Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced Fit India Movement. This is absolutely necessary and much-delayed movement.  You Need to Know Why Practicing Jainism Can Propels Health & Peace?

Health and Fitness are not only about going to the Gym or doing exercise or having the right diet. Everything will go haywire if your mental and emotional balance is lost. Our health and fitness are more about mental balance and emotion management. It is also about the right understanding of the world around us.

Here come the principals of Jainism to our rescue. These principals are highly powerful in managing our overall health is because it is pure science.

In this post, I present 5 principles of Jainism which would be of great help to your overall health, fitness, wellbeing, and peace.

1. Non-Violence

Non-violence is the foundation of Jainism. This makes the Jainism as one of the most peaceful religions of the World.

Non-violence in Jainism means not causing any harm intentionally to another body with mind, body, or words.

Violence is a huge problem we see all around us. People are killing others to achieve their objectives. Jainism teaches absolute Non-Violence. Jains would not kill even the smallest creatures.

“Do not injure, abuse, oppress, enslave, insult, torment, torture, or kill any creature or living being.”  Lord Mahavira

This is the reason Jains do not eat roots like Potato, Onion, Garlic, etc. All roots contain minute, invisible lives. We can see them in a microscope.  To protect these lives Jains do not eat such produces.

When Jains do not eat any animal products, they refrain from eating Tamasic Food. According to Ayurveda, regular consumption of Tamasic food over the period attracts illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, and liver disease.  Tamasic food may cause certain potentially harmful mental and physical conditions to occur.

This is a boon for the ecology and environment.

2. Dispassionate Eating

Passion is the cause of attracting Karma. Dispassionate eating just to fulfill the body’s need should be the objective when we eat.

When the purpose of eating is not to satisfy your taste bud, you do not overeat.  You eat what is necessary.

When you eat with this detached objective, overeating is avoided. Sense of proportion prevails over the sense of tongue. This way we are saved from the bad effects of overeating.

3. Chauvihar

This is about not eating after sunset. This principle has arisen from Non-violence. After the sunset, the atmosphere is filled with many small and invisible lives. We can’t see such insects with naked eyes.

This is the reason for eating food after the sunset is prohibited in Jainism. Chauvihar is about finishing all eating and drinking for the day before the sunset. One can take food or water on the next day after the sunrise.

Now science has found many health benefits of early eating. Many health-conscious people do not eat after 7 pm these days.

The science behind the Jain way of life is now accepted by researchers as good way to live a healthy life.

4. Anekavantvada

This is about accepting the manifoldness of life.

Jain philosophy is very eloquent and elaborate on the subject of logic, metaphysics and life science. One of the fundamental principles of Jain philosophy is the principle of Anekantavada. Anekantavada is defined as ;

It refers to the principles of pluralism and multiplicity of viewpoints, the notion that truth and reality are perceived differently from diverse points of view, and that no single point of view is a complete truth.

The literal meaning of the word is:

anekānta (“manifoldness”) and vāda (“school of thought”)

Anekantavada means Non-Absolutism which gives space for accommodating other contradictory views. Anekantavada helps us in understanding others’ point of view with a broad mind. The whole truth, complete in all aspect is only known by Omniscient i.e. Kevali, known in Jain terminology.

How this principle helps in better health?

Well, this makes us accept the opposite views. This frees us from mental stubbornness. This is good for mental health and peace around us. When we do not accept other views, our mental struggle starts.

Practicing this principle is good for our mental health. This helps us let go of things and avoid extreme views.

5. Theory of Karma

The belief in the Theory of Karma is so profound in Jains that if one really understands this world will become a peaceful place.

The core of this theory is no one even can harm or help other souls. Everything is automatic and according to our own Karma. We are completely and absolutely responsible for our own fate.

If we know this principle and believe in this, we will stop blaming others for our misery, pain or problems.

Won’t this bring mental peace in our life?  In a world where mental and emotional health is epidemics, this could help in dealing with this deep problem in a better way.

Accepting the theory of karma goes a long way in bringing peace in life and peace brings health.

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Another principle Aparigraha is about non-hoarding. Putting a limit to our worldly possessions. Practicing this stops us running after money whole life and accepting whatever comes to us in a lawful and environmentally friendly way.

Know in brief about Jainism:

All these Jainism principles are very profound. Knowing and practicing this would help us in better health, mental and emotional peace.

Go to Gym, do Yoga, practice proper diet but also learn and practice thee Jain princo9ples for overall health and wellbeing.

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