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Jain vegetarian diet is practiced by the followers of Jain culture and philosophy. It is one of the most rigorous forms of spiritually-motivated diet on the Indian subcontinent and beyond. The Jain cuisine is completely vegetarian and also excludes onions, potatoes, brinjals (eggplants) and garlic, similar to the shojin-ryori Buddhist cuisine of Japan. The strictest forms of Jain diet is practiced by the monastic ascetics; in addition to potatoes it may exclude other root vegetables. This food is called sattvic, which means that it is based on the qualities of goodness, lightness and happiness. On the other hand, onions, eggplant and garlic are considered "tamasic" as they are believed to have a quality of darkness, lethargy and a putrid smell. Jain objections to the eating of meat, fish and eggs are based on the principle of nonviolence (ahimsa, figuratively "non-injuring"). Every act by which a person directly or indirectly supports killing or injury is seen as act of violence (''himsa''), which creates harmful reaction karma. The aim of ahimsa is to prevent the accumulation of such karma.〔Laidlaw, James: ''Riches and Renunciation. Religion, economy, and society among the Jains'', Oxford 1995, p. 26-30, 191-195.〕 The extent to which this intention is put into effect varies greatly among Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. Jains believe nonviolence is the most essential religious duty for everyone (''ahinsā paramo dharmaḥ'', a statement often inscribed on Jain temples).〔Dundas, Paul: ''The Jains'', second edition, London 2002, p. 160; Wiley, Kristi L.: ''Ahimsa and Compassion in Jainism'', in: ''Studies in Jaina History and Culture'', ed. Peter Flügel, London 2006, p. 438; Laidlaw p. 153-154.〕 It is an indispensable condition for liberation from the cycle of reincarnation,〔Hemacandra, ''Yogashastra'' 2.31.〕 which is the ultimate goal of all Jain activities. Jains share this goal with Hindus and Buddhists, but their approach is particularly rigorous and comprehensive. Their scrupulous and thorough way of applying nonviolence to everyday activities, and especially to food, shapes their entire lives and is the most significant hallmark of Jain identity.〔Laidlaw p. 154-160; Jindal, K.B.: ''An epitome of Jainism'', New Delhi 1988, p. 74-90; Tähtinen, Unto: ''Ahimsa. Non-Violence in Indian Tradition'', London 1976, p. 110; Dundas p. 176-177.〕 A side effect of this strict discipline is the exercise of asceticism, which is strongly encouraged in Jainism for lay people as well as for monks and nuns.〔Dundas p. 187-192, 199-200; Laidlaw p. 153-159.〕 ==Practice== *For Jains, lacto-vegetarianism is mandatory. Food that contains even the smallest particles of the bodies of dead animals or eggs is unacceptable.〔Laidlaw p. 166-169; Tähtinen p. 37.〕 Some Jain scholars and activists support veganism, as the production of dairy products is perceived to involve violence against cows. *Jains go out of their way so as not to hurt even small insects and other tiny animals,〔Jindal p. 89; Laidlaw p. 54, 154-155, 180.〕 because they believe that harm caused by carelessness is as reprehensible as harm caused by deliberate action.〔Sutrakrtangasutram 1.8.3; Uttaradhyayanasutra 10; Tattvarthasutra 7.8; Dundas p. 161-162; Granoff p. 32-35.〕 Hence they take great pains to make sure that no minuscule animals are injured by the preparation of their meals and in the process of eating and drinking.〔Sangave, Vilas Adinath: ''Jaina Community. A Social Survey'', second edition, Bombay 1980, p. 260-261; Tähtinen p. 109.〕 *Traditionally Jains have been prohibited from drinking unfiltered water. In the past, when stepwells were used for the water source, the cloth used for filtering, and some filtered water poured over it to return the organisms to the original body of water. This practice of ''jivani'' or ''bilchavani'' is no longer possible because of the use of pipes for water supply. Modern Jains may also filter tap water in the traditional fashion and a few continue to follow the filtering process even with commercial mineral or bottled drinking water. *Jains make considerable efforts not to injure plants in everyday life as far as possible. Jains only accept such violence inasmuch as it is indispensable for human survival, and there are special instructions for preventing unnecessary violence against plants.〔Lodha, R.M.: ''Conservation of Vegetation and Jain Philosophy'', in: ''Medieval Jainism: Culture and Environment'', New Delhi 1990, p. 137-141; Tähtinen p. 105; Dundas p. 106.〕 Strict Jains don’t eat root vegetables such as potatoes, onions, roots and tubers, because such root vegetables are considered ''ananthkay''. Ananthkay means one body, but containing countless lives. A regular vegetable such as cabbage has number of leaves and lives as could be counted by a layman. However, a root vegetable such as potato, though from the looks of it is one article, is said to contain multiple lives ('ekindriya') in it. Also, tiny life forms are injured when the plant is pulled up and because the bulb is seen as a living being, as it is able to sprout.〔Laidlaw p. 156-157, 167-170; Sangave p. 260.〕 Also, consumption of most root vegetables involves uprooting and killing the entire plant, whereas consumption of most terrestrial vegetables doesn't kill the plant (it lives on after plucking the vegetables or it was seasonally supposed to wither away anyway). * Mushrooms, Fungus and Yeasts are forbidden because they are parasites, grow in non-hygienic environments and may harbour other life forms. Alfalfa is the only known plantae that contains a source of vitamin D2 they can use or make vitamin D2 supplements from. *Honey is forbidden, as its collection would amount to violence against the bees.〔Hemacandra: ''Yogashastra'' 3.37; Laidlaw p. 166-167; Tähtinen p. 109.〕 *Food items that have started to decay are prohibited. *Traditionally cooking or eating at night was discouraged because insects are attracted to the lamps or fire at night. Strict Jains take the ''anastamita'' or ''anthai'' vow of not eating after sunset. *Strict Jains do not consume food that has been stored overnight, as it possesses a higher concentration of micro-organisms (for example, bacteria, yeast etc.) as compared to food prepared and consumed the same day. Hence, they do not consume yogurt or dhokla & idli batter unless they've been freshly set on the same day. * Jains do not consume fermented foods (beer, wine and other alcohols) to avoid killing of a large number of microorganisms associated with the fermenting process. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jain vegetarianism」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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