Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s7.t8.66

v1.c7.s7.t8.66

The Jain “Five Vows” are not unlike the codes of conduct of other religious sects in ancient India. It is worth noting that Jainism put extra emphasis on the “no killing” vow, which it enforced most strictly. Besides, the scope of the vow is also much wider than that of other sects. For instance, Jainists are not allowed to kill not just people and animals, but certain plants as well, which might be attributable to the Jain theory that plants also contain “*jiva*”. Quite some historic records contain passages describing Jainists as being extremely careful walking out for fear of hurting small plants.