In Jainism, ahimsa (non-violence) is the central principle. Everything that lives is a jiva (soul) in some form, so harm to living beings creates karma. But the way we apply this in daily life depends on context, intention, and how much harm is involved.

Key points to understand your question:

• Both actions—you playing soccer on grass and consuming ginger—can involve harming life, but the scale and intention matter.
• In playing soccer on grass, a few insects or small creatures on the field may be unintentionally harmed. The intention of the activity is not to kill or harm; it is to play. Most Jain teachers would say you should minimize harm, choose fields and times where less life is present, and play considerately.
• Eating ginger involves removing and killing the plant (the rhizome) to eat it. This is a deliberate act that ends the life or life-cycle of that plant. Many Jains, especially those who follow stricter ahimsa practices, avoid root vegetables to reduce harm to living beings that are part of the plant’s life and ecosystem. Ginger is a plant, and harvesting it ends its life in that instance.

Important nuances:

• Digambar vs. Shvetambar: there are nuanced differences in how strictly ahimsa is applied, especially regarding plant life, root vegetables, and daily practices. Some traditions emphasize minimizing harm to all life as much as possible, while others interpret the application with slightly different practical boundaries.
• Scale and intention: If the intent is to cause no harm and one takes care to avoid needless killing, the act is viewed more favorably than an act done with clear intent to kill. However, intention alone does not erase the consequence of harm.
• Practical guidance in Jain living: many Jains try to reduce harm by choosing non-root foods (to minimize uprooting life), being mindful of the fields and seasons they use, and adopting habits that limit unnecessary violence in everyday actions.

Bottom line: both activities involve living beings, but Jain ethics weigh intention and impact. The goal is to minimize harm as much as possible in all daily choices, and where there is a difference in how much life is affected (insects on a field vs. uprooting a plant for food), traditional guidance tends to favor actions that disturb life less or in a less permanent way.

If you’d like, I can explain how specific Jain teachings (like ahimsa in the Mahavratas and their practical applications) apply to everyday choices in more detail.