Nicole Dutram
Introduction
"Clever people cure a blemish, even if it appears in their own bodies"
-Tishasti Shakala Purusa Caritra Pt. 2, pg. 3
With the following paper I hope to explore some of the cultural separations that I have witnessed between the East and the West. Specifically through my experiences in India with the International Summer School for Jain Studies for 2 months in 2008 and again in 2009, and my experiences as a citizen of the United States. India and the United States are two different worlds and my experiences in both have opened me to new perspectives which I would like to reveal in this work. I also want to reflect on the nature of the individual in Jain dharma and the role of the individual in western life. This figure is present in both systems of thought, and is the ultimate knower and achiever, representing how each one of us can become actualized in some way more than our current selves. This individual has his or her faults, but how the individual overcomes these faults and realizes their true self is in opposition in these two systems. This opposition has a great deal of effect on how the individual responds and acts in his or her given environment, which can have global ramifications for others and the world itself. As I explore these ideas, I want the reader to know that I approach these issues with the utmost humbleness. These are my thoughts, based on my current perspective and knowledge, which is limited. In my efforts I may sometimes overstep my bounds, but this is an exercise in asking questions and hopefully getting closer to knowledge that will be beneficial to how we live our lives. I start by apologizing for any place that I may have pushed too far, and also thanking the reader for taking the time to consider these issues along with me.
Culture
"Oh! in this existence people are deluded by objects seen for a moment, destroyed in a moment like magic, like dream illusion."
-King Vimalavahana- Trishasti Shalaka Purusa Caritra Pt. 2, pg. 4
When I first came to India, and I must admit on my second journey as well, I would tell people where I was going and they would reply "India's just not for me". There was always this idea that, yes, it was good for me to be traveling, going someplace, but many were amazed by my choice in destination. The question always stood out in my mind, because why wouldn't you want to go to India. It is a place of wonder. There are so many things to do and see, ancient places to wander in, people to meet, and delicious food to eat. But what put them off was the apparent difference in how we live in the United States as opposed to how one lives in India. I will be the first to admit that it is very different, but it can teach you much about what you have, and about your notions of what you need.
Some of the most basic necessities that we in the West take for granted come sparing in India. Electricity, water, and even things that should really not be considered necessities, but we take them to be, like ice and a cold beverage are sometimes hard to come by in large quantities. During the day many facilities in India will turn of some or all of the electricity to the rooms and buildings to conserve power and money. Also, as someone who can't drink water straight from the tap, it becomes very easy to appreciate a drink of water. When heat and thirst take over, and waters isn't easily accessible, you have to go out and purchase a bottle of water, you realize how precious this commodity really is. When you buy that bottle, too, you realize that a really cold beverage can be considered a luxury. The heat of India doesn't just make it hard to keep yourself cool, ice, too, is something special because it doesn't last and it is hard to find.
But this shouldn't put the traveller off of going to India. This new perspective is a rich and rewarding one because it teaching a valuable lesson that we haven't quite grasped in the West. That lesson is: You don't need so much. Yes, it is nice to have things and to enjoy excess, but you can enjoy life without it. I wouldn't say that I could not enjoy water if it had no ice in it. I also wouldn't say that if the fan turns off in the heat of mid-day or night that it would ruin my time completely. These things are inconvenient, but it forces us to understand what we actually need to live. We use the word need too lightly. We like the extra things of life, but we in no way require them. I consider this concept especially when taking my evening shower. This is something that has always struck me as a difference between India and the United States. When I am at home, I take a traditional shower, but while in India I switch to a bucket shower. Sometimes as I pour the cup over myself I can't help but think how much water I waste when the faucet is on and raining down on me. It has got to be more than that one bucket I use in India, even during my quickest shower. It's excess, and I never even thought about it until I was forced to make the comparison between my home and the way I lived someplace else where there was less.
But that is something I have found to be intrinsically different about the Western worldview as opposed to that of the Eastern worldview. In the United states we want it all. If you watch television for even five minutes you can see that pop culture is all about how much you have and little about the repercussions of what that means. We are inundated with advertisements about what we 'need', be it that fancy new car, or that brand of snacks or that special line of clothing. All are flaunted in front of us as if they are required for living, when really they are extravagance. More than just possessing, this attitude is about showing what you have to everyone around you. Gloating about your possessions, because all these 'things' can only be measured against what 'things' someone else does not posses. Then it becomes a battle, with the thought being 'I need more than him to make myself feel or look better'.
The ancient Asian worldview is much different though. It is centered around religions that preach restraint and the giving up of possessions. To these philosophies, this world should not be our concern, it is the question of our soul the should be the main focus of our energy, whereas in the Western view the material world is all that matters. This is highly connected to the fact that in the West you only get one lifetime to enjoy and we must get as much out of it before we die. In many Eastern traditions you are given more time than that, so enjoyment of the sensual becomes less important. This worldview is in jeopardy, though, as globalization occurs. Walking the streets of India, along side the ascetics living as paupers, you see young Indians just as concerned with their cellphones and new clothes as the former are with their spiritual salvation. It seems that the possessive nature of the west is creeping across the globe.
Even though a focus on the material seems to be consuming popular culture in both the East and the West, there is recent trend moving towards a focus on the spiritual. Many are trying to learn about different ways to deal with the hardship that comes from possessiveness and the other passions through philosophy and religion. When I think on my own experiences with International Summer School for Jain Studies I consider it my own battle with this passions and desire. I came here to learn more about the strong individual, who has to take responsibility for his or her own actions, and forge their own way in the world. Jainism offers the Jina, and the ultimate reward is bliss and knowledge beyond that which we know now. An end to the desire that we feel constantly and an elevation of what we have come to know as 'human'. This resounds with my Western being because we, too, are focused on the individual and his or her circumstances, but there are a few key differences which I will discuss in the next passage.
The Individual and Vice
"you should conquer the internal enemies, for if there is no victory over them, external enemies, though conquered, are really unconquered"
-King Vimalavahana, Trishasti Shalaka Purusa Caritra pt. 2, pg. 18
Anger, Greed, Deceit and Ego; These things are common problems that the individual faces in his thinking in both Western and Eastern tradition. They should all be overcome in both traditions as well, if one is to become what is really considered human, or a good person, or beyond an animal. These vices spring from our instincts and our fear, but we should be able to get them in check with our reason and an understanding of the strength that comes from being human. It is also made clear in both traditions that these vices are difficult to overcome. But Jainism puts far more emphasis on overcoming these vices than US popular culture. These comes from their religions background in austerity, overcoming fear and detaching oneself from sense pleasures. The US, on the other hand, is losing its more austere traditions based on religious background in favor of extreme pleasure seeking and other immediate gratification activities.
I see this even in the way the US presents cartoon shows now, as opposed to shows in the 80's. Most children's cartoons, even for those age grouped around 8-12, had moral messages at the end of the show to make it clear to children what the point of the episode was. Some character would have a problem, then it would work itself out and then an explanation would come for the child to understand. Now cartoon shows are based more of fast paced action than problem resolution, unless they are made for the very young. These ethical lessons need to extend further to have the most impact, but this is not the direction that the US is going in. We want to be entertained, we want action and adventure, but we have forgotten that you can have these things with an important lesson about how you should live your life, as well.
This focus on entertainment instead of lessons, and also on external activities over internal ones is apparent also in adult television and movies as well. They are very focused on making it in the social world, having money, the right man or woman on your arm, possessions and having a concern with yourself over all others. These things provided material pleasure right now, but they do not provide for the spiritual and in fact they can leave you feeling hollow if you cannot attain these coveted qualities. This is because they are based on the vices mentioned above, and a fear of not getting them. But the energy that one puts into these things could be better used in an effort for true happiness.
The US values a strong individual, a go-getter, who is willing to make things happen on their own, through their own efforts. The confident individual is valued. We all want to become something better than ourselves, but what that means in the end is misguided in the US. We have become too focused on pleasure and not enough on knowledge. If we shifted the focus think what could be gained. Instead of everyone trying to heap things at their feet to prove themselves, they could find more productive ways to do so. They could see past their own self when it comes to worldly aspects opening the world to everyone, instead of shutting it off to others.
This is why Jainism can be so important to the US. Jainism puts the focus on learning that sense pleasures and material possessions can be taken away too easily. There is no possible way a person can hold onto these things forever, so we should not base our happiness on them. We should focus on our inner selves and developing that, to move away from this attachment that only breeds fear of others, for they may take away what you have, and fear of the absence of 'things'. It also teaches us to turn inward and develop the strength to overcome these issues on our own, through the force of our own will, which in the end makes it easier to navigate the world as we know it. If you are strong in yourself and sure of your ethics and where they come from you are able to make the right decisions in the face of all other factors, because you know it is right to do.
With more of a focus on internal effort matched with external effort and restraint the individual can grow beyond even what we know to be capable of. The effort should be about becoming actualized, fully realizing the human potential. It was in the past for the west, especially with the existentialists, and it is has been a past and present focus of the Jains that we should become more than what we are currently. There is a push for the evolution of man, beyond his more primitive, animalistic state that is mirrored in these 2 traditions. But the Jains, with their rigorous religious practice currently gets close to this ideal. The US seems to have strayed from the internal effort which guides the external actions in the correct manner. They need to return to this effort, even if not based on a religious value to maximize the quality of life we all enjoy on these planet.
The Garden of Restraint
Half way on the road as I went along, I saw an exceeding beautiful garden, charming and continuous, dense with shade, like the rest-house of Sri wearied by wandering in the world; dancing as it were with hands of the waving shoots of the asoka; laughing as it were, with multitudes of blossoming-clusters of the smiling jasmine... making without effort a pleasure-pavilion for young travelers.... After I had spend a long time in the expedition of conquest, on my return I came again with the army to the garden. With my retinue I got out of the conveyance from curiosity, entered it, and saw that it was very different from what it was before. I thought, 'Have I come to the wrong place by mistake, or has this been transformed? Such by magic.' Where there were leaves and vines warding off the advance of the sun's rays, now there is leaflessness... Where there was beauty of young women resting in bowers, now there is the harshness of sleeping pythons.... Just as this garden has become changes now, so all creatures in Samsara (become changed).
-Acarya Arindama, Trishasti shalaka Purusa Caritra Pt. 2, pg. 9-11
The garden may change, it may wilt, it is subject to age and human intervention, but Jainism provides us a way to preserve the most good for the most amount of people. If we restrain ourselves, take only as much as we need, share with others and have a concern with not only our own internal selves, but with how we live our lives externally, we can make the garden last a little longer, and provide for a few more people. Restraint hinders our extreme greed for things and detachment helps us be happy with having only a little, rather than having as much as we can. This view is not about living in poverty (until the renunciant level when you are so detached it does not feel like poverty), it's about living with equanimity in mind. It is about awareness of what we need as opposed to what we want selfishly.
Only we have the power to do this as a product of our birth. We are endowed with an understanding beyond the other creatures of the planet, with a power beyond them, in the spiritual sense. In a more western view our rational minds allow us the freedom to make choices for better or for worse. We can reflect and make new decisions about our actions and their consequences. This gives us the most control and we should revel in that fact, not fear it. Instead of blinding ourselves, we should open our eyes and make right decisions with non-harm at heart. We should consider our ethical values because we can and because we should. That is how we can live happily in a worldly sense.
By adopting a more Jain attitude about possessions and our passions, people in the US could really evolve on a large scale. We monopolize resources, and continually try to spread the attitude that this type of monopoly is the correct way to live. We need to understand that this is based more on our constant desire for pleasure, and also come to know that pleasure can also come from restraint even if it is in a different form. When all are happy, the happiness of the world is increased and this is passed on to the individual. An individual can be happy, but that happiness will easily be taken away by the masses in misery. We need to understand the consequences of greed and pleasure seeking and I think the Jain dharma can put some of those concerns into perspective. The world itself can be prolonged as a beautiful garden if we cultivate certain values, instead of being spent up in only on lifetime without the concern for others. This is a way of satisfying both Jain dharma and Western views. We can have a pleasurably worldly existence with a concern for the welfare of those around us and the environment.
Conclusion
"If any one, free from delusion, observes mendicancy even for one day, if he does not attain emancipation, nevertheless will reach heaven"
-Acarya Arindama, Trishasti Shalaka Purusa Caritra Pt. 2, pg 21
My time with the Jains has taught me much about how I want to live and where I get my values. It has forced me to constantly question and think about what it means to be a human being. I first became interested because of the sense of personal responsibility that is propounded by Jain dharma. I want to take control of both my body and my mind, so that I can get the most out of this lifetime, for myself and for others. I think that by understanding more perspectives, especially the Jain perspective, this can be achieved. If more people took hold of the core values of Jainism they could exercise this control for the betterment of all the world.