This painting in a Jain temple features a religious teaching in Sanskrit: अहिंसा परमो धर्मः, romanized: ahimsā paramo dharmah, lit. 'non-violence is the highest dharma.'.
The respect for animal rights in Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism derives from the doctrine of ahimsa.[1][2]
In Hinduism, animals contain a soul just like humans; when sentient beings die, they can either be reincarnated as a human or as an animal.[3]
Almost every Jain community in India has established animal hospitals to care for injured and abandoned animals.[4] Many Jains also rescue animals from slaughterhouses.[4]
Mahayana Buddhism teaches that "we can only escape our own suffering if we avoid inflicting it on others."[4] Mahayana Buddhists practice vegetarianism to this end.[4]
^Grant, Catharine (2006). The No-nonsense Guide to Animal Rights. New Internationalist. p. 24. ISBN9781904456407. These religions emphasize ahimsa, which is the principle of non-violence towards all living things. The first precept is a prohibition against the killing of any creature. The Jain, Hindu and Buddhist injunctions against killing serve to teach that all creatures are spiritually equal.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^"Animal rights". BBC. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2019. The main reason for Hindu respect for animal rights is the principle of ahimsa. According to the principle of ahimsa, no living thing should be harmed. This applies to humans and animals. The Jains' belief system takes the principle of ahimsa regarding animals so seriously that as well as being strict vegetarians, some followers wear masks to prevent them breathing in insects. They may also sweep paths with a small broom to make sure they do not tread on any living creatures.
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