JAIN DATABASE at sunsite.unc.edu Jain Study Center of North Carolina Federation of JAINA Information/comments to: varia@med.unc.edu ============================================================================ JAIN BBS EMAIL BULLETIN Date: Mon, 16 May 94 World Religions Series Compiled by Pravin K. Shah ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Part of a series of Glimpses of World Religions. This series provides information on the major religions of the world using the same format. Religions reviewed in this series are: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Budhism. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jainism Founded: Jainism is one of the oldest living religion. It has no begining. It predates recorded history as per references indicated in Hindu religious scripture. In ancient times it was known by many names such as Saman tradition, or the religion of Nirgantha or Jina. Founder: About 2500 yeas ago Lord Mahavir (Vardhaman), the twenty fourth and the last Tirthankara of this era revived the same philosophy preached by his predecessor Lord Parshva-nath in India. He expanded the code of conducts. The present Jain scriptures reflect only his preaching. Major Scriptures: Lord Mahavir's preaching is complied orally by his disciples in the Jain Agam Sutras which consist of many texts. 25 Agam Sutras as per Digambar Jain sect 45 Agam Sutras as per Swetambar Murtipujak Jain sect 32 Agam Sutras as per Swetambar Sthanakvasi/ Terapanthi Jain sect The Agam Sutras teach great reverence for all forms of life, strict codes of vegetarianism, asceticism, nonviolence, and opposition to war. The existing Agam Sutras are accepted as authentic preaching of Lord Mahavir by the Swetambar sect but the Digmbar sect does not accept them as authentic. Digambars follow two main texts (Shatkhand Agam and Kasay Pahud) and four Anuyogs (consist of more than 20 books) written by great Acharyas (scholars) during 100 to 800 A.D. Sects: There are two major sects: Digambar (sky-clad) sect Swetambar (white cloth) sect The Digambar monks wear no cloths, while Swetambar monks wear white cloths. Fundamentally, however, the views of both sects on ethics and philosophy are identical. The Swetambar sect is divided into three sub sects. Swetambar Murtipujak sect (idol worship) Swetambar Sthanakvasi sect (no idol worship) Swetambar Terapanthi sect (no idol worship and different interpretation of some principles) Adherents: About six million almost exclusively in India. There are small but significant and growing Jain communities in several parts of the world including United Kingdom, USA, Canada, and East Africa. Goals : The primary goal of Jainism is to become a perfected soul, known as Siddha, parmatama, or God. The perfected soul possesses pure consciousness, perfect knowledge, power, bliss, and omniscience. This state is attained when all layers of karma, which are viewed as substance, are removed causing the soul to rise to the ceiling of the universe, known as Moksha. The soul abides forever in solitary bliss in Moksha. Moksha is defined in Jainism as liberation, self-unity, solitaire, an endless calm, freedom from action and desire, and freedom from birth, death, and rebirth. When it is reached, a human has fulfilled his destiny as God. Every living being has a potential to become God. For the Jains there is no creator God, and therefore no communion with Him. Path of Attainment: Right perception (Samyak Darshan), right knowledge (Samyak Jnan), and right conduct (Samyak Charitra) together lead to liberation. Right perception creates an awareness of reality or truth, right knowledge impels the person to proper action, and proper conduct leads him to the attainment of total freedom. They must coexist in a person if one is to make any progress on the path of liberation. The soul passes through various stages of spiritual development, called "gunasthanas," which are progressive manifestations of the soul's innate faculties of perception, knowledge, and conduct. Jainism places great stress on nonviolence (ahimsa), multiplicity of views, asceticism, penance, yoga, and monasticism, as the means of attainment of liberation. Synopsis: Jainism strives for the realization of the highest perfection of man, which in its original purity is free from all pain and the bondage of birth and death. The term Jain is derived from the Sanskrit Jina, or "conqueror" and implies conquest over the bondage of attachment and aversion. Jainism does not consider it necessary to recognize a God or any being higher than the perfect human. Each living being (soul) is beginningless and endless, and eternally individual. It classes souls into three broad categories: those that are not yet evolved, those in the process of evolution, and those that are liberated, free from birth and rebirth. Soul attains better births according to the amount of karmas they are able to eliminate during life. Between births souls dwell in heaven, hell, humans, animals, birds, fish, vegetables etc. It's supreme ideal is nonviolence (ahimsa), equal kindness, and reverence for all forms of life in speech, thought, and action. Above all it is a religion of love and compassion to all living beings. The vows taken by the Jain monks are more severe. They eventually involve elements of ASCETICISM: fasting, peripatetic begging, learning to endure bodily discomfort, and various internal austerities constituting a Jain variety of YOGA. Jainism is unique in allowing the very spiritually advanced person to hasten their own death by certain practices (principally fasting) and under specified circumstances. Beliefs: The spiritual lineage of the twenty four Tirthankaras ("Ford Finders") of whom the ascetic sage Mahavira was the last. They should be revered and worshipped above all else. God is neither a Creator, Father, or Friend. Such human conceptions are limited. All that may be said of Him is: He is. In other words He is a pure consciousness or a perfected soul without any karma attached to it. The ultimate goal of every living being is eternal release from Samsara, the "wheel of birth and death", which is known as liberation. Each human's soul is eternal and individual and that each must conquer himself (his desire) by his own efforts in order to attain liberation (Moksha). The Agam Sutras and Siddhantas are the sacred scriptures that guide moral and spiritual life to ultimately attain liberation. The path of liberation is to follow right perception, right knowledge, and right conduct. It can not be achieved without following the proper ascetic discipline and strict religious observance. The principle governing the successions of life is karma. Our actions, both good and bad, bind us, and one can get rid of karmas by proper knowledge of the nine fundamental truths (nine Tattvas), self purification, penance, austerity, and meditation. The sacredness of all life, that one must cease injuring sentient creatures, large and small, and that even unintentional killing bondages karma. Nonviolence is to be followed in action, thought, and speech and is the highest religion. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- complied by Pravin K. Shah, Cary NC 919-469-0956 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- JAIN DATA BASE / JAIN BBS A Computer Based Jain Education And Information Service of FEDERATION OF JAINA AND JAIN STUDY CENTER OF NORTH CAROLINA ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- JAIN DATABASE ON INTERNET email to : Mahesh Varia at varia@med.unc.edu JAIN BBS DIRECT MODEM ACCESS : 919-469-0207 JAINISM questions, email to : Pravin Shah at enhb34a@prodigy.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- JAIN BBS Email Bulletins(no charge): Send email request to phshah@email.unc JAIN BBS BULLETINS delivery by FAX : Send request to phshah@email.unc JAIN BBS BULLEINS previous editions: Archived in JAIN DATABASE --------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information and details on JAIN DATA BASE, JAIN BBS, and JAIN EMAIL BULLETINS, see faq (Frequently Asked Questions) in JAINIST TEXTS database on sunsite.unc.edu via gopher or swais. =============================================================================