Articles · Spirituality

Jainism, Dharma, and Environmental Ethics

Pankaj Jain · Columbia University Libraries

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ShrutSangam GyanBhandars JainTatvaGyanshala

Environmentalism is comparable to a child that only recently learned to walk. Ecospiritualities of different kinds seem to be the invisible backbone of the growth of this child. – Sigurd Bergmann Scholars such as Sigurd Bergmann have noted that each tradition is uniquely linked to its environment and it is best to try to look into native tradition for the ways each tradition or lineage absorbs the environment around it. On the other hand, scholars such as John Cort have raised doubts about linking environmental- ism with religious traditions such as Jainism. Given the absence of a formal category of environmental ethics in Jainism, this paper will explore Jainism’s historical relationship to environmental ethics. I will also compare Jainist perspectives on the consumption of natural resources with other lifestyles Read more