Ancient Principles, Modern Planet: How Jainism Guides Environmental Sustainability

In the modern day there has been a growing push towards being more environmentally sustainable. With sea levels rising, a warming climate and increasing food shortages, we’ve begun to realise that significant changes must be made to protect the planet and keep it habitable.  When looking at the solutions which are being implemented, I realised a lot of these align with what Jainism teaches and the lifestyle it encourages.

A recent change has been the global effort to help conserve the environment and protect wildlife habitats. For decades, humans have been causing deforestation, whether to harvest resources or to clear land to create housing for the rapidly increasing population. As a result, many animals have lost their homes or have even been killed in the process. Whilst these actions are often taken to protect the lives of humans, they are frequently driven by the mindset of profit rather than simply for survival. This is therefore causing unnecessary harm, which we now see reflected in increased carbon dioxide levels due to a reduction in trees.

One of the main principles of Jainism, Ahimsa (non-violence), teaches that harming any form of life is spiritually damaging. This is encouraging environmental protection, since the less harm we cause to organisms and their habitats, the more aligned we are with Ahimsa. The world is slowly moving more towards this practice as we try to reduce deforestation and instead even help protect other life by creating safer, more sustainable environments for animals.

This also ties into Aparigraha (non-possessiveness), which teaches us to minimise our material desires and try to live only with what is truly needed. An example of where society has started to implement this more is within the fashion industry, where the environmental and ethical issues with fast fashion have recently come to light. Fast fashion arose in the late 20^th century, when companies produced rapidly changing trends to encourage constant consumption. However, this leads to problems such as an increase in waste and pollution or a depletion of resources like water and energy. To counter this, people are now being encouraged to only buy items when necessary, trying to make as much use as possible out of items we already own. This idea directly links to Aparigraha. Living a more minimalistic life would lead to benefits like less resource extraction and a decrease in pollution, ultimately helping to protect the environment.

In the last decade there has also been a noticeable rise in the number of people adopting vegetarian or vegan diets. This has stemmed from growing awareness of the meat industry’s heavy carbon footprint and its inhumane treatment of animals. The Jain diet has been embracing this for centuries, with its purpose being to provide humans with nourishing food without causing harm to other living beings.

As environmental challenges intensify, many activists have been turning to Jainism for inspiration. It encourages minimising harm to other organisms and to remain mindful of our impact on our surroundings. What Jainism has been teaching for around 2500 years aligns perfectly with what humans around the world are now realising is necessary to protect our planet and support the environment!

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Keshni Shah
JSF Events Coordinator