Jainism or Genz-ism?

Let’s be honest, our attention spans are cooked. Between reels, Instagram notifications, and that random YouTube video you didn’t even mean to click, it feels like the internet is basically a giant vacuum sucking up every ounce of focus we have. And it’s not an accident. We literally live in the attention economy , where apps, brands, and algorithms compete to keep us scrolling for “just five more minutes.” And we all know, it's never just  Now contrast that with Jainism’s concept of Samayik. On paper, Samayik is a spiritual practice: setting aside time (usually 48 minutes) to sit in calmness, withdraw from distractions, and focus on your true self. Sounds impossible in 2025, right? But if you zoom out, it’s actually the exact antidote to our scattered, screen-addicted lives. Samayik isn’t about renouncing your phone forever. It’s about reclaiming your attention, reminding yourself that you are not your notifications, and you don’t have to live at the mercy of a “ding.” Imagine...

We live in a world where one wrong word, one old tweet, or one unpopular opinion can get you “canceled.” Social media thrives on black-and-white perspectives: someone is either right or wrong, good or bad, an ally or an enemy. But here’s the catch: life is rarely that simple. That’s where Jainism’s idea of Anekantavada comes in. At its core, it means reality isn’t one-sided. Truth has layers, perspectives, and angles. Think of the classic example: a group of people touching an elephant in the dark. One feels the trunk and says, “It’s a snake.” Another touches the leg and insists, “No, it’s a pillar.” Both are right, from their angle. Both are wrong if they think that’s the whole picture. Now zoom back to 2025. Scroll through any comment section, and you’ll see the exact opposite of Anekantavada. People shut each other down instead of listening. We assume our version of the story is the only one that matters. But what if we borrowed a little Jain wisdom here? Imagine applying Aneka...

Okay, real talk. The word dharam instantly makes most of us think of religion, rules, or our parents telling us to “do the right thing.” But Jainism actually breaks it down in a way that’s super practical,  like life advice you can actually use. There are four pillars of dharam: Daan, Sheel, Tap, and Bhav. And trust me, they’re way more relatable to Gen Z life than they sound. 1. Daan = The art of giving (without being broke). We usually think giving means donating money, but Daan is bigger than that. It’s about generosity, giving your time, energy, kindness, and attention. Think: helping a friend prep for an exam, listening when someone’s having a meltdown, or even sharing your playlist (because yes, music is therapy). Daan is just learning to loosen the “me, mine, my vibe only” attitude and actually share. 2. Sheel = Discipline (but make it aesthetic). Sheel isn’t about being a saint or saying no to pizza. It’s about self-control and conscious choices. Like not sending that ...

Be honest, how many times today did your mind drift off? Maybe while you were sitting in class, scrolling on your phone, pretending to listen in a meeting, or lying in bed staring at the ceiling. Our minds are like restless travelers, always wandering, never content to stay still. And sometimes, that wandering feels harmless, daydreaming about a trip, replaying a memory, imagining what you’ll say in a conversation you haven’t had yet. But if you stop and think about it, where your mind chooses to rest shapes your entire life. Jainism has a word for this,  Dhyan. We usually translate it as meditation, but it isn’t limited to the image of sitting cross-legged in silence. Dhyan, in Jain thought, is simply the state of where your attention is. And Jain philosophy says there are four types of Dhyan. Two of them uplift you. Two of them drain you. Let’s start with the ones we all know too well. There is Artha Dhyan:   the meditation of sorrow. It’s when you’re caught in loops of ...

Be honest with yourself for a second. How many times today have you opened Instagram or scrolled through reels and thought, “Wow, their life looks so much better than mine”? Maybe it was a friend’s vacation story, a colleague’s new achievement, or someone your age buying things you can’t even imagine affording right now. And then, almost without realizing, you felt like you were falling behind. That’s FOMO, the fear of missing out. It’s not just about skipping a party; it’s the constant whisper that says, “If you’re not doing more, you’re not enough.” Now, let’s pause here. What if I told you that hundreds of years ago, long before FOMO became a buzzword, Jain philosophy had already spoken about this exact restlessness? The answer it gave was one simple word: Santosh : contentment. But wait, when you hear “contentment,” what comes to mind? Do you think it means being lazy, giving up on ambition, or just accepting a boring life? That’s the common misconception. Santosh isn’t about l...

It is often said that every generation rebels against the one before it. But with Gen Z, those born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, something different is happening. This generation is less interested in tearing down the old and more invested in finding ways to live with complexity. They resist binaries, value plurality, and thrive in grey zones where multiple truths can coexist. In this, they may have more in common with an ancient Indian philosophy than they realise: Jainism’s Anekantavada , or the doctrine of many-sidedness. The Philosophy of Many Truths At its core, Anekantavada posits that no single perspective can ever fully capture the entire truth. Each viewpoint is partial, shaped by one’s position, time, and experience. Jain philosophers often illustrated this through the story of blind men touching different parts of an elephant: each describes it correctly from his own vantage point, but none alone grasps the entire animal. For centuries, this idea has shaped Jain...