Some Perspectives of Ahimsa: Jainism vis‑à‑vis the Tibetan Buddhist Experience

Summary

Dr. Arpita Chatterjee compares the practice of ahimsa (non‑violence) in Jainism and Tibetan Buddhism. She notes that both religions originated in the 6th century B.C. and share universal truths but differ in their flexibility—Buddhism adapted to local cultures, while Jainism remained more rigidhttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2002_07/520147. Buddhism’s adaptability allowed it to spread widely and assimilate features from local religions, as seen in Tibet where it absorbed elements of the indigenous Bon traditionhttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2002_07/520147#:~:text=Tibetan%20history%20is%20clear%20to,and%20had%20to%20return%20unsuccessful. The article traces Tibetan history, describing how kings like Srong‑tsan‑Gampo and scholars like Padmasambhava promoted Buddhism and blended it with ritual practices acceptable to the localshttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2002_07/520147#:~:text=line%20with%20the%20concept%20of,and%20had%20to%20return%20unsuccessful. Over centuries, this syncretism produced Tibetan Buddhism, which maintained non‑violence yet incorporated meat consumption, yak‑butter lamps and sky‑burial ritualshttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2002_07/520147. Chatterjee points out that these practices are contextually justified—the sky burial is seen as feeding other creatures, and offering meat or wine is part of tantric rituals rather than wanton violence. She juxtaposes these customs with Jain practices such as sallekhana or santhara (fasting to death), where devotees voluntarily renounce food and water to attain spiritual liberation; outsiders might misinterpret this as cruelty, but Jains view it as a profound ethical acthttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2002_07/520147#:~:text=this%20practice%20a%20person%20promises,no%20better%20way%20of%20spiritual. The essay also addresses the paradox of Jaina rulers who engaged in warfare: while Jainism preaches non‑violence, kings had to defend their realms, so violence could be justified as a duty of a dharma‑rājahttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2002_07/520147#:~:text=efficiency%20in%20ruling,in%20the%20philosophy%20of%20Ahims%C4%81. Ultimately, Chatterjee argues that despite differences, both Tibetan Buddhists and Jains aim to minimise harm and cultivate compassion. Their teachings permeate their respective cultures, providing sources of peace, happiness and contentmenthttps://jainqq.org/booktext/Jain_Journal_2002_07/520147#:~:text=However%20antithetical%20all%20this%20may,source%20of%20peace%2C%20happiness%20and. The article encourages readers to recognise contextual variations in ahimsa and to appreciate how religious traditions adapt universal principles to local realities.