[Buddha-l] Subject: the poignancy of Donald Lopez

[Chris Fynn]

Dan Lusthaus wrote:

  > Do you have any actual episodes
> of physical violence in mind attributed to Jains? They are my last hold-out 
> for a world religion that has successfully embodied ahimsa, not just in word 
> but in deed. Are you saying that's not so?
> 
> Dan 

Despite their teachings of ahimsa isn't being a warrior one of the 
permitted occupations of a Jain? ~ Being a farmer isn't OK for Jains, 
because that kills insects, but they apparently have some Indic notion 
of  "righteous war" (perhaps similar to that in the Bhagavad Gita).

There were some Jain dynasties in parts of South India that wouldn't 
have lasted as long as they did without an army and it seems unlikely 
that they never used force to conquer neighbouring states.

- C