Asceticism and Diamonds

The Jains in Belgium are hardly known. This has much to do with their unusual moral principles and doctrine of purity: no meat, seafood, dairy, carrots nor honey, no alcohol, nor tobacco of course.. All strictly forbidden. Their work ethic is just as intense. Wealth is considered evidence of a life lived according to the rules. In the streets around the Middelheimpark in Antwerp it seems like the Jains there must be on the right track.

Many villa’s in this neighbourhood are owned by Indian diamond merchants. It is the Jains’ conviction that a diamond is the purest stone. Besides, almost all Indians in Antwerp hold to the teachings that founder Mahavira – a contemporary of Buddha identified to free the soul. Mahavira even inspired Mahatma Gandhi to adopt what became his ethic of nonviolence.

'Jains in Antwerp' uncovers the life and beliefs of the 400 Jain families in Antwerp. It shows the construction of the biggest Jain temple outside India, with all of its pomp and pageantry. Atul Shah, an Antwerp-bound Jain high priest who started to live an ascetic existence in India, incarnates the link between the age-old roots of Jainism and how it is experienced in today’s Antwerp.