RLG100Y1 Lecture : The Sramana traditions- Upanisads, Jainism
Document Summary
Jain view karma differently than hinduism and buddhism, where karma is viewed as actual material substance: karma visualized as fine, powder-like substance, and it settles on our spirits and it constrains us. Jains all naturally vegetarian, even plants life taken sparingly and respectively as possible. Jain filter water for same reason e. g. root vegetables, hence try to avoid such vegetables. Jain diet structured by such concerns: many monks and nuns typically walk very slowly in monastic practice and often carry broom with them with which they sweep the ground very gently to avoid stepping on insects. Jains also donate to causes such as hospitals for animals, sick and injured birds in. Delhi, jains go to markets where animals are sold to eat to free them. In every way, concern for ahinsa shapes their lives in every way: many occupations jains cannot take part in, e. g. fisherman, farming, butcher.
