Jain Biocentrism: Jiva, Ahīmsā, Parasparopagraho and Cosmic Universe David Rothenberg 250 and Christopher Chapple 251 , two contemporary exponents of

Jainism, opine that Jainism is the best known ecological religion in the world. While supporting this view, Rothenberg conclusively explains that “Jainism is probably the least known of the world’s religion, and it is also the most inherently ecological.”²⁵² And, Christopher Chapple states that “Several aspects of the Jaina religion accord well with contemporary ecological theory.”²⁵³If we go through all the Sūtras of Jaina religion, we

249Rolston III, Holmes, 1987. “Can the East Help the West to value Nature”, Philosophy East and West, 7 (2), pp. 172-190.

250 Rothenberg, David, 2002. Always the Mountains, Georgia: University Press of Georgia.

251Chapple, Christopher, 2003. “Jainism and Budhhsim”, in Jamieson, Dale, (ed.) A Companion to Environmental Philosophy, UK: Blackwell Publishing Limited.

252 Rothenberg, 2002, p.35.

253 Chappel, 2003. p.35.

will realize how much true their statements are. According to the different texts on Jainism, a list is given here along with their ecological view points: ²⁵⁴

Jain Texts Contents of Ecology

Table 5.1: ecological content in Jaina Sūtras

Now the question is: What types of ecological theory accord well with the Jaina tradition? L.M. Singhvi, an exponent of Digambara Jain, in the “Jain Declaration of Nature” presents the following idea:

“The ecological philosophy of Jainism which flows from its spiritual quest has always been central to its ethics, aesthetics, art, literature, economics, and politics. It is represented in all its glory by the twenty-four Jinas or Tirthankaras (Path-finders) of this era whose example and teaching have been its living legacy through the millennia.”²⁵⁵

254I used here Jacobi’s English translation of Jaina Sūtra.

See: Jacobi, Hermann Georg, 2008 (1884), Jaina Sutras: Part I & II, (Translated by Jacobi), Forgotten Books, www.forgottenbooks.org.

Also see: Chapple, Christopher Key, 2006. Jainism & Ecology: Non-violence in the Web of Life, Delhi: Matilal Banarsidas, 2006.

255 Singhvi, L.V., 2010. Jain Declaration on Nature, Jainilogy Institute, Available at http://www.jainilogy.org.publications.jain-declaration-on-nature, Accessed June 30,

2012.

The world is suffused with life and all on the life is interdependent.

The significance of the vegetation kingdom is emphasized here.

A list of living and non-living beings is given here

Different kinds of shrubs and their relations as well as their influence on human beings are explained here.

In it there are a number of verses, which are meant for maintaining here to maintain an unpolluted environment for the vegetation world.

Ậcārānga –Sūtra Daśavaikālika- Sūtra

Uttarādhyayana- Sūtra

Aupapātikadaśā- Sūtra Sūtra

Prajapanā- Sūtra

Aupapātikadaha-Sūtra

All living things are related to each other

The same view is also found in Chapples’s literature. In one of his articles²⁵⁶, Chapple argumentatively claims that Jaina ecological theory is accorded “with the basic tenets of DEEP ECOLOGY.”²⁵⁷ What Chapple has attempted to mean by the given term DEEP

ECOLOGY is not far from the recent view of on biocentrism. Before exploring the

Jaina ideas in detail, I would like to defend Chapple’s position to establish Jaina ecology as deep ecology, which is, in fact, the philosophy found in biocentrism.

According to the conceptual definition of bicoectrism, Chapple’s deep ecological defense of Jainism does not make any difference from that of biocentrism. Jaina tradition values life above everything. It is the central view in biocentrism. Let us now refer to recall some of the lines from Chapple:

(i) In the context of cosmic point of view Chapple exclusively says, “Jaina cosmology maintains that humans dwell in a universe suffused with life.”²⁵⁸ (ii) In the context of vegetations, Chapple says that “Jainism values life in its

particularity, as indicated by the many animal hospices it supports throughout India and its centuries-old advocacy of vegetarianism.”²⁵⁹

In Tatvartha Sūtra, the Jain view of life is presented with a deep analysis. Here, it is mentioned that life is a continuous process. Chapple also finds the philosophy of life in Jainism in the context of kārmavadā. Karma is involved as one of the determining factors of rebirth. Chapple mentions:

“Depending upon how much karma a life accrues or disperses over the course of a lifetime, one will be reborn into a higher or lower life form. The highest birth is human birth, as humans are said to possess the presence of mind and will-power to practice non-violence effectively.”²⁶⁰

So, all these narrations given by Chapple mirror a profound belief in biocentrism, rather than deep ecology. However, Arne Naess’s notion²⁶¹ of deep ecology is often

256 Chapple, 2003.

257 Chapple, 2003, p.53.

258 Chapple, 2003, p.53.

259 Chapple, 2003, p.53.

260 Chapple, 2003, p.53.

261Sessions, George (ed), 1995, Deep Ecology for the 21st Century, Boston :Shambhala Press.

Additional information is taken from:

called a biocentric philosophy. For making a good understating, we can give a brief explanation of deep ecology. According to deep ecology, human-centered ethics is not concerned to deal with moral issues involving non-human beings, ecosystems, the water and the natural beings have inherent values. In a sense, it may be said that all life in the nature has equal inherent value. The flourishing of life in living beings has as much inherent value as the human beings have. We should not exploit the natural beings rather we should respect nature. Life is important only because it has richness as well as diversity, but human beings have no right to destroy the diversity of life. In the forwarding discussion, this section will give more depth analysis in defense of biocentrism of Jaina tradition.