Dr. Sulekh Chand Jain
Over the years, due to certain geographical and historical factors as well as philosophical interpretations of Jain doctrine, the Jain community split into a few schisms, sects, and sub-sects. As is human nature, these various sects developed some of their own unique customs and rituals but the basic foundation, philosophy, and most of the scriptures and scholars of the Jain Sangh remained the same and in common. As time progressed, these divisions and walls of separation became stronger and community kept on drifting further apart from each other. This too, in spite of the fact that Jains are hardly 0.6% of total population of India, a really very miniscule part.
The process of differentiation and division has reached a point that these keepers of ahimsa now behave like Shias and Sunnis in Islam, each believing the other is in err. Various sects bad mouth each other, will not visit each other’s places of worship and monks, and have several legal lawsuits going on for decades in India’s courts about ownership of religious places and properties. Recently, one prominent Jain leader in India told me that it is easier to work and collaborate with Muslims or Christians than with those from another sect of Jainism.
Recently one Jain scholar told me that he made a request to a shwetambar Jain sangh to deliver a talk on Jain Karma theory but his request was turned down initially because the speaker was from the different tradition of Jainism.
If we behave like this, how can we even claim that we Jains are followers of ahimsa and anekantavaad? If we are ahimask, then we must take steps without delay to resolve these issues outside the courts and within the spirit of ahimsa. We must have our talk and walk as one. Pure sermons won’t do. Unfortunately the show goes on. It is pathetic.
Now you decide: is this behavior consistent with ahimsa?
