ABSTRACT

The Jaina religious tradition poses numerous philosophical challenges in ways not encountered in other systems of thought. Simultaneously, Jainas posit a metaphysical and physical approach to reality that defies categories found elsewhere. As leValley has noted, ‘Jain scriptures emphasize nonviolence and toleration of multiple viewpoints. Jains today emphasize those same two points.’1 However, to fully understand the application of nonviolence and toleration in Jainism, we need to look at two key aspects of the Jaina philosophical view: the purgation of karma and the insistence on cultivating a virtuous life. The purgation of karma underscores the physical aspects of Jaina thought, due to the perception that karma has a material presence. The physicality of karma has resulted in a marked cosmological emphasis within Jainism. The cultivation of virtue, particularly through the practice of nonviolence, demonstrates the link between the metaphysical and the ethical in Jainism. From this combination, the Jainas posit a living universe that must be protected, and a worldview that, as we will see, accords well with some aspects of contemporary ecological and cosmological investigations.