Description
Discussion Three
The topic reply is due by Wednesday, February 14 at 11 pm Pacific Standard Time.
Peer replies are due by Sunday, February 18 at 11 pm Pacific Standard Time.
Discussion Topic
This week’s discussion is Jainism.
First, please pick one of the following questions and post an answer.
Please post your original comment by February 14 at 11 pm.
Third, please politely respond to one other student before 11 pm on Sunday, February 18.
Questions
How might someone put the principles of Ahimsa into practice in your own society? How would it affect a person’s behavior (Course Hero)?
Jains maintain “that all living beings, from plants to animals to bacteria, have souls, and that, theoretically, all souls have the potential to attain nirvana” (Kathari).
Westerners, such as ourselves, think that only human beings have souls.
What do you think about this claim that every animal including bacteria have souls?
Jains, when asked to describe Moksha, say that they cannot explain it, “for it is absolutely beyond all human sense experience, a condition of infinite bliss and complete knowledge. The liberated souls live in a timeless totality, yet retain their individuality in a state that human comprehension cannot reach. These souls are free from the cycle of death and rebirth” (Jainism).
Jains are saying that they cannot know what Moksha is, yet they talk about Moksha as if they know what it is.
Do you think it is a reasonable claim to say anything about Moksha?
The topic reply is due by Wednesday, February 14 at 11 pm Pacific Standard Time.
Peer replies are due by Sunday, February 18 at 11 pm Pacific Standard Time.
References
Course Hero. “Chapter 4 Jainism Discussion Questions.” https://www.coursehero.com/tutors-problems/Religious-Studies/11419532-Chapter-4-Jainism-Discussion-questions-How-might-someone-out-the-prin/.
Jainism Literature Center – Questions and Answers, https://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/qanda/main.htm.
Kathari, Monika. “What Are Some Mind-Blowing Facts about Jainism?” Quora, 30 Sept. 2012, https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-mind-blowing-facts-about-Jainism.
