Animal Sacrifices

8. Noninjury to Animals: Jaina and Buddhist Perspectives

8 Noninjury to Animals: Jaina and Buddhist Perspectives Christopher Chapple The view of animals held by those in the Indian milieu differs radically from that held by those living in the European-Western technological matrix. Similar views are found in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, influencing Asian attitudes and offering a unique perspective on the role of animals in the drama of human life. In the material that follows, I will discuss the treatment of animals in two traditions: Jainism, which has remained confined primarily to the Indian subcontinent for reasons we will see below, and Buddhism, which spread from India to Central Asia, China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. In approaching the religious traditions of Asia, two key interrelated concepts contribute to an understanding of the animal domain. The first, noninjury to living beings, is more of a practice than a concept, and is the first precept in virtually all Indian traditions. The second is more theoretical: the notion of repeated, cyclical embodiment, best described by the Sanskrit word saTflSiira, which means "passing through a succession of states." Various schools have offered different interpretations of both of these; we will concentrate here on communicating an understanding of the concepts of noninjury and rebirth strictly as they apply to animals in the Jaina and Buddhist traditions. At the close of the discussion, we will explore how these religious traditions might respond to the modern dilemma of utilizing animals in scientific research. Copyrighted Material 214 Christopher Chapple 1. Jainism Jainism is one of the most ancient indigenous traditions of India. The name Jainism is derived from the term jina, which means conqueror or victor; hence, the Jainas are followers of the path established by the Jinas, those who have conquered the suffering (duQkha) inherent in attachment. The most recent Jina, Vardhamana Mahavira, lived from 599 B.C. to 527 B.C. His immediate predecessor, Parsvanatha, has been dated at 850 B.C. Twenty-two other Jinas (also known as nrtankaras) are said to have preceded Mahavira and Parsvanatha , but no historical evidence exists to prove or disprove their existence. At the heart ofJainism is the doctrine that all being (sat) is divided into nonliving (ajiva) and living viva) forms. The former includes what we might consider principles: motion, rest, space, matter, and time. The latter, the living forms, includes almost everything regarded as animate or inanimate by nonJainas , from a rock and a drop ofwater up to men and women. Each life form, including mountains, lakes, and trees, is said to have consciousness (caitanya), bliss (sukha), and energy (virya). Living beings are classified in a hierarchical fashion according to the number of senses they possess. Earth, water, fire, air, and vegetables, the simplest forms of life, are said to possess only the sense of touch. Worms have both touch and taste. Bugs, lice, and ants have touch, taste, and smell; moths, bees, and flies add the sense ofseeing. Snakes are said to have all the senses, including hearing, while beasts, birds, fish, and humans are said to have six senses: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, and thinking. 1 Hence, the human order is, technically speaking, equivalent to that of fish and animals.2 A jlva's status in this hierarchy is not fixed but is in a constant state of flux, indicated by the Sanskrit term sarn-siira. The universe is filled with living beings that have no beginning but that, because of unquenched desires, continually take on new embodiments. These embodiments or states of being fall into four categories (gati): gods, humans, hell beings, and aniCopyrighted Material Noninjury to Animals 215 mals and plants. The last of these-animals and plants-is divided into three parts, the lowest form of life being the nigoda, which "are so undifferentiated that they lack even individual bodies; large clusters of them are born together as colonies which die a fraction of a second later."3 They are said to reside in flesh, among other places. Above these are the earth bodies, the water bodies, the fire bodies, and the air bodies. The third and highest division of this plant and animal group includes plants and the various beasts mentioned in the preceding paragraph. The most important state to achieve is that of the human being, as it is the only state in which the living being (jiva) can be freed from the bondage of action (karma). For the Jainas, karma is a...