Very good observation. It looks confusing at first, but Jain philosophy looks at it in a very relative way.

1. Two options are being compared

- Raw (unboiled) water = full of countless live micro‑organisms. - Boiled water = many of those jīv are already dead due to heat.

When you drink raw water, you crush and destroy a huge number of living beings inside your body (more and more as they keep multiplying). When you drink boiled water, you are mainly using it as a dravya (substance) for your body; you are not killing that same huge ongoing population inside you.

So, from the angle of minimising himsā, boiled water is less violent than unboiled water.

1. Intention (bhāv) also matters

- Jains do not boil water with the feeling: “Let me kill germs.” - The bhāv is: “Water is compulsory for my body. Out of the available ways, let me choose the one that causes the least violence.”

In Jainism, when some basic act cannot be completely avoided (like breathing, walking, drinking), we are told to reduce the himsā as far as possible, not that it can become zero for a householder.

1. Scriptural and traditional basis

- Jain Āgams and ācār (conduct texts) clearly instruct monks and nuns to drink boiled and filtered water only, especially in Chaturmās (monsoon), because then water-life is maximum. - Serious śrāvaks/śrāvikās also follow this, at least in vrats, Paryushan, etc.

So, this is not a new idea; it is a very old and standard Jain discipline.

1. Why killing by boiling is still considered “less” himsā

Think of it like this (in simple logic, not exact numbers): - Unboiled water: suppose there are 10,000 living jīv; they keep multiplying inside you; the total destruction over time is huge. - Boiled water: many jīv are already dead before entering you, and further multiplication is very limited.

The karmic load is judged by: - number of jīv harmed, - intensity of harm, - intention and care taken.

Because you are trying to reduce harm and actually harming many fewer jīv, boiling + filtering is spiritually better than drinking raw water.

So the answer in one line:

Jains boil water even though some micro‑organisms die, because compared to drinking raw water, it results in far less total himsā and shows carefulness (apramatta) in following ahiṁsā.