Customer Reviews

Life Force: The World of Jainism

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This is the best book on Jainism. Michael Tobias has described non-violance(ahimsa) in great details. Everyone knows Gandhi but many don't know driving force behind Gandhi's Ahimsa. Gandhi's spiritual leader, Shrimad Rajchandra(or Raichandbhai in Gandhi's autobiography)was Jain.

He has also tried to depict differences between Jainism and Baudhdhism, where applicable. By birth, I'm Jain(and trying to be Jain by act)and I appreciate many historical perspective on Jainism.
Also, as mentioned in the book, Jainism is scientific religion - covering Physics, Math and other subjects. This is great book not only for spiritual reading but also for environmental understanding.

I got this book from the library. I'm going to buy few copies and going to give them to my spiritual friends.

I am very happy to see this book being re-published by a new publisher. BUT....It pained me to read some of the reviews here, I think these are misguided, and even though I believe in Anekantavad of Jainism, I offer the following thoughts, mine, on this book as a counter balance.

This is a composite edited shortened transcript of several talks I gave to Young Jains on this earth across continents. Hence the original copyright is mine and sometimes of the Newsletters of the Jain Temples that sponsored the seminars. So I ask all concerned to please respect that.

I quote my own words, " Michael Tobias has written an exemplary book on Jainism. I recommend this book highly to Jains and Non-Jains alike, to those who want to KNOW the IDEALS of Jainism, to use them in their own lives. This book is not for those who merely want to collect facts. For fact junkies who only live in their heads, there are numerous books. Fact junkies beware! this book touch your heart.

Reading this book in summer of 1996, on a rock by the banks of the Hudson river, in Nyack NY, I could not put it down. I had a long way to drive to get home, but somehow I could not get off that rock. I had gone antiquing. Instead of antique objects, I had found this new book about a very very old religion in a friendly little shop by the river. I am a Jain by birth, by some life rules set by my parents, by stories told to us by Grandma and by morals particularly of Social Ahimsa imbibed from facts about Gandhiji. I also have a lot of didactic learning about facts, history and rules of Jainism, in books from Indian Jain authors and some non Jain Europeans. These books had filled my head, but never managed to touch my heart.

It is Mr. Tobias's genius, that I found myself drawn to the religion of my birth as never before. May be because it came when I was ready, but the style he uses to tell us about the Jains and Jainism is personal and investigative at the same time. He provides real honest to goodness references, not just newspaper articles (as some gringos nowadays are apt to do and put out their pseudo-scientific hodgepodge, I will not name them here, I have written about them elsewhere, I do not want to give those undeserving professors free publicity).

Of course once in a while Mr. (is he a doctor by now?) Tobias comes up gushing, but why not. He is telling us about a religion whose morals we need the most and our actions must arise in our hearts:
TURNING THE OTHER CHEEK,
Non-violence in dealing with others,
ANEKANTAVAD: genuine ability to see others' viewpoint in an openhearted openminded way,
Ahimsa: Not harming even a small ant or a beetle on a houseplant (or human beings in the name of religion, or region or oil for that matter) .
Very gently, he told me that I am responsible for my own actions and hence the reactions, his stories reminded me that there is no intermediary between me and my God, no one to plead for me, no one to die for me, I am responsible for my own salvation. No whining is allowed, there is no one to hear your whining. I knew my father and his father before him for generations resolved matters wisely, amicably, out of harsh courtroom drama. I did not know why? Michael told me it was my Jain legacy, Jains prefer not to file lawsuits. Their business dealings are mostly so honest and straight that chances of lawsuits do not arise. I know how violence settles in the hearts of two legal opponents.

He also told me about my true legacy of no pomp, no ceremony in the behavior of the highest ranking Jain. When a Jain Muni befriended him outside a temple, he was so non-assuming and simple that Michael assumed he must be some sort of a caretaker. Instead he turned out to be a Muni of High rank. Living in NY with my (and my colleagues') inflated egos of being big shot academicians this was a lesson, an eyeopener. Jain munis are highly learned, highly sophisticated, highly evolved yet have no pomp, no gilding, no treasury, no armed guards, no violence. Just peace. Just cleanliness, just stillness. I have since then tried to be simple, quiet, humble, kind. His stories reminded me that it has to be daily awareness of the social Ahimsa and equality in practice.

My meditation teacher had told us, be quiet for 20 minutes and sit and may be you can listen to what God has to say. Michael told me in this book that practicing Jainism would provide me that quietitude in daily life even if I were in the middle of the hubbub of daily busy-ness of a research lab in Medical school in NY.

I must also tell you that I have read and re-read this book periodically over the last dozen years.

I was so impressed I bought as many copies as I could afford, to give away. All who read it were always glad of the experience and wanted more copies to share with their own circle. Soon this book was out of print, not even in nooks and cranny of some obscure bookstore or the internet could I find a new copy to give to other relatives or nieces or nephews or some Jain temple library. "

So I was very pleased to see that a new publisher has taken on the task of publishing this book.

I havent finished reading this book yet. but from what I have read so far, it is a great book. I am a Jain and knew that Jainism is one of very few religions based on science and ecology but didnt really knew how. This book provides that information.

A very good reading on the subject from someone who is not a Jain.

Well, it's an OK survey book, but I was put off by the author's co-opting Jain principles to rail on about non-vegetarians, the beef industry, and environmentalism. I don't necessarily disagree with some of his positions, but I purchased the book to expand my knowledge of Jainism, not for the author's social agenda.

A better alternative is Hemacandra's The Lives of the Jain Elders (R.C.C. Fynes, ed.), which has a brief history and overview of Jainism, though it's limited to the White-clad Jains. The translation of Hemacandra's work is a very readable intro to some of the moral precepts of the religion.

I've studied most religions over the years but could never embrace any of them because, after becoming a Vegan 3 years ago, didn't find them very loving towards all Sentient Beings or gave me the feeling that they knew worshiping leads to a form of slavery until i came back to Jainism. I ended up here again because of a stressful relationship i'm in now with someone who is my Polar, my Ying/Yang. And i don't have contact with my now very religious Xtian family anymore because i don't follow their Lord, their superstitions. My family today are mostly non-human beings, animals, plants, etc.. and a few good friends. This book fed my soul, for the author explained to me exactly what i've been looking for since i began my soul searching expedition years ago. I so thank you Michael Tobias for writing this very lovely, easy to read book!! I'm a Techno-Hippie that's now practicing Jainism, one who has always care about our Ecology and also loves Technology!

I purchased this book with the assumption that it would be about certain ecological concepts found w/in the Jain belief system and give a brief history of the movement. No dice!

These are essays about the inner workings of a hopeless romantic written by the romantic. In his own book certain Jains tell the author that he has a distorted rose-colored view of Jainism. This doesn't stop him from fantasizing about the incomparable excellency of his new pet project/belief. Bottom line, this book is trite.

There are generally two categories of analysis for Westerners that view different cultures and realities. 1: Disdain everything that isn't Western as backward, inefficient, done in ignorance. 2: Fall blindly in love with anything that isn't Western and live in a puppy-love state of infatuation with it. Thereby restricting yourself from ever gaining a true, objective understanding of the culture, belief, etc. Mr. Tobias is a #2. A hopeless Oriental-o-phile that doesn't even give a brief history of the people or significant reference to any of their literature that he professes to have experienced in such a life-changing manner.

I'm a vegan. I don't eat or wear animal, but this book left me desiring some real "meat" or substance concerning this topic. I'm going to try another book that is hopefully more considerate of the peoples culture, history, philosophy.

I have become Jain as a result of Tobias' Life Force. Not just a Jain, but a vegan, an animal rights activist, and a volunteer at shelters everywhere - for people and species other than people.

Tobias has been called one of the most famous Jains in the world. But I suspect he is not interested in fame, fortune or notoriety of any kind. This book says it all: modesty, humility, compassion, and non-violence. As Gandhi wrote, as quoted by Tobias, "Ahimsa (non-violence) limps - but it is the only way."

This book carries the torch of Gandhi, of Mahavira, of Buddha, of Christ, of all the great saints who have urged the rest of humanity to be kind. Life Force - The World of Jainism is another profound example of deep thought, deep compassion, deep ecology, and deep spirituality from one of the world's greatest thinkers and writers.

Most likely, this book was the most rewarding reading experience I have ever had. It was certainly money well spent.
I just regret that I did not discover this treasure earlier.
Buy two copies and give one to your best friend!