I Learn Something New Every Day

I was listening to the radio and they had an author on who was discussing his book on spiritual India. It is called Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India and is by William Dalrymple.  He started to talk about the Jains in India and their beliefs and practices.  I was hooked.
I like to think that I learn something new everyday and today is no exception.  I had heard of Jainism but really didn't know anything about it.  My interest was peaked this morning and here are some of the things that I have found out.

The hand that is posted here is a Jain symbol referring to their vow of Ashima(the word in the center) or non violence.  The wheel represents the dharmacakra, their journey to halt the cycle of reincarnation through the pursuit of truth.

These people are completely fascinating!  Buddhist monks shave their heads to show their devotion, the Jains pluck each hair from their head individually to show theirs.  They have no worldly possessions or money and can not beg for food when they need to eat.  They can only show their hunger by throwing their right hand over their left shoulder and hoping that someone notices and gives them some food to eat.  But don't hand them a carrot!  They are the most strict kind of vegetarians.  They do not eat any root veggies because there are so many micro-organisms in the dirt and they can not inflict harm on ANY living being.  They sweep the ground before them as they walk to brush away any potential for harm to another, even if it is inadvertently stepping on an ant. 

They believe that the universe is self-regulated and every soul has the potential to achieve divine consciousness through its own efforts.  A unique ritual in this religion involves a holy fasting until death, where in one achieves a death with dignity and dispassion and is able to shed the last bits of negative karma they might have.  When a Jainist is aware of approaching death, and feels that they have completed all of their duties, they willingly cease to eat or drink but it is gradual and they do mean gradual.  It can be as long as 12 years with a very slow reduction in food intake till their eventual end.

Wow, there you have it.  Reading the blurb on Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India makes this my new summer read.  It just sounds so completely interesting.  I can hardly wait to read about the 9 different people looking at the world in 9 very different ways.  You should check it out.

Please always remember and don't ever forget:
“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path.”


Paulo Coelho