Jain Diksha

Hello friends!

A couple of days back, 6 people renounced their householders' life and took diksha (initiation) from the Jain Acharya (the senior most Saint in a Jain sect) in my city.

Taking diksha is a very significant event in Jain religion. The event is like a huge festival and is attended by Jain followers from across the nation. Although Jain religion is divided into multiple sects but disregarding their differences, diksha ceremony is attended by Jain followers of all sects.

Out of these 6 people who took the diksha, 4 were from a single family (father, mother, son and daughter). This family is from Bikaner and settled in Surat in Gujarat. The other two were from Maharashtra and Rajasthan state.

Tough life ahead ...as a Jain monk

Once a person is initiated by the Acharya (Acharya Ramesh muni in this case); they enter the hard life of a Jain monk and have to follow all the rules and disciplines strictly.

They have to keep moving from one place to the other all their life. Since Jainism gives a high regard to a non-violent life, they don't even use any vehicle to move and will always walk on their feet. They walk bare feet in all seasons. This particular sect don't even use electricity and any electric or electronic gadget as they consider violence in it. They always keep their mouth covered with a cloth so that when they speak, the hot air exhaled from their mouth may not harm any micro life form.

I along with my friends met this Acharya before this Diksha ceremony to understand their stance on consumption of dairy products. It's surprising that these sect follows such strict discipline to save a micro life form but have no qualms in consuming dairy products that is responsible for the extreme violence and cruelty on dairy animals.

Unfortunately, they couldn't explain their logic and when we insisted to speak in some more detail over this issue after the diksha ceremony, the Acharya refused to speak to us and shut the door of his room on us. This was the most weird and strangest treatment we met from any Jain saint.

Next, we spoke to the President of the community. We wanted to discuss about the use of animals in the diksha procession and explain him how it's so cruel for the poor animal and what alternative arrangements can be made for the occasion. To this, the President immediately reacted that our community never involve any animals like elephant, horse or camel in the procession.

This Thursaday, a day before the diksha ceremony, a procession called var-ghoda was organised in which all the 6 people who were taking diksha tomorrow were given a ride around the town on 6 chariots.

My friend Shilpa Khandelwal captured a few photographs of the chariots which were being pulled by horses:

It was evident that the President had clearly lied to us. I can't understand, what was the need to tell a lie for executing a religious ceremony as telling a lie is another form of violence in Jainism!

And the funny thing is that later they sent back chariots and transferred those diksharthis into sun-roof cars:

Seems like these people are as confused as a commoner!

_{Credits:
All photographs are by Shilpa Khandelwal}