BBC Jainism Documentary

The BBC Jainism documentary was a comprehensive overview of most vital aspects and
practices of the Jain tradition. The main objective of the film was to portray the numerous rituals
and practices Jainists perform on a daily basis to achieve the Jaina Path of renunciation.
According to the documentary the most important value to the Jainas is non-violence (Ahimsa)
which is one of the Five Great Vows (Mahavratas) accepted by individuals who take up the life
of a Jaina ascetic. The documentary stated that the concept of Ahimsa primarily refers to the idea
of not harming living beings to prevent the build up of karmic particles, a physical substance that
is present everywhere in the world, which prevents the soul form achieving liberation or moksha.
Since this soul is present everywhere, any action that inflicts harm on any life form will increase
the negative karma on the soul preventing Jainas from discovering their true selves.
For example, the film explained that renouncers are not allowed to cook their own food
since harvesting plants or boiling water can cause harm to living beings. Therefore they have to
rely on householders in order to receive their food portions. Furthermore, the renouncers are only
allowed to take the householders leftovers since taking food that is explicitly prepared for them
would mean that they took part in the violence that occurred in preparing the meal. Since the
householders perform violent actions on a daily basis, inauspicious karmic particles called paap
are attached to their souls. Although this is the case, the fact that the householders support the
renouncers and are dutiful allow them to earn merit or good karma at the same time. As stated in
the documentary, the mahavrata of ahimsa also states that renouncers have to be extremely
cautious in every step that they take to make sure they do not harm any living things on the
ground. This concept of Ahimsa can also be extended to renunciation since it is only through this

complete withdrawal of activities related to mind and body can one avoid harming living beings
and ultimately oneself.
Moreover, another concept of Jainism I found to be extremely surprising from the
documentary was the fact that Jainas celebrate death and not birth. According to the
documentary, the celebration of death signifies that the individual has total detachment from the
body as well as the world. This concept of death is voluntary and is achieved through a fast
known as Sallekhana. Jainas believe that this type of voluntary death is the most far-reaching
approach to achieve detachment from the body and the world. According to the core principles of
Jainism, Sallekhana is the most important reward in life and signifies that the individual
possessed the ability to encounter death with calmness and equanimity. The portrayal of these
type of Jain practices were extremely effective and accurate in the documentary since they were
explained through interviews that were conducted with individuals who religiously followed the
Jain tradition.
Despite the fact that the documentary did an excellent job in explaining the various rituals
and practices of the Jain tradition, in my opinion the documentary could have expanded more on
the concept of temples and idol worship in the Jain tradition. When reading the World Religions:
Eastern Tradition textbook I found the topic of idol or murti veneration to be very fascinating.
Idol veneration was a prominent feature in Jainisms history. During the early medieval period,
an abundance of temples were constructed which served to be religious sites for devotion and
interactions between various householders. Although visiting temples was a prime religious
activity for many Jainas, the two sects of Jainism, Svetambara and Digambara had negative
views towards the establishment of these holy structures. They believed that the Jain reformers

are deviating away from the itinerant practices of the Jain ascetics and are moving towards the
comforting lifestyle around the temples. For example a lay reformer from the Svetambara sect
named Lonkashaha stated that temples are going against the vow for non-violence since the
construction of these holy places brings unnecessary harm to living beings. Similar to
Lonkashaha views, Banarsidass from the Digambara sect stated that the temples promoted
excessive ritual practices that deviated from the major principles of Samyama or restraint (Anne
Vallely).
Therefore, I feel like the documentary should have expanded more on the importance of
temples in the daily life of the Jain people. Temples are extremely important in every religion
since they serve to be places of worship to display the history of each religion though idols,
paintings, or statues. In my opinion, the film could have been made more effective by expanding
on how various idols are depicted in Jaina temples and their significance in every day life of the
Jain people. Furthermore, since the temples brought about conflicting viewpoints between the
two major sects of Jainism, it is important to identify this point to the viewer watching the
documentary. Although this topic of temples could have been expanded on, the documentary did
an excellent job in explaining the major principles of the Jain tradition in a very clear and
straightforward tone. Despite the fact there were certain phrases that were difficult to interpret
from the Jain tradition, the documentary clearly identified the definition of those phrases making
it easier for the viewer to gain a deeper understanding of the Jain principles and practices.
After watching this documentary, I feel like I gained a much deeper and comprehensive
understanding of the core principles in the Jain tradition. The most crucial aspect I took away
from this film was the importance of non-violence in the daily lives of the Jain people. Not only

do the Jain people advocate peace amongst all living beings, but they also extend this concept to
invisible lifeforms that humans cannot see with their eyes. This is fascinating to me since
although the Jaina Path is open to everyone regardless of race or social class, it would be
extremely hard to abide to all of these detailed practices in the Jain tradition. Ultimately, Jainism,
as depicted in this documentary, is a way of life which illustrates the way human beings should
interact and live with other living beings on earth in order to put an end to the cycle of death and
birth otherwise known as moksha.