Veganism based on Jainism

Jainism

The vegan philosophy is essentially practical - centred on being a thinking, compassionate & discriminating consumer.  Of course it is far more than that, but from a practical day-to-day point of view 'ethical consumption' is prominent.  The vegan movement as we know it is a fairly recent phenomenon.  Thirty years ago it comprised a mere handful of far-sighted pioneers, while today there are likely to be some millions of adherents in the western world.  However, the fundamental vegan ethic is actually quite ancient :  under the name 'ahimsa'  (non-violence) it is a cornerstone of the Jain religion which was founded in India thousands of years ago.  Actually, ahimsa is a much broader concept that veganism as it can be defined as non-violence in thoughts, words & deeds, in all aspects of life.

Jainism as it exists today has developed from the teachings of Lord Mahavira, a historically verified person who lived in India at the same time as Lord Buddha - around 500 BC.  Mahavira is said to be the 24th jain sage, the earlier ones reaching back to perhaps 8,000 years ago.  Over this immense period of time the jains have developed a wonderfully intricate & complete system of compassionate living.  However, jainism is little known in the west because it does not have a proselytizing tradition, and also because jain monks are wandering ascetics who do not use any form of mechanical transport - ie their only means of transport between jain communities is walking.   The principal of non-violence is perhaps best know in the west through the life of Mahatma Gandhi. 

As with hinduism & buddhism, jains believe in re-incarnation : the cycle of birth, death & re-birth, the purpose of which is the gradual perfection of the soul to the point where it can be released from the cycle to a higher state of immersion with the infinite.  In contrast to the major popular religions the path to this release is by deeds rather than belief.  Deeds attract karmic matter which attaches to the soul - good karmic matter derives from right conduct; bad karmic matter from bad / incorrect conduct.   If one lives a life of dishonesty, disrespect, anger, violence, etc., no amount of repentance at the end of that life will erase the accumulation of bad karmic matter.  For the accumulation to be removed requires further life times devoted to peaceful, ethical behaviour.

Whether you are an atheist, agnostic, or a follower of another spiritual path, you're likely to find the jain philosophy of interest if you hold vegan / vegetarian inclinations.  It's worth knowing that many of the principles that define how you might think about your life & the world, & which you have probably come to by listening to your own heart have been contemplated & codified by an dedicated community of strict vegetarians since virtually the beginnings of human civilization.

Here are some really good sources of information on jainism:
*  www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/jainlinks.html : an excellent gateway to jain web sites
*  'Jain Spirit' magazine, published in Uk : www.jainspirit.com
*  "Life Force - the world of Jainism" by Michael Tobias:  a very readable discussion of jainism from a western ecological perspective.  This book is available from Vegan Wares.  Email us for further details.