability studies scholar and a member of the federal panel studying the implementation of the Supreme Court’s decision on assisted suicide, believes it’s the power of Singer’s reasoning that causes such angst among the disabled. “The logic of his approach is, by many accounts, impeccable and eerily seductive,” she says. “But is logic the single most important tool when we contemplate the large important questions of life? I would argue that it is not. Logic can be helpful, but when it takes us to conclusions that do not accord with our moral intuitions, we had best not be enslaved to its reasoning.”
 
This fear of a world enthralled with the reasoning of Peter Singer, especially his thinking about severely disabled people, lies behind the most contentious and problematic moments in his career. In the wake of comments he made about health care and euthanasia upon the publication of The Most Good You Can Do, he was disinvited from a philosophy conference in Cologne, Germany, where he was scheduled to be a keynote speaker. In the United States, there were demonstrations at Princeton University and an online petition.
 
The demands of the petition, organized by Not Dead Yet, are straightforward: Princeton should fire Singer because his views “both devalue the lives of people with disabilities and advocate public policies that would end those lives through denial of health care.” Skelton has some sympathy for the reaction to Singer’s views. “The disabled community does have a point,” he says, “since a lot of the debate often turns on impoverished views about how well the disabled fare and about what kinds of lives are worth living. But it is a discussion worth having.”
 
Having a discussion and calling for an academic to be fired for the positions he holds are two very different things, and the blowback against the latter has been fierce. Academics around the world have taken to social media and blogs to denounce the protesters or, in rare instances where they have sympathy for the protesters’ perspective, to suggest they should calm down and be reasonable.
 
Russell Blackford, a philosopher at the University of Newcastle in Australia, isn’t worried that Singer is in any professional danger, but thinks the protesters’ demands that he be fired will have an effect on “younger academics who’ve faced real problems because of their controversial opinions about decisions at the beginning and end of life.
 
“And that shows the wider danger,” Blackford continues. “While Singer himself will survive the campaign against him, others who can see what’s happening are likely to be intimidated.”
 
Elizabeth Barnes, a philosopher at the University of Virginia and the author of an upcoming book on disability, thinks defenders of Singer should try to see the situation from the perspective of disabled people. “Academic freedom should allow Peter Singer to say what he thinks,” she argues, “but it shouldn’t protect him from the consequences, including public outrage.
 
“He has a habit of saying things that are extremely offensive to disabled people. Disabled people are going to get up in arms about that, especially since they deal with the very real, very rational fear that the views of thinkers like Singer will have influence both on public policy and on wider public perceptions about the quality of life of people with what Singer calls ‘severe’ disabilities.”
 
Context matters, and while the occasion for the Western University tribute to Singer is a significant anniversary, the context for Canadian disability activists is the ongoing discussion of assisted suicide and euthanasia. Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, thinks the impact Singer has had on that debate is undeniable. “Singer’s views on euthanasia are already being implemented in Belgium and the Netherlands,” he argues. “In fact, the Canadian Supreme Court Carter decision would allow, if approved by the government, euthanasia for chronic pain as well as for people with psychological pain. This means that Peter Singer’s views may have already been approved, for the most part, in several jurisdictions.”
 
Canvassing views on Peter Singer leads to the contradictory notions that he’s the greatest thinker of our time and the most dangerous man alive. “He could be both,” says Skelton. “Anyone who argues that many of our prevailing ethical attitudes are unsustainable is likely to be considered both formidable and dangerous. He could be a great thinker in that he has challenged many of our ideas with compelling argument and be dangerous because of the effect he might have on various vested interests in society.”
 
Vested interests can be a loaded term. For some it summons up images of industrial farming; for others it means who decides who lives or dies.
Peter Kavanagh’s most recent book is The Man Who Learned to Walk Three Times: A Memoir.

Explosive words
Philosopher Peter Singer is blunt and clear, insisting he’s guided by reason alone. Here are five moments when his words unleashed a storm:
 
  • In his 1979 book Practical Ethics, Singer suggested people were morally deficient if they ate meat.

  • In 1993, Singer suggested that babies not be declared persons until they were 30 days old and that, in some cases of severe disabilities, infanticide up until then might be appropriate.

  • 16 Million In USA Are Vegetarian

  • In a 2004 interview, Singer compared children to apes: “Look: pain and suffering are bad and should be prevented or minimized, regardless of the race, sex or species of the being that suffers,” he said. “It’s a simple fact that a 3-year-old human has pretty much the same self-awareness, rationality and capacity to feel pain as an adult ape. So they should be given equal moral consideration.”

  • In a 2012 article, Singer defended the “Ashley treatment” — using hormones and surgery to keep a child with a profound intellectual disability small as she aged, so her parents could more easily move her around, and to spare her the discomfort of menstrual cramps.

  • In May 2015, Singer said on an Australian talk show that he believed guide dogs were a waste of money, and that it would be much more cost-efficient to spend money preventing blindness in the Third World. “In the United States, it costs about $40,000 to train a dog and to train the blind person so that they can work together and the dog can be helpful to the blind person … What’s better, to prevent someone becoming blind or to give a blind person a guide dog? I think it’s clearly better to prevent someone becoming blind, plus it costs only $100, so you can calculate for $40,000 how many people you can prevent being blind.”


  • http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2015/09/13/are-peter-singers-ideas-too-dangerous-to-hear.html



    vegetables

    Top 10 Best Countries to be Vegetarian

    10. Canada:

    There is a large vegetarian culture in Canada, especially in big cities. Because Toronto is the most diverse city in the world, you can enjoy delicious vegetarian cuisine from so many different cultures; visit the Toronto Vegetarian Association.

    9. Israel:

    Because Israeli restaurants and supermarkets will often abide by Kosher laws, pork and shellfish are not served, and prepared food usually will not combine milk and meat. Falafel and hummus are available everywhere, and cucumbers and hummus are served with every meal.

    8. Hong Kong:

    Inspired by British culture, Hong Kong has many vegetarian options, that are not only Chinese food, but often Indian or Western inspired. There are also several health food stores.

    7. United States:

    Especially around big cities like New York, San Francisco or Chicago, the US has many vegetarians. It is more difficult to eat out in the South, but supermarkets will have an abundance of options.

    6. Thailand:

    Vegetarianism is accepted in Thailand, and many traditional Thai dishes with rice and noodles are meat-free and loaded with a wide range of fresh veggies. Many vegetable dishes are made with fish sauce, but you can request to have it excluded. There is even a Phuket Vegetarian Festival!

    5. Taiwan:

    Taiwan does offer vegetarian options, but it is difficult to navigate your options without knowing the language. Click here for some helpful hints.

    4. United Kingdom:

    This is one of the most advanced vegetarian cultures in the world, with veggie-friendly food available in almost every town. Most restaurants have vegetarian options, and vegetarian food in supermarkets is often clearly labeled. The UK isn’t exactly known for its amazing native food, so there are often great vegetarian Indian dishes available in restaurants. Pubs often serve veggie burgers.

    3. Vietnam:

    Though many of the vegetable dishes are made with fish sauce, there are ways around it. Read this article for some tips. Their delicious Pho noodle dishes taste just as great without meat.

    2. Malaysia:

    There is a vegetarian culture in Malaysia, and their food is inspired by Chinese, Indian and European influence. There are many delicious vegetarian curry and noodle dishes, and it is not difficult to find suitable restaurants.

    1. India:

    India has the highest number of vegetarians in the world, making up 20-40% of the population. Food in supermarkets has special labels for the vegetarian selections, and almost all restaurants offer the option

    https://www.expatify.com/advice/best-countries-to-be-vegetarian.html

    The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Eating Meat



    Meat is defined as the muscle tissue, organs and flesh of an animal. The average American has a serving of meat, veggies and sometimes a starch on his/her plate everyday to complete a dish which is considered to be a full meal. And the National Food and Drug Administration’s Food Pyramid says the three are complete---meaning it’s a full meal. But is meat the cause of the many illnesses that swarm American? Is meat good for you or is it bad for you? Well, these questions will be answered for you in this article and you would need to make the correct determination for yourself and your family.
    As a journalist and experimenter I must say that I have gone on an appropriate journey in order to find the answers to both questions and my determination would be, to find an alternative, however, I will also say “Different Strokes For Different Folks.” In this 1 year journey of eating meat, I must say that the results were horrifying. Here is the scenario: I went from eating just fish and chicken to eating full blown meats like steak, ribs, hotdogs, burgers, and any other meat source that you can think of. Some of the symptoms entail heavy breathing, stomach aches, weight gain, a build up of mucus membranes, tiredness, slow thinking etc. etc. And, I am very fortunate to have only made this an experiment simply due to the other health risk extremities that come with unhealthy eating. My symptoms could have been a lot worst but lucky for me, I am here today to give proven evidence that if you should consume meat, please consume it in moderation or it could be lethal.

    Studies
    There was a recent study done by a Harvard University Analysis which gave a list of diseases that come with eating to much meat. The first study was based on the amount of meat one should consume in one day. 42 grams per day of meat would be considered fine for the averaged person if they are eating good meat and not processed meat. You should also be careful about the drugs that the animals are injected with. Now, in this study, it indicates that if one is to consume 100 grams of meat per day they have a 12% chance of getting diabetes and those who eat processed meat have a 17% chance of getting diabetes and that would be based on their consumption of only 50grams of the processed meat a day. In another study done by the National Cancer Society---those who consume 40 ounces of meat per day have a 30% chance of being infected with cancer, and those who eat processed meat are at an even high risk. The International Journal of obesity found that people who eat meat consume up to 700 more calories a day than those who don’t. This article isn’t to frighten anyone, but it is clearly to help you understand the importance of your health, and the risk that we all take everyday by way of our food intake.

    Here is a list of advantages and disadvantages of eating meat and why you should take precaution when eating anything that would be considered a health risk into you body.
    Advantages
    1. Provides Vitamin B1, 2, 6, and 12, Vitamin K, E, D and Folate
    Example: A 100g portion of sirloin steak contains 6.93 mg of niacin, 0.514 mg of pantothenic acid, 0.126 mg of riboflavin, 1.53 micrograms of vitamin B-12, 0.126 mg of thiamin, 0.545 mg of vitamin B-6, and 8 micrograms of folate.
    2. Provides Protein
    Example: chuck beef, braised (6 ounces) contains 49.2 grams of protein and 1 gram of protein equals 4 calories
    3. Provides Minerals Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium, Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Iron, Manganese and Phosphorus
    Example: An 8 ounces serving of sirloin steak has 12mg of zinc, 75mcg of selenium , and 525mg of phosphorus.
    4. Contains amino acids that the body needs
    Example: The human body only contains 10 amino acids which are aspartic acid, alanine, asparagine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, cysteine, tyrosine and serine. The amino acids that our bodies don’t produce are isoleucine, leucine, lysine, histidine, phenylalanine, methionine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine, these essential amino acids are found in meat.
    Disadvantages
    1. The Health Risk
    2. Cardiovascular Disease
    3. Diabetes
    4. High In Sodium
    5. High In Saturated Fat And Cholesterol
    6. To Much Processed Meat Causes Bowel Cancer
    7. Very Hard To Digest Due To The Drugs Injected Into The Animals
    8. Mad Cow Diseases
    9. Alzheimer’s Disease
    10. Causes Constipation
    11. One Of Leading Cause Of Obesity
    12. Causes Lethargy
    Etc. Etc.

    With all that has been presented before you, it could be hard to decide what is needed to have a healthy and balanced diet. However, studies make it plan and simple----why put something in your body that would put your health at risk, whether it has something that you need in it or not---there are alternatives. In a study done by the medical experts of Mayoclinic.com it was proven that those who eat less meat live longer. Which one do you choose life by consumption of the right foods or death by consumption of the wrong foods.

    http://www.examiner.com/article/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-eating-meat

    Saturday, September 12, 2015

    Read My Views Below on Proposed Ban On Beef in J&K And Sale Of Meat In Maharashtra For Four Days

    Shiv Sena, MNS defy ban, distribute meat in Mumbai-Hindustan Times-12.09.2015             ( Read My Views Below)
    The Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Thursday distributed packets of meat in various areas of Mumbai to protest the controversial four-day meat ban in the city.


    The ban ordered by the Mumbai civic body in view of a Jain festival and fast has resulted in a political standoff between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally the Shiv Sena.

    Members of Raj Thackeray's MNS were detained after they defied the ban.
    On Monday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had ordered a four-day ban on sale of meat in Mumbai during the Jain ritual of Paryushan. Officials had said that slaughter of animals will not be allowed in the city's abattoirs, meat and poultry shops and fish markets will be shut on September 10, 13, 17 and 18.

    Many poultry shops, however, remained open on the first day of the ban.
    http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/shiv-sena-and-mns-defy-ban-distribute-meat-in-mumbai/article1-1389134.aspx

    J-K high court asks state govt to strictly enforce beef ban-Hindustan Times -12.09.2015

    The Jammu and Kashmir high court ordered state police on Thursday to ensure strict implementation of a colonial-era law banning the sale of beef after a petitioner argued the slaughter of bovine animals hurt the sentiments of some communities.

    The ruling comes in a year when several states have banned beef trade and cow slaughter, stoking an ever-swirling debate with several right-wing organisations supporting these moves while many minority groups and activists have termed such decisions a blow to personal freedom and India’s secular fabric.

    Experts say the high court order is a reiteration of a section of the 1932 Ranbir Penal Code that is applicable in J&K, which says slaughter of cows and “like animals” is punishable with up to 10 years of imprisonment as well as a financial penalty.

    A division bench of Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Janak Raj Kotwal instructed the director general of police to order top police officials of all districts and police stations to ensure there is no sale of beef in the state and stringent action is taken against violators.

    The court was hearing advocate Parimoksh Seth’s public interest litigation (PIL) that said despite the Ranbir Penal Code provisions, bovine slaughter was rampant in the state. Advocate Sunil Sethi, spokesperson of the BJP's state unit, represented the petitioner who is a member of the party’s youth wing.

    Soon after the high court order some J&K separatist groups, including Yasin Malik’s Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, called for a shutdown in the Valley on Saturday to protest the ban.
    “Although consumption of beef is less in Kashmir, there are some areas where it’s consumed daily. So I see no reason why this practice should not continue,” said moderate Hurriyat leader and the Valley’s head cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. “It’s nothing but a political gimmick.”

    India is the world’s second-largest beef exporter after Brazil, but the BJP and its affiliates have been pushing for a nationwide ban on cow slaughter, as the animal is considered holy by many Hindus.
    Home minister Rajnath Singh called for a countrywide prohibition on beef in March.

    “How can we accept that cows should be slaughtered in this country? We will do our best to put a ban on this, and we will do whatever it takes to build consensus,” he said.

    The same month, Maharashtra extended a ban on the slaughter of cows to bulls and bullocks while Haryana made cow slaughter and beef sale non-bailable offences soon after. Jharkhand and Rajasthan are reportedly considering similar legislation. All these states have BJP-led governments.
    The court’s order comes days after some civic bodies in Maharashtra banned the sale of meat during the Jain fasting period of Paryushan, triggering a debate on religious sentiments and individual freedom.

    Legal experts in Kashmir said the ban was imposed stringently in the state from 1932 to 1947, but its effect waned afterwards.
    “The majority community in the state has never opposed the ban due to a sense of respect for Hindus. This despite the fact that it’s an intrusion on a person’s fundamental right,” said senior lawyer GN Shaheen.
    The BJP, which rules the state in coalition with the PDP, welcomed the court’s decision saying the party had always opposed the killing of bovine animals like cows and was vigorously pursuing the ban.

    “The ban on sale of beef is a worthy decision that would give a strong message against those forces which had been polluting the religious belief of particular community,” said state legislator Ashok Khajuria, arguing that the cow was India’s building force.

    The PDP clarified that the ban was not similar to the ones invoked in Maharashtra and other parts of the country.

    “We have inherited the ban from the Constitution of the state. It’s not new. The only thing is considering the sentiments of the majority of people living in Kashmir, it wasn't enforced,” said Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, political adviser to chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
    The Congress called the issue “sensitive”, warning that the communal wedge in the state was deepening because of the ruling parties pursuing opportunistic agendas.

    “The government should take a call on this situation as it is a sensitive issue. It is a high court decision and should be respected above all,” said MLC Ravinder Sharma. The BJP-PDP coalition government is busy raising uncalled for controversies, as the two parties have different approaches on various issues.”

    The HC's order comes as the Rajasthan government ordered a three-day ban on sale of meat during Jain festivals this month, two days after a similar measure in Mumbai raised a huge controversy.
    In Maharashtra, the BJP-led government passed the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act in March, banning the slaughter, sale and import of beef, a move which has been challenged in court. According to the law, slaughter and sale of beef as well as the possession and consumption of beef is a criminal offence.

    This is collected from Facebook

    वाह ठाकरे बन्धु,आपने बहुत बहादुर काम किया,
    धर्म सनातन की शुचिता को पल भर में बदनाम किया,

    हिन्दू शब्द नही हठ धर्मी,सदियों से उपकारी है,
    सर्व धर्म का शुभचिंतक है
    ,
    कभी नही व्यभिचारी है,

    जैन,जिन्होंने कभी नही भारत का दामन छोड़ा है,
    जैन,जिन्होंने सदा को अंताणंम से जोड़ा है,

    अलग अलग हो व्यंजन लेकिन एक हमारी थाली है,
    जैन धर्म को आँख दिखाना तीन देव को गाली है,

    धर्म सनातन के जो प्यारे नैन दिखाई देते है,
    अलग हिन्दुओं से क्यों तुमको जैन दिखाई देते है,

    नही किसी सुल्तान के वंशज,ना वजीर के बेटे है,
    भरत भूमि में पले बढे ये महावीर के बेटे है,

    सदा जिन्होंने दीवाली पर संग संग दीप जलाए हैं,
    लक्ष्मी संग गणेश पूजे है,जो शुभ-लाभ लिखाए हैं,

    पहनावे से खान पान तक भारत प्रेम समाया है,
    जिनके चाल चलन ने कोई भेद नही दिखलाया है,

    उन्ही जैनियो को तुमने क्यों नफरत से धमकाया है,
    और मांस के टुकड़ों पर कैसा शिव धर्म निभाया है,

    पुन्य पर्व पर जैन धर्म का संबल अगर बढ़ाते तुम,
    चार दिनों तक मांस खाते,भूखों ना मर जाते तुम,

    हिम्मत हो तो ज़रा निकल कर घर से बाहर आओ तो,
    जुम्मे की नमाज़ पर लगते भीषण जाम हटाओ तो,

    शिव सेना के शेर अगर हो साहस जरा दिखाओ तो,
    अमर नाथ को गाली देने वालों से टकराओ तो,

    हर हर महादेव जयकारा बोलो आज भवानी का,
    हिम्मत हो तो शीश काट दो मसरत और गिलानी का,

    संख्या अल्प जैनियों की है,उन पर धौंस जमाते हो,
    घर में ही दीवार उठाकर देशभक्त कहलाते हो,

    देवपुत्र क्यों बोल रहे है आज दानवी बोली में,
    भस्मासुर कैसे घुस आये शिव शंकर की टोली में
    ,
    -----
    कवि गौरव चौहान



    A facebok friend  writes as under


    उद्धव ठाकरे राज ठाकरे के बयानो से तो यही लगता है की ये लोग मानसिक दिवालियापन का शिकार हैं। अहिंसा वादी भारतवर्ष के ये तथाकथित बङबोले नेता जब दिन मांस खाना नही छोङ सकते तो ये लोग गोवंश का नाश कैसे रोक पाएंगे। ये लोग केवल वैमनस्यपुर्ण बातें ही कर सकते है।


    My views are as under:----------------

     
    People of India should understand true colours of such leaders. Person like Thakres, Lalu,Mulayam, Mayawati, are least concerned for mankind, they are concerned for vote bank.

    Yadi in netawo ko ye pata chale ki beef bechne se chunao me jit pakki ho jayegi to yelog beef ki dukan har kauna me laga de.

    Jains are not significant in number and hence politicians of all colours came together to stop BJP or anyone who suggested ban on sale of meat ,that too only for four days. Politicians do not think what is good for humanity and what is good for animals life or what is good for keeping environment pollution free. They ignite fire on emotional issues , divide voters in different segments and then try to win the election . They can go to any ugly extent for the sake of vote, for the sake of power and money.

     
    Jains have true faith in true non-violence and they do not Believe in killing even thought of others. Jains follow syadwad theory and believes in adjustment. They respect views of others and want that people should follow the principles of non-violence in thoughts and action, not only for preaching sermons to others. Politicians who are greedy of money, power and post go to Gandhi samadhi to act as if they are followers of Gandhi's non-violence.


    Politicians pay tribute to Gandhiji every now and then. They take oath by keeping hands on Bhagwat Gita or Kuran that they will follow the path of Non-violence , teachings of Gandhiji and follow in true spirit what is written in Constitution. But unfortunately politicians in general  do not act what they preach and they do not think what they speak. Their acts and deeds, and thoughts are altogether different.As a matter of fact they are ready to kill anyone and crush thoughts of anyone if it helps them in getting power ,post and money.

    People who eat meat will never like ban on beef. Meat eaters do not know the origin of meat when they eat it in some hotel or public bhoj. It should not be astonishing to anyone that meat eaters or beef eaters can also be man eaters. There may be people who find test in Human flash too. Flash eaters do not hesitate in killing not only an animal but also in killing a human being for serving self interest. This is universally truth, and not only for India. Violence is growing worldwide only because of these people who find test in flash of animals, including that of human being.

    Khan-pan ka asar vicharo par parts hai. Jo janwaro ko kat kar kha sakte hai apne swad ke liye,wo log apne swarth ke liye insano ka bhi katla kar sakte hai. Jaisa piwo pani vaisi howe vani

    We Jains believe in giving respect to thought of everyone and by our action others will be motivated. Let others cry and remain non-vegetarians or meat lovers. respect them too, this is philosophy of our great religion. Killing and attacking thought of others is also a type of violence. Jainism believes in giving respect to all faiths and all thoughts , knows the value of reconciliation and hence propagate the theory of Syadvad. But they must propagate and spread the principles of non-violence and love for all beings to awaken those who are in darkness of knowledge. 


    I submit hereunder views of one facebook member who has nicely explained what Jains are expected to behave in such critical situation .
    Another facebook friend  through Jain Yuwa Jagriti writes on facebook as under.

    मांस बिक्री पर प्रतिबन्धकुछ आवश्यक पहलु.
    Part - 2
    हम स्वेच्छा से शाकाहार अपनाने का प्रतितादन (publicity and support) करें, गौ-हत्या का विरोध करें, ये बातें प्रजातान्त्रिक व्यवस्था और वर्तमान परिपेक्ष (present context) में खप जाएगी क्योंकि शाकाहार मानने वाले या गौ-हत्या का विरोध करने वाले बहुत लोग हैं और ये गृहस्थ धर्म के कर्तव्य का विवेकपूर्ण पहलु है l मांसाहार पर व्यापक (extensive) प्रतिबन्ध, जबकि यह सर्वकाल एवं सर्वक्षेत्र में व्याप्त है, और तीर्थंकर भी इसे नहीं रोक पाएं हैं, ऐसी जिद पकड़ कर हम एक बड़ी राजनितिक और सामाजिक भूल कर रहे हैं
    l

    हमें इस बात का भी ध्यान रखना चाहिए कि हम वृहद समाज का एक हिस्सा हैं, उस परिवार के सदस्य हैं l हर बात सिर्फ सफलता-असफलता या कानूनी मान्यता के नजरिये से नहीं देखी जा सकती है l जैसे परिवार में कभी-कभी सही होकर भी सामंजस्यता (harmony) को ध्यान में रख कर गलत बनना पड़ता है, वैसे ही बहुसंख्यक या अन्यान्य समाज की मनोवृति (mentality) को भांप कर कुछ समझौते दूरदर्शिता के साथ करने पड़ते हैं उनके खान-पान की व्यक्तिगत स्वतंत्रता के तर्क का इस्तेमाल हम अपनी अनेको अनोखी एवं आवश्यक धार्मिक रीतियों को बचाने में कर सकते हैं, और तब हम उनसे भी सहयोग की बात ज्यादा द्रढ़ता के साथ कर सकते हैं l हाँ, हमें स्वयं के आचरण में समझौता कभी नहीं करना है
    l

    दुर्भाग्यवश कुछ दशकों से सारे संसार में असहष्णुता (intolerance) बढती ही जा रही है l इसका कारण दो प्रकार की सोच हैएक तो ये कि अगर आपको किसी की जीवन शैली का कोई पहलु पसंद नहीं है तो आपको उनसे भय रखना या नफरत करना चाहिए; और दूसरी ये कि अगर आपको कोई पसंद है या आप जिस जीवनशैली से जी रहे हैं, आपको उसकी हर बात पसंद करनी चाहिए l दोनों सोच गलत हैं और जैन धर्म के अनेकांत के सिद्धांत के खिलाफ हैं l जैसे इस लेख को ज्यादातर लोग या तो अत्यधिक नापसंद करेंगे, या कुछ गिने-चुने लोग अत्यधिक पसंद l मैंने सारी बाते गलत या सही नहीं लिखी होंगी, फिर भी
    l

    विडम्बना ये है कि लोगों को अगर दो में एक को चुनना हो - सच को स्वीकारना अथवा अपनी भ्रान्ति को सही सिद्ध करने के सबूत को पेश करनातो लोग अक्सर भ्रान्ति को सही सिद्ध करने के सबूत को पेश करने में ही लग जाते हैं l और त्रासदी ये है कि सबसे शिक्षित और अनेकांतवादी समुदाय होकर भी हम विषय के विभिन्न पहलुओं पर गौर नहीं करना चाहते हैं
    l

    मेरी बात को आप बिना किसी पूर्वाग्रह (prejudice) के साथ विचारें और अगर जरा भी ठेस लगी हो तो मुझे क्षमा करें l मेरी भूलों के बारे में मुझे अवगत करें l अगर आप सहमत हों तो सहधर्मियों को भेजें
    l
    Michhami Dukkadam !!!
    CA Rajesh Jain
    Kolkata
    rkjain11@hotmail.com




    Again former member  Writes as under


    In Jain Darshan, it is advisable that in order to protect ur glory and respect and to save the life of ur fellow being one can raise one's voice along with sword...... it is the part of ahimsa. !
    Rt today itself MNS people cooked and ate mutton/meat in front of sthanka temple in Mumbai


    I respond as follows on facebook
    Meat eater are far far bigger in number than non-eaters. You are right that use of sword in the larger interest of community is advisable from the principles of Non-violence and the same was preached by Gandhi ji too. But the question here is whether violence can stop violence. Even Lord Mahavira moved from one corner to other to spread his message of non violence. But still more than 90% of population are meat eaters.

    Can microscopically small population of Jain can stop violent thoughts and actions of larger community byusing sword or by resorting to violence?  And is such act not contradictory and in conflict with  Jain principles of reconciliation and respect to all.

    Jain should rather move from one corner to other to spread the principles of Non-violence. But unfortunately majority of Jains are busy in Ahar Bihar of Jain Munis and Jain Munis are busy in conducting Bidhans, Organising Panch Kalyanak and construction of new temples in Madhuwan only.

    Who will then complete the unfinished task of Lord Mahavira?

    Can you imagine that mere construction of hundreds of costly Jain Temples in one place or in some places can help in motivating followers of non-violence or eaters of meat or beef to stop such practices? Are these temples helpful in spreading the principles of Jainism?

    Keeping in view the present position of Jains and that of greedy politicians, it is advisable that Jains come out with silent protest march all over the country , specially in Maharashtra and more empathetically in Mumbai to express annoyance against Thakres . There are a good number of rich business men in Jains, they can spend crores of rupees to distribute pamphlets and placing big size hoardings all over the country displaying the message of benefits of non-violence for mankind and protesting the acts of Thakres.

    Please note it , that Prime Miister of India Mr.  Narendra Modi, Chief Minister  Of Maharashtra Mr. Fernavis, CMs of many other states and a large section of Indian population are also supporter of  ban on sale of beef . It is a positive point. However sale on meat cannot be banned fully until there are eaters in good numbers. But if government want to respect the sentiments of  Lovers of Non-Violence, theyshould at least ensure that act of cutting or butchering animals in not performed in public place and these materials are not sold by displaying them in public domain. Sale of meat can be confined to some covered shops only and it can be ensured in entire country without giving rise to any controversy.

    Jains have to come forward in spreading the message of Non-violence by conducing various meetings with non-Jains, through newspapers, through free literatures and so on. Jain should stop focusing on construction of new temples at Madhuwan and try to teach people who are on wrong path due to lack of knowledge and lack of understanding the value of non-violence.

    Merely abusing on facebook or sending message on Whatsapp will not serve the desired purpose.


    Following is the message of Lord Mahavira

    The spiritual power and moral grandeur of Mahavir's teachings impressed the masses. He made religion simple and natural, free from elaborate ritual complexities. His teachings reflected the popular impulse towards internal beauty and harmony of the soul.


    His message of nonviolence (Ahimsa), truth (Satya), non-stealing (Achaurya), celibacy (Brahma-charya), and non-possession (Aparigraha) is full of universal compassion. He said that,

    "A living body is not merely an integration of limbs and flesh but it is the abode of the soul which potentially has perfect perception(Anant-darshana), perfect knowledge (Anant-jnana), perfect power (Anant-virya), and perfect bliss (Anant-sukha)."

    Mahavir's message reflects freedom and spiritual joy of the living being.


    Mahavir was quite successful in eradicating from human intellect the conception of God as creator, protector, and destroyer. He also denounced the worship of gods and goddesses as a means of salvation. He taught the idea of supremacy of human life and stressed the importance of the positive attitude of life.

    Lord Mahavir also preached the gospel of universal love, emphasizing that all living beings, irrespective of their size, shape, and form how spiritually developed or under-developed, are equal and we should love and respect them.

    Jainism existed before Mahavir, and his teachings were based on those of his predecessors. Thus, unlike Buddha, Mahavir was more of a reformer and propagator of an existing religious order than the founder of a new faith. He followed the well established creed of his redecessor Tirthankara Parshvanath. 

    However, Mahavir did reorganize the philosophical tenets of Jainism to correspond to his times. Lord Mahavir preached five great vows while Lord Parshva preached four great vows.
    In the matters of spiritual advancement, as envisioned by Mahavir, both men and women are on an equal footing. 

    The lure of renunciation and liberation attracted women as well. Many women followed Mahavir's path and renounced the world in search of ultimate happiness.

    In a few centuries after Mahavir's nirvana, Jain religious order (Sangha) grew more and more complex. There were schisms on some minor points although they did not affect the original doctrines as preached by the Tirthankars. Later generations saw the introduction of ritualistic complexities which almost placed Mahavir and other Tirthankars on the throne of Hindu deities.

    PRINCIPLES OF JAINISM
    The fundamental principles of Jainism can be briefly stated as follows.
    1. The first fundamental principle of Jainism is that, man's personality is dual, that is, material and spiritual. Jaina philosophy regards that every mundane soul is bound by subtle particles of matter known as Karma from the very beginning. It considers that just as gold is found in an alloy form in the mines, in the same way mundane souls are found along with the Karma bondage from time eternal. The impurity of the mundane soul is thus treated as an existing condition.
    2. The second principle that man is not perfect is based on the first principle. The imperfectness in man is attributed to the existence of Karma in his soul. The human soul is in a position to attain perfection and in that true and eternal state it is endowed with four characteristics, viz., Ananta-darsana, Ananta-Jnana, Ananta-virya and Ananta-sukha, i. e., infinite perception or faith, infinite knowledge, infinite power and infinite bliss.
    3. Even though man is not perfect, the third principle states that by his spiritual nature man can and must control his material nature. It is only after the entire subjugation of matter that the soul attains perfection, freedom and happiness. It is emphatically maintained that man will be able to sail across the ocean of births and achieve perfection through the control of senses and thought.
    4. The last basic principle stresses that it is only each individual that can separate his own soul and the matter combined with it. The separation cannot be effected by any other person. This means that man himself, and he alone, is responsible for all that is good or bad in his life. He cannot absolve himself from the responsibility of experiencing the fruits of his actions. This principle distinguishes Jainism from other religions, e. g., Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.
    No God, nor His prophet or deputy or beloved can interfere with human life. The soul, and that alone, is directly and necessarily responsible for all that it does. God is regarded as completely unconcerned with creation of the universe or with any happening in the universe. The universe goes on of its own accord. Because of this definite attitude towards God, Jainism is accused of being atheistic. It is true in the sense that Jainism does not attribute the creation of universe to God. But at the same time Jainism cannot be labeled as atheistic because it believes in Godhood, in innumerable gods, in Punya and Papa, i. e., merit and demerit, in religious practices, etc. According to Jainism the emancipated soul is considered as God and it is absolutely not concerned with the task of creation of this world.

    Anekantwad-A blessing from Jinas;

    A tool for Compassionate Communication

    Hema Pokharna, Ph.D. ,
    Researcher - University of Chicago. , Director - Journeys of Life


    One of the important aspects of Jainism is the concept of Anekantwad, or the principle of plurality of viewpoints. It is central to the idea of tolerance and mutual respect. Each person has a perception of the world which is a mix of both truth and ignorance. These perceptions are valid but are incomplete views of reality. This concept is usually explained with the aid of the parable of seven blind men and an elephant. The story demonstrates that truth can be visualized from seven angles and these views of truth are mere additions to the human knowledge. When viewed together, they present the picture of universal reality. I recently read that Mahatma Gandhi agreed with this, saying, "It has been my experience that I am always true from my point of view, and often wrong from the point of view of my honest critics. I know we are both right from our respective points of view."
    Our present challenge is that we live in a world of difference. Yet, as we are interdependent we have to live together. Anekantwad has a lot to offer us and help us learn to live with our differences in peace and harmony. I would like us Jains to use Anekantwad as an instrument to facilitate our conversations and dialogues respectfully in a nonviolent manner when we run into the blind men (represented in the story), who seem to appear in our lives and promote division and injustice, betraying the very ideals and teachings that lie at the heart of Ahimsa. Can Jains take this challenge of shaping the lives of billions in wise and wonderful ways Anekantwad offers? There is hope that the world can be transformed through dialogues and relationships can be nurtured among people of differences by working towards a just, peaceful and sustainable future. The well-being of the Earth and all life depends on this collaboration.
    As we begin to chart our course of existence on the basis of Anekantwad, we must master the art of choosing. We make choices and decisions from the most day to day mundane to those forks-in-the-road choices which have great consequences. If we can be guided by the principle "Mitti me savva bhuveshu” (Universal friendliness) the process of making a choice can be made easier. Practice of this principle requires learning to recognize that SPIRIT (atman/soul) is an invisible force also made visible in the blind men we encounter in our daily lives who make choices and live in ways that are very different than what Jains would do and is in conflict with our values of Ahimsa. At such junctures Jains can stop and ask themselves if their reactions and responses to these blind men are guided by friendship and nonviolence?Can we apply the principle of Anekantwad and explore what choices do we have in our responses? For example how do we relate to people who eat meat or to people who express their views (however unreasonable or opportunistic they may be) by damaging Jain Murtis? Or how do we stand by our Buddhist brothers who break down in the face of violence and cruelty? How can we use Anekantwad to motivate people to renounce violence and take responsibility for their actions without furthering violence by blaming them, or punishing them in anyway? To include understanding of Anekantwad in our thinking requires us to consciously learn how to express our selves in a larger context of expansion and with an intention to empower all concerned. It is the conscious decision to live our lives with joy and friendliness. It is a chosen approach to life, a chosen attitude and a constant awareness. Practice of friendship is a necessary beginning to recognize and practice nonviolence and develop the quality of wholesome life prescribed to us by the Jinas.
    Jainism is a way of life, experimented and perfected by humans and shared by those who have attained perfect knowledge, omniscience and self-control by their own personal efforts and have been liberated from the bonds of worldly existence, the cycle of births and deaths; although the supreme ideal of Jain religion is nonviolence (Ahimsa), equal kindness, and reverence for all forms of life in speech, thought, and action. The practice comes from the supreme tool of Anekantwad. Anekantwad is the tool for transformation of human passions like desire, hatred, anger and greed to love and compassion for all living beings. Literally, Jina does mean one who has transformed oneself and acquired a special quality of response from within which one is devoid of reaction based on hormones or external circumstances but a response from one’s innate ability and generative, infinite and abundant source of compassion.
    Like research, Anekantwad is a perspective. It is the original mind asking a question and setting an experiment to answer in a bigger and bolder way that benefits all involved. It is not about pebble picking but about building magnificent castles.
    The path of universal friendliness and love is the process of increasing access to the unlimited potential we have and moving with anticipation of its enfoldment by being open, alert, guided, transformed, fulfilled and healed to wholeness.Anekantwad is the ability to not only count the seeds in an apple but to develop a skill and ability to make visible the apples in a seed and develop the art of possibility. This becomes an art and can be engaged only through alert experiences and moving forward with trust and patience to wait for wholesome possibilities to unfold. This is the human search. This search although partially predetermined in the karmic sense definitely does not run through predetermined paths. If the paths were predetermined or in control of an external force the realm of possibility would not exist and the whole beauty of aliveness would be lost. And as Victor Hugo says "Its nothing to die; its frightful not to live”, Jains have to sharpen their Anekantwad "saw” to face and embody the moral code of "Live and Let Live” using the principle of Ahimsa We have to learn to choose to be strong when we have a default option of being miserable and knowing that the effort and work is the same. as the directing idea and evolving force of the living.
    Ahimsa is the conscious decision to live our lives. In the midst of turmoil, pain and adversity, in bad times, Jains have been encouraged to maintain samatabhav (equanimity) or connection with the divine self and manifest peace and bliss.It also means to keep one’s mind unagitated and calm in situations of misery and happiness, gain and loss, victory and defeat etc. without losing one’s balance or evenness. To practice and maintain samtabhav, it requires a decision on our part - it is a chosen approach to life, a chosen attitude and a chosen awareness. Living with such awareness means finding ways to overcome inappropriate demands, injustice, and even abuse, and not engaging in fights in which everyone loses. It is to examine things we do regardless of our current life situation and realize that we have a power within us to do things with more love and respect. Anekantwad is not only about us improving ourselves but learning to let go of what blocks our heart. In the infinity of life all is perfect, whole and complete. Anekantwad is about keeping our selves centered and connected with the purpose and potential of our lives as we unfold the sources of unhappiness and disconnection from our vitality. The awareness and moment to moment practice of Ahimsa generates the compassion within us, thus perfecting the art of Anekantwad. This awareness becomes the vehicle to spread this bliss to the world around us. In modern world when countless opinions can be twittered, a need arises for a virtuoso to channel the different vectors of opinions in a unified direction of peace and harmony, instead of letting them fly to destruct each other.It is for us to use our Jain heritage to change ourselves and the world around us for the best.


    Now, Haryana govt orders ban on meat for 8 days-Hindustan Times-11th September 2015
    The Haryana government on Saturday ordered a eight-day ban on sale of meat during the Jain fasting period of 'Paryushan'.

    The state government has ordered closure of all slaughter houses from September 11 to September 18, ANI reported.

    Haryana has now become the fifth BJP-ruled state to enforce the ban on meat.

    On Friday, the Chhattisgarh government ordered a two-day ban. The government's earlier order had banned the sale of meat for eight days till September 18 but it later cut short its order after several organisations openly came out against it.
    The Rajasthan government had also ordered a a three-day ban on sale of meat. The state's directorate of local bodies issued the order that slaughterhouses as well as meat and fish shops are kept closed on September 17 and 18 (for Paryushan, a festival of Shwetambar Jains) and September 27 (for Anant Chaturdashi, celebrated by Digambars).

    In Ahmedabad, police commissioner Shivanand Jha has ordered a ban on the slaughter of cattle like cows and goats for a week during the Jain fasting period.


    http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/now-haryana-govt-orders-ban-on-meat/article1-1389668.aspx

    Under pressure, Chhattisgarh govt cuts meat ban from 8 days to 2
    Hindustan Times
    The Chhattisgarh government late on Friday night cut short its ban on sale of meat during the upcoming Jain festival from eight days to two, after several organisations openly came out against it.

    The new directive issued by the urban administration department directed all civic bodies and municipalities to keep slaughter houses and meat shops closed for two days.

    “The two days will be decided by the district collectors”, the order stated.
    The government's earlier order had banned the sale of meat for eight days till September 18 in connection with the Jain festival Paryushan and Ganesh Chathurthi.

    In Rajasthan government, the state government has ordered ban on sale of meat and fish on September 17 (Paryushan), 18 (Sanvatsari - another Jain festival) and 27 (Anant Chaturdashi).


    While the ruling BJP in Maharashtra has defended the ban imposed by Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), the Sena as well as opposition MNS and Congress and the NCP have vehemently opposed it, alleging that the move was aimed at polarising voters and appease a section of society before the crucial MCGM polls in early 2017.
    A similar ban has also been imposed by Mira-Bhayander and Navi Mumbai municipal corporations in Mumbai's adjoining Thane district.
    http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/under-pressure-chhattisgarh-govt-cuts-meat-ban-from-8-days-to-2/article1-1389626.aspx

    Meat ban in Mumbai: BJP chickens out, settles for two-day ban-Hindustan Times
    The four-day ban during Paryushan Parva – an eight-day period during which members of the Jain community observe fast and pray – remained largely ineffective  on Thursday with several poultry shops open for business. Fish and eggs are exempted from the ban that has pitted the BJP against alliance partner Shiv Sena.
    Feeling the heat, BJP’s city chief Ashish Shelar said the party, which was pushing for an eight-day ban, would request the civic administration to reduce meatless days to two.
    At the inauguration of a flyover in Borivli, at which he shared the stage with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Shelar appealed political parties in general and the Shiv Sena in particular to put an end to the controversy.

    He said, “The BJP is not against non-vegetarians and the chief minister has given no such orders. It was a government resolution that was passed when the previous government was in power. We support a two-day ban and are not proposing an eight-day ban. The BMC should take a legal opinion on how they could implement a two-day ban. Let’s end this controversy.” Shenar, however, alleged that the controversy was politically motivated.

    Thackeray said, “No one should force their religion upon me and I won’t force my religion on them either. They should not reach my kitchen.” He added, “I am ready to put an end to this controversy. We are not here to create controversies, but the ones who started it should stop first.”

    On Thackeray’s orders, Shiv Sena corporators began to explore ways to reduce the ban to two days, as it used to be before 2004, when the state government extended it to four. Mayor Snehal Ambekar called for a BMC general body meeting on Friday to discuss revoking the circular that called for a four-day ban.
    If the circular is revoked on Friday, there will be no ban on the sale of meat on September 13 and 18, though abattoirs will remain closed on these days. However, the ban on September 17 will remain in place, in accordance with the 2004 government resolution.

    Trushna Vishwasrao, leader of the house in the BMC, said, “We have called a general body meeting [on Friday] at which the meat ban will be discussed. We are looking into how we can withdraw the circular that bans the sale of meat.”
    Earlier in the day, the Shiv Sena tried to corner its alliance partner on the issue with a number of protests, which involved distributing packets of meat.

    Saamna, the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece, also published an editorial in which it mocked, criticised and even threatened the Jain community over the meat ban. “Jains must not follow the path of Muslims and become fanatics. At least Muslims have Pakistan to go to. Where will the Jains go?" read the editorial, which is believed to reflect the views of Uddhav Thackeray
    .
    MNS chief Raj Thackeray also waded into the controversy, saying the people of Maharashtra need not follow such a ban. “Jains will not decide what we should do in Maharashtra. They want to build Jain colonies. They don’t even allow vegetarian Maharastrians in these buildings. Don’t push us to the limit,” he said.

    The latest circular issued by BMC to shut down slaughterhouses and ban the sale of meat on four days during Paryushan came from a combination of resolutions passed by the BMC’s general body (in 1964 and 1994) with a government resolution issued in 2004. The ban on selling meat on September 13 and 18 is in accordance with the BMC resolutions, while the September 10 and 17 bans are in accordance with the 2004 government resolution. BMC corporators are also thinking about revisiting the 1994 resolution to limit the extent of the meat ban.

    Rais Shaikh, group leader, Samjwadi Party, said, “The circular is illegal as the resolution passed by the BMC earlier doesn’t mention banning the sale of meat in municipal markets. How can the commissioner tell licensed sellers not to sell meat in municipal markets? This means bowing down to pressure from one political party."

    http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/meat-ban-in-mumbai-bjp-chickens-out-settles-for-2-day-ban/article1-1389296.aspx
     

    Now, Rajasthan orders 3-day meat ban during Jain festival-Hindustan Times 11.09.2015
    The Rajasthan government on Wednesday ordered a three-day ban on sale of meat during the Jain festival this month, two days after a similar measure in Mumbai raised a huge controversy.
    The state's directorate of local bodies issued the order that slaughterhouses as well as meat and fish shops are kept closed on September 17 and 18 (for Paryushan, a festival of Shwetambar Jains) and September 27 (for Anant Chaturdashi, celebrated by Digambars).
    The letter on this was sent to the heads of all civic bodies – municipal corporations, councils and municipalities – as well as district collectors. Though the directorate also prohibited the sale of liquor during that period, it later rescinded the order because it did not have the “jurisdiction” to do so.
    Local bodies director Purushottam Biyani told Hindustan Times that this was because liquor shops fell under the jurisdiction of the excise department.
    “As civic bodies are the licensing authority for slaughter houses, we issue an order for their closure during the Jain festival every year. The bit on liquor prohibition crept in by mistake,” he said, before issuing a revised order that made no mention of the alcohol ban.
    Hindustan Times is in possession of both the orders.

    मांस बिक्री पर प्रतिबन्ध – कुछ आवश्यक पहलु
    (CA Rajesh Jain)
    एक दो शहरों में मांस की बिक्री बंद होने पर हमारा दंभ (arrogance) एवं अन्य कई समुदायों तथा मीडिया की प्रतिक्रिया काफी चिंता का विषय है l

    हमें हर स्थिति में यह ध्यान रखना है कि हम कहीं समस्या का हिस्सा तो नहीं बन जा रहे हैं, या जिसे हम समाधान समझ रहे हैं, कहीं वो किसी बड़ी समस्या को तो नहीं पैदा कर देगा? एक अल्पसंख्यक (minority) समाज होने के नाते हमें इस बात का भी ध्यान रखना है कि कहीं हम राजनितिक सतरंज के मोहरे ना बन जाएं या स्वयं मुद्दा ना बन जाएं l हमारी स्थिति खरबूजे जैसी है – छूरी खरबूजे पर गिरे, या खरबूजा छूरी पर – कटना हर हाल में खरबूजे को ही है l
    नेमिनाथ भगवान् का वैराग्य प्रसंग याद आता है l वो राजुल से शादी हेतु बारात ले कर जा रहे हैं l अचानक उनके कान में पशुओं की चीत्कार (painful cries) सुनाई पड़ती है l पूछने पर पता चलता है शादी में मांसाहार की व्यवस्था है l क्या वो ज्ञान देने में ही उलझ जाते हैं या विरक्त (Passionless ) भाव से वहाँ से चले जाते हैं आत्म कल्याण के लिए?
    जैन यानि सहजता या सरलता l एक ऐसा व्यक्तित्व जो किसी के लिए बाधा नहीं बनता, किसी के लिए रोड़े (obstacle) नहीं अटकाता l जो अपने काम से काम रखता है l पर में कर्तत्व (doer), ममत्व (attached) या भोक्तत्व (consumption) का भाव नहीं रखना हमारा ध्येय है l फिर हम अनावश्यक विवादों में इस भ्रान्ति (illusion) के साथ क्यों उलझ रहें हैं जैसे सारी दुनिया को बदलने का दायित्व (responsibility) हमने ही ले रखा है l
    एक सांप अगर मेंढक को खा रहा हो तो जैन धर्म सांप को पत्थर मारने की बात नहीं करता है l हमें शांति से णमोकार मन्त्र पढना है और वीतरागी भाव से चले जाना है l हमें सांप से भी नफरत नहीं करनी है l सब अपने अपने कर्मों के अनुसार परिणमन कर रहे हैं l हमें अपना भाव नहीं बिगाड़ना है l
    वस्तु स्वातंत्रय (independence of each element ) या यह आस्था कि एक द्रव्य दुसरे द्रव्य का कुछ भी नहीं बिगाड़ सकता या उसमे कुछ हेर-फेर नहीं कर सकता – यह जैन संस्कार का आधार-स्तम्भ (pillar) है l फिर हम किस भ्रम में फंसे हैं l हमारा खुद पर जोर नहीं चलता, अपने परिवार पर जोर नहीं चलता, अपने समुदाय पर जोर नहीं चलता – तो फिर हम अन्यान्य समुदायों पर परिस्थिति की जटिलता (complexity) को समझे बिना जोर जबरदस्ती क्यों करना चाहते हैं? हम दूसरों के व्यव्हार को नहीं बदल सकते, बल्कि दूसरों के व्यव्हार के प्रति हमारी जो प्रतिक्रिया (reaction) है, हमारा कार्य क्षेत्र (scope of work) सिर्फ इस प्रतिक्रिया पर नियंत्रण हासिल करने का है, जिसमे भी हम अक्सर असफल हो जाते हैं l
    जैनिस्तान जैसे शब्दों को इस्तेमाल करने वालों से हमें उलझना नहीं है, उनकी उपेक्षा (neglect) ही कर देनी है l वरना हम एक चक्रव्यूह (trap) में अनावश्यक रूप से फँस जाएंगे l समाज के जिन सदस्यों को बयान देना आवश्यक है उन्हें सम्पूर्ण समाज के दूरगामी (long-term) हितों को ध्यान में रखना है l स्थानीय मुद्दों में दूर बैठे लोगों को ज्यादा उकसाने (provoking) वाले वक्तव्य (statements) नहीं देने हैं l याद रखे कीमत मुंबई में रहने वाले भाई-बहन उठाएंगे l मीडिया द्वारा उत्तेजित करने के प्रयासों को भी हमें विवेकपूर्ण तरीके से समझना और अत्यंत संयम पूर्वक निपटाना है l
    दरअसल मांस बिक्री बंदी की ये घटना इस स्वरुप में बदल जायेगी ये किसी ने नहीं सोचा था l जिनके प्रयास से ऐसा हुआ उनको भी ये आभास नहीं था मुद्दा इतना विकराल रूप ले लेगा l कुछ भ्रांतियां सुप्रीम कोर्ट के एक फैसले के कारण भी पैदा हो गयी जिसने गुजरात में विशिष्ट क्षेत्रों में पर्युषण के दौरान मांस बिक्री पर प्रतिबंध लगाने के फैसले को बरकरार रखा l जस्टिस काटजू ने अपने ब्लॉग में ये लिखा है कि ये उनके जीवन का सबसे कठिन निर्णय था। उन्होंने इसके तीन कारण बताये:
    (1) प्रतिबंध केवल 9 दिनों की छोटी अवधि के लिए लगाया गया था।
    (2) अहमदाबाद सहित पश्चिमी भारत के कई हिस्सों में जैन समुदाय बड़ी संख्या में रहता है।
    (3) प्रतिबंध नया नहीं था, लेकिन कई दशकों के लिए हर साल लगाया गया था। संदर्भ में सम्राट अकबर के द्वारा जैनियों के सम्मान में लिए फैसले का जिक्र किया गया था।

    हमने सिर्फ नौ दिन वाली बात पकड़ ली और बाकि दोनों पहलुओं को गौण कर दिया। 2-4 दिन के बंद का एक स्वीकृत सिस्टम चल रहा थाl हमने उसे उद्वेलित (excited) होकर ज्यादा ही खिंच दिया l
    दरअसल, संथारा आन्दोलन ने समाज में एक नयी उर्जा का संचार कर दिया है जिसे अगर सही दिशा नहीं दी गयी तो लोग हर बात को मुद्दा बना लेंगे और अंत में आपस में ही उलझ जाएंगे। मुक़दमे में फ़िलहाल कुछ होना नहीं है l पर हमारा हर कदम संतुलित होना चाहिए l
    मांस बिक्री बंदी एक आँखे खोलने वाला वाकिया हैl अल्पसंख्या के कारण कुछ हिस्सों को छोड़ कर हम चुनावी सम्मिकरण (equation) में कोई महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका नहीं निभा सकते, इस लिए राजनितिक दलों का स्वार्थ हमसे भिन्न मान्यता रखने वाले हमसे संख्या में बड़े समुदाय के विचारों की पैरवी करने में ही सिद्ध होता दिखेगा l दुसरे, मीडिया और राजनेताओं की नए मुद्दे पैदा करने की आवश्यकता भी हमारे लिए घातक बन गयी है l और तीसरे मीडिया की व्यापक पहुंच के कारण स्थानीय मुद्दे भी अब राष्ट्रिय मंच तक पहुँच जाते हैं l
    किसी ने व्हाट’स अप्प पर एक वाकिया बयान किया जो विचारने योग्य है l कुछ वर्षो पूर्व इन्दौर में 1 बार सामुहिक रूप से किसी समाज द्वारा मांसाहार का आयोजन एक स्कूल में रखा गया l तब उस समाज के पदाधिकारीयो से मिलने जैन समाज के बहुत से पदाधिकारी गये और उनसे कहा - "आप लोग आपके घर में चाहे जो कुछ करे हमने कभी आपसे कुछ नहीं कहा किंतु आप यहां सामुहिक रूप से मांसाहार का आयोजन न रखे हम आपसे ये विनम्रता पूर्वक विनती करने आये है, यूँ तो आप आपके कार्य के लिये स्वतंत्र है फिर भी हम आपके पास अपनी विनती लेकर आये है l"
    तब उस समाज के लोगो ने कहा कि - "चुंकि अहिंसक जैन समाज हमारे पास ये बात लेकर आया है इसलिये हमने विचार - विमर्श करके ये निर्णय लिया है (विचार करके निर्णय करेंगे ऐसा नहीं कहा बल्कि विचार करके निर्णय लिया ये कहा) कि हम ये सामुहिक रूप से मांसाहार का आयोजन रद्द करते है l फिर जब जैन समाज के वो पदाधिकारी खुश होकर वहां से जाने लगे तब उस समाज के लोगों ने जो कहा वो बहुत सारगर्भित बात थी, उन्होने कहा कि - "क्या आपके धर्म में लिखा है कि आप रात्री भोजन नहीं कर सकते हैं?" तब जैन समाज के लोगो ने कहां कि - "हां ये सही लिखा है हमारे धर्म में l" तब उस समाज के पदाधिकारीयो ने जैन समाज से विनती करी कि - "क्या आप भी यहां ये ऐलान करके जा सकते है कि आपके समाज में सामुहिक रूप से रात्री में भोजन नहीं होगा और आप लोग कभी किसी सामुहिक रात्री भोजन में सम्मलीत नहीं होंगे l" तब वहां पर जो जैन समाज के पदाधिकारी थे वे कुछ जवाब नहीं दे पाये और नज़रे निची करते हुए सर निचा करते हुए वहां से बाहर आ गये l
    इतना होने के बावजुद भी जैन समाज के अनुरोध पर उन्होंने अपना कार्यक्रम रद्द कर दिया लेकिन जैन समाज खुद के धर्म में लिखी बातो को पालने के लिये भी कुछ ना बोल सका l
    एक ऊँगली अगर दुसरे की तरफ उठेगी तो तीन हमारी तरफ भी उठेगी l नैतिकता के पाठ पढ़ाने की मंशा रखने वाले को अपने आचरण को भी देखना होगा l
    आवश्यकता है जैन समाज के मूल्यों को सँभालने और बचाने की l आज जैन शादियों में हमें “जैन फ़ूड काउंटर” लगाना पड़ता है, जिस पर हमारे गेस्ट पूछते हैं “बाकि खाना जैन फ़ूड नहीं है क्या?” कम से कम भाषा तो ठीक करें l चौविहार की व्यवस्था तो की जाती है, पर खाना अक्सर बर्बाद ही जाता है l
    जैन फ़ूड और चौविहार (सूर्यास्त से पूर्व शुद्ध शाकाहारी भोजन) ससक्त जैन पहचान का अभिन्न हिस्सा हैं l कम से कम सामूहिक भोजन में इनका पालन आवश्यक रूप से एवं व्यवस्थित तरीके से हमारी प्रतिष्ठा को ध्यान में रख कर यथोचित रूप से करना चाहिए l
    आज हम अत्यंत अल्पसंख्या में सिमट कर रह गए हैं l देश की राजनीती में हमारा कोई विशेष प्रतिनिधित्व (representation) नहीं है l धर्म और जात-पात पर आधारित वोट के गणित में हम कहीं नहीं टिकते l पर स्ट्रेटेजिक तरीके से कार्य कर कर हम अपनी भूमिका को सकारात्मक रूप से (positively) महत्वपूर्ण बनाए रख सकते हैं, और देश को इसकी आवश्यकता भी है l