Jain Business Engagement and Ethics : An Overview

Jain narrative as well as canonical literature indicates that the first tirthankara of Jains, Lord Adinath, was the founder of work and knowledge-based culture in India. He taught people how to live as communities and adhere to certain prearranged rules of coexistence and cooperation. He prescribed six different skills to be acquired by his subjects for worldly activities like (i) Asi (swordsmanship for protection), (ii) Masi (writing skills), (iii) Krishi (agriculture), (iv) Vidya (knowledge), (v) Vanijya (trade and commerce) and (vi) Shilp (crafts). 

These skills not only help in creating worldly wealth but also assist individuals and communities to live happily with overall prosperity. Following the path shown by Lord Adinath and subsequent tirthankaras. The Jain society from ancient times has been engaged in business activities with ahimsa (non-violence) as their guiding principle. Owing to this principle of ahimsa, we do find trends of the Jain community being engaged in commerce and trade. The historical trajectory of mercantile characteristics among the Jains continued till date and since India’s Independence, many renowned Jains have contributed to the development of India. This book documents the conceptual foundation of Jain tenets with reference to the Western approach toward business ethics; it also covers biographies of successful Jain entrepreneurs in the past and present. Apart from the details on the conceptual framework of Jain Business Ethics and Jain Business Engagements through the ages, it also contains various essays on Jain Values and Entrepreneurship. This book is an academic attempt to examine the Jain religion as an Eastern case study, which will be of interest to readers, who are looking for an alternative perspective in light of contemporary worries about global business and economic systems.