You’re pointing to a real and important issue: there is a big gap today between Jain principles and how many Jains actually live.

Let’s separate Jain Dharma (teaching) from Jain community (people).

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1. Jain principle is very strict: Ahimsa in dravya and bhava

Core Jain teaching:

• Do not harm any living being (ahimsa)
• Minimize all kinds of violence:

- Physical (dravya–himsa) – directly causing pain, killing, exploiting - Mental (bhava–himsa) – anger, lust, greed, pride, hatred, attachment

So, in shastra (scriptures and acharyas’ writings), the direction is:

• Less exploitation
• Less indulgence of passions
• Less attachment to possessions

By this standard, dairy, porn, leather, etc. are all problematic in different ways.

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2. Dairy and Jainism (vegan question)

Traditionally, Jains took milk assuming:

• The cow/buffalo was treated gently
• Calf was fed first
• No hormones, machines, mass breeding, etc.

Modern dairy is very different:

• Artificial insemination
• Separation of calf and mother
• Slaughter of male calves and “spent” cows
• Intense physical and emotional suffering

By Jain logic, once you know this:

• Supporting such dairy = participating in himsa
• So, moving toward vegan or at least strongly reducing dairy is closer to true Jain ahimsa.

Many modern Jain monks, nuns and laypeople now openly encourage:

• Avoiding milk, ghee, cheese, ice cream, etc.
• Choosing plant-based alternatives when available

So you’re right: If similar nutrition is possible without violence, Jain dharma clearly supports choosing the less-violent option.

If many Jains still do not do this, that is their weakness, not a fault in Jain philosophy.

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3. Porn and Jain view

From Jain dharma side:

• Kama (sexual passion), especially indulgence in lustful thoughts and viewing explicit content, increases kashayas (passions).
• It strengthens:

- Raga (attachment) - Mithyatva (wrong belief that pleasure = true happiness) - Restless mind, stronger desires, and often more objectification, which can even lead to more subtle forms of violence.

So:

• Publishing, trading, or watching porn is completely opposite to:

- Brahmacharya (sexual restraint, purity) - Samyaktva (right vision) - Ahimsa in bhava (not turning others into objects for our pleasure)

Again: if Jains are doing this, it is against Jain teaching, not supported by it.

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4. Leather and Jain view

Leather mostly comes from:

• Animals killed for meat/skin
• Or exploited and then killed when no longer “useful”

Jain principle:

• Products involving slaughter = clear himsa
• Even if you are not killing directly, paying for leather supports that killing.

So, by Jain ethics:

• Leather car seats, shoes, belts, wallets, bags etc. are not ideal at all.
• A sincere Jain should prefer:

- Fabric / synthetic seats - Non-leather shoes and accessories - Repair/reuse over buying more

Again, where Jains ignore this, it is their compromise, not Jain dharma’s.

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5. So, are Jains hypocrites?

Sometimes, yes.

But that’s true of almost every religion and ideology:

• Ideal is high
• Practice is weak
• Culture, convenience, social pressure, comfort → people compromise

Jainism itself is very clear and uncompromising:

• Reduce himsa in food, possessions, business, entertainment, speech, and even thoughts.
• Modern industries (dairy, fashion, digital entertainment, etc.) have added new forms of himsa that older generations didn’t fully know.
• As awareness grows, a truly honest Jain has to update his/her practice to match the principle of ahimsa.

So your criticism is valid as a challenge:

> “If you claim ahimsa, why are you still doing X, Y, Z when there are less-violent options?”

That kind of question is actually very Jain – it pushes towards self-examination (pratikraman) and tapas (reform).

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6. The honest Jain response

A sincere Jain, when faced with what you said, should ideally say:

• “You’re right – my practice is not matching my principles.”
• “I need to reduce/stop:

- Dairy from cruel sources - Leather - Porn and other passion-increasing habits - Any luxury that depends on heavy himsa.”

• “Let me take small but firm steps toward less violence.”

Jain dharma doesn’t say “Jains are perfect.” It says: keep reducing your violence and passions, step by step, honestly.

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If you want, I can outline very concrete steps a modern Jain (or anyone) could take to align more closely with ahimsa in these exact areas (food, clothing, media), but the main point is:

• Your criticism is mostly aligned with true Jain ethics.
• The problem is practice, not the principle of Jainism itself.