I offer Jainism next in the religious Order of Precedence because, after first becoming aware of one’s soul in the Dreaming, after first recognizing sentience and intelligence in creation all around us, after dedicating one’s soul in relationship to a Creator, and after forming community with other believers, one necessarily confronts an obvious extension of faith.

Are not all sentient forms of life a form of a soul?

The Jana arrived at conclusions many of us will regard as extreme.  Extreme in the good sense, not extreme in the bad sense.  Janas, you see, conclude that all living creatures have an inalienable right to life and causing the death of any creature is murder.

I’ll spare my audience the etymology on the word Jainism and get directly to the point.

Janas take empathy to the moral limit.

Janas are renowned for taking such extreme measures to protect life that they walk with brooms in hand, to sweep the ground they walk on free of any living creatures, no matter how small and insignificant they may appear to human beings.

I find faith of that magnitude awe inspiring.  Awkward and inconvenient, but awe inspiring.

I recommend everyone, of every faith, discuss the challenge of living a life free of incidental murder, if only as an exercise.  If we all agreed to be Janas for a day, for just one day, what blessing of enlightenment might be achieved?

Living by this one, single precept of Jainism is neither ridiculous, nor sacrilegious, for there is no religion in the world I know of which does not regard murder as a mortal sin.  Janas just take the definition of murder to the limit of the system.

Or do they?

Talk amongst yourselves.  Contemplate the reality of sweeping the ground of every insect, no matter how minute, everywhere you go.  Just contemplate that challenge.  It will never likely be achievable, so numerous and so minute are the species we trod under foot every day.  But Janas demonstrate that it is possible to minimize the death we impose on other creatures merely by our presence.

Regrettably, the majority of all believers will throw our hands up after that confession and simply say it isn’t possible to live as Janas do, but still, they do.  We choose not to live with optimal regard for life and so, also choose to ignore the suffering we each individually cause.

Granted, after having read just a few summary articles about Jainism, and watched a documentary or two about the lives Janas must lead to minimize suffering of others, I don’t sweep the ground before me when I go about my business.

But I can no longer look on a beetle crawling across my kitchen counter with callousness.  I recognize now what I should have recognized all along.  Creatures insignificant to us are creatures deserving of life.  Even the pests. 

I now escort such creatures to my garden on a napkin instead of dispatching them and tossing them in the trash.  Jainism has made me a better Christian, if only by their example.

As I write this, the Children of Israel are burying thousands of their children following terrorist attacks on peaceful communities.  I morn for Israelis, and now for Palestinians, in the full knowledge the world will never witness Jain extremists blowing up temples or slaughtering their neighbors for any reason, even if it appeared to be just.

Janas don’t look like silly idealists today.  Not at all.

Namaste,

An Unknown Soldier