Faith and Science - A Jain Perspective by Satish Kumar

Satish KUmar

Satish Kumar is an Indian British activist and speaker. He has been a Jain monk, nuclear disarmament advocate and pacifist. Now living in England, Kumar is founder and Director of Programmes of the Schumacher College international centre for ecological studies, and is Editor Emeritus of Resurgence & Ecologist magazine.

Jain science is founded on the principle of Anekant. Which simply means that there is no ‘one single truth’. Truth is multi-dimensional and multifaceted. Anekant also means that there is no final truth that we can grasp intellectually or communicate verbally. The search for truth is a life-long journey. Truth is a mystery to be discovered constantly. Truth is a process and not a product.

In Jainism we believe in the principle of “truth diversity.” There are many truths. As we have religious diversity, cultural diversity, linguistic diversity, racial diversity, and biodiversity we also need to recognise diversity and plurality of truths. Truths are not fixed phenomena; truths are the ever-emerging human experience.

In Jainism the search for truth is complemented by the practice of non-violence. Whatever truth we discover, we need to communicate it with respect to other people and their truths. In our pursuit of truth, we must avoid harming anyone, physically, emotionally, or intellectually. Reverence for all life is an integral part of the search for truths. Thus, Jains promote the search for truth, without dogmatism or arrogance.

In Jain science truth and non-violence cannot be separated.

For Jains the practice of non-violence is paramount. We are required to be nonviolent to ourselves, to all people and to nature without condition or qualification. All diverse forms of Nature; animals, forests, rivers, and oceans have souls. Even soil has soul. Nature is not a machine, and the Earth is not a dead rock; Nature is alive, and our precious planet Earth is a living organism. Therefore, we must adhere to the ideal of reverence for all life, human life as well as other than human life.

The value of Nature must never be measured in terms of its usefulness to humans. Nature is not, and should never be considered, merely a resource for the economy, Nature is life itself. We should remain mindful of the fact that Nature has intrinsic value. Nature is sacred. Nature is good in itself, irrespective of its usefulness to humans. Jains would happily agree with the poet William Blake who said, “Nature is the imagination itself.” And with Shakespeare also who celebrated “Tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones and good in everything.” Here Jain science and Western poetry come together.

The beauty of biodiversity is in its plurality and multiplicity of life forms. From small insects to large elephants and from honeybees to big human beings are made of the same elements — earth, air, fire and water or the same chemical elements— carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen. There is no hint of a hierarchy here. This is simply a dance of diversity. For Jains the notion of equality of life is built on the foundation of the unity of life.

Of course, nature feeds Nature. Life maintains life. Living organisms sacrifice themselves to nourish and nurture each other. All living organisms reciprocate for mutual survival. Therefore, taking and giving of life as food is within the acceptable limits of violence. However, such violence must remain minimal and only for survival.

This is the context in which Jains mostly consume plant-based food. Being a vegetarian or a vegan is an absolute rule. Meat eating and Jainism is like chalk and cheese, they never go together. A plant-based diet helps humans to make a smaller footprint on our living planet. Jains are instructed by our sacred scriptures to practice minimalism and engage in the least interference in the workings of Nature. We should leave Nature alone as much as we can. According to our philosophy we are all interrelated, interconnected, and interdependent yet all creatures are entitled to live their life in freedom. We have no ownership of Nature. Our responsibility is to have a respectful relationship with Nature. That is the basis upon which we honour the rights of nature as we honour the rights of humans.

This is why the ecologically inspired Jains are campaigning for the reduction of meat production around the world. The practice of factory farming, the keeping of huge numbers of animals in cruel confinement contributes to the climate crisis. Large scale monoculture to provide grain to feed animals and meat production causes 30% of carbon emissions and creates climate catastrophe. We Jains are actively involved in the promotion of a plant-based diet for reasons of compassion and non-violence to address the crisis of climate change.

In Jain science, there is no separation between Nature and humans. We believe in the absolute integrity of life. The etymological meaning of the word Nature simply means birth. Everything born is Nature. Humans are born, so humans are Nature too. The dignity of diversity is rooted in the unity of life. Unity and diversity are two aspects of one single reality.

The world is facing the climate crisis because faith has been disconnected from science. Science and technology have been used by commercial interests in pursuit of unlimited economic growth and industrial development largely dependent on fossil fuels. So, in the long-term interest of climate stability and the sustainability of the living earth science needs to be wedded to spiritual values. As Albert Einstein said, science without religion is blind and religion without science is lame. science and religion always need to act together. Scientists need to commit themselves to a future where their scientific research will not be used for harmful purposes. As doctors take the Hippocratic oath: “First Do No Harm,” scientists need to take the same oath to do no harm, to refuse to engage in research and development which may harm people or harm our perfect planet Earth.

Similarly, economists, Industrialists and politicians need to take the Hippocratic oath to avoid harm to biodiversity and to the integrity of our biotic community and our eco-system.

We need to learn from this climate crisis and resolve that in future we will not engage in activity which may produce other disastrous consequences, similar to the climate catastrophe. Faiths need to embrace science. Particularly climate science. Without science faiths, religions and spirituality can become dogmatic and fundamentalist. There is much that scientists can teach faith leaders and vice versa. We need to come together in humility and mutual respect.