Jai Narian vyas university

Jodhpur
Faculty of law

Session=2018-2019
Subject=PHILOSHOPHY
Topic=jainism

Submitted by= submitted to=

Dilip kumar jani DHiraj mam’m

Ba llb 3rdsem.
 Acknowledgment
I have taken lots of efforts in this assignment. However it
would not have been possible without the kind support of Mrs
dhiraj mam’m. I would like to express my sincere thanks to
him.
I m highly indebted to jai Narayan vyas university for this
guidance and constant supervision as well as for providing
necessary information regarding this assignment.
I would like to express my gratitude towards my family and
friends for their kind cooperation and encouragement which
helped me in completing my assingnment.
My thanks also goes to those people who directly or indirectly
helped me in completing my project report.
 INDEX
Content

1 introduction

2 main principles of Jainism

3 food and fasting

4 meditation

5 rituals and worships

6 division of Jainism

7 temples

8 bibliography
INTRODUCTION

JAINISM

Jainism, traditionally known as Jain Dharma, is an ancient Indian religion.Followers of

Jainism are called "Jains", a word derived from the Sanskrit word jina (victor) and connoting
the path of victory in crossing over life's stream of rebirths through an ethical and spiritual
life.[4] Jains trace their history through a succession of twenty-four victorious saviours and
teachers known as tirthankaras, with the first being Rishabhanatha, who according to Jain
tradition lived millions of years ago, and twenty-fourth being the Mahāvīra around 500 BCE.
Jains believe that Jainism is an eternal dharma with the tirthankaras guiding every cycle of
the Jain cosmology.

The main religious premises of Jainism are ahiṃsā (non-violence), anekāntavāda (many-
sidedness), aparigraha (non-attachment) and asceticism. Devout Jains take five main vows:
ahiṃsā (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (not stealing), brahmacharya (celibacy or
chastity), and aparigraha (non-attachment). These principles have impacted Jain culture in
many ways, such as leading to a predominantly vegetarian lifestyle that avoids harm to
animals and their life cycles. Parasparopagraho Jīvānām (the function of souls is to help one
another) is the motto of Jainism. Ṇamōkāra mantra is the most common and basic prayer in
Jainism[5. ]

Jainism has two major ancient sub-traditions, Digambaras and Śvētāmbaras; and several
smaller sub-traditions that emerged in the 2nd millennium CE. The Digambaras and
Śvētāmbaras have different views on ascetic practices, gender and which Jain texts can be
considered canonical. Jain mendicants are found in all Jain sub-traditions, with laypersons
(śrāvakas) supporting the mendicants' spiritual pursuits with resources.

Jainism has between four and five million followers, with most Jains residing in India.[6]
Outside India, some of the largest Jain communities are present in Canada, Europe, Kenya,
the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Suriname, Fiji, and the United States. Major Jain festivals
include Paryushana and Daslakshana, Mahavir Jayanti, and Diwali.
MAIN PRINCIPLES OF JAINISM

1 NON – VOILENCE(AHINSA)
The principle of ahimsa (non-violence or non-injury) is a fundamental tenet of Jainism. It
believes that one must abandon all violent activity, and without such a commitment to non-
violence all religious behavior is worthless. In Jain theology, it does not matter how correct
or defensible the violence may be, one must not kill vany being, and "non-violence is one's
highest religious duty".

The idea of reverence for non-violence (ahiṃsā) is founded in Hindu and Buddhist canonical
texts, and it may have origins in more ancient Brahmanical Vedic thoughts. However, no
other Indian religion has developed the nonviolence doctrine and its implications on everyday
life as has Jainism[

The theological basis of non-violence as the highest religious duty has been interpreted by
some Jain scholars not to "be driven by merit from giving or compassion to other creatures,
nor a duty to rescue all creatures", but resulting from "continual self-discipline", a cleansing
of the soul that leads to one's own spiritual development which ultimately affects one's
salvation and release from rebirths. Causing injury to any being in any form creates bad
karma which affects one's rebirth, future well being and suffering.

2 MANY – SIDED REALITY(ANEKANTAVAD)

The second main principle of Jainism is anekāntavāda or anekantatva, a word derived from
anekānta (not one ended, sided", "many-sidedness" or "manifoldness) and vada (doctrine",
"way).

The anekāntavāda doctrine states that truth and reality is complex and always has multiple
aspects. Reality can be experienced, but it is not possible to totally express it with language.
Human attempts to communicate is Naya, explained as "partial expression of the truth".
Language is not Truth, but a means and attempt to express Truth. From Truth, according to
Mahāvīra, language returns and not the other way round. One can experience the truth of a
taste, but cannot fully express that taste through language. Any attempts to express the
experience is syāt, or valid "in some respect" but it remains a "perhaps, just one perspective,
incomplete". In the same way, spiritual truths are complex, they have multiple aspects, and
language cannot express their plurality, yet through effort and appropriate karma they can be
experienced. Since reality is many-sided the great error, according to Jainism, is ekānta (one-
sidedness) where some relative truth is treated as an absolute truth to the exclusion of others.

3 NON – ATTACHMENT(APARIGRAH)
The third main principle in Jainism is aparigraha which means non-attachment to worldly
possessions. For ascetics, Jainism requires a vow of complete non-possession of any
property. For Jain laypersons, it recommends limited possession of property that has been
honestly earned, and giving excess property to charity. According to Natubhai Shah,
aparigraha applies to both the material and the psychic. Material possessions refer to various
forms of property. Psychic possessions refer to emotions, likes and dislikes, and attachments
of any form. Unchecked attachment to possessions is said to result in direct harm to one's
personality
Jainism views attachments to material or emotional possessions as what leads to passions,
which in turn leads to violence. According to the aparigraha principle, a Jain monk or nun is
expected to be homeless and family-less with no emotional longings or attachments. The
ascetic is a wandering mendicant in the Digambara tradition, or a resident mendicant in the
Śvētāmbara tradition.

4 JAIN ETHICS AND FIVE VOWS

Jainism teaches five ethical duties, which it calls five vows. These are called anuvratas (small
vows) for Jain laypersons, and mahavratas (great vows) for Jain mendicants. For both, its
moral precepts preface that the Jain has access to a guru (teacher", "counsellor), deva (Jina",
"god), doctrine, and that the individual is free from five offences: doubts about the faith,
indecisiveness about the truths of Jainism, sincere desire for Jain teachings, recognition of
fellow Jains, and admiration for their spiritual pursuits. Such a person undertakes the
following Five vows of Jainism:

1. Ahiṃsā, "intentional non-violence" or "noninjury" The first major vow taken by Jains is to
cause no harm to other human beings, as well as all living beings (particularly animals) This
is the highest ethical duty in Jainism, and it applies not only to one's actions, but demands
that one be non-violent in one's speech and though

2. Satya, "truth": This vow is to always speak the truth. Neither lie, nor speak what is not
true, and do not encourage others or approve anyone who speaks an untruth.

3. Asteya, "not stealing": A Jain layperson should not take anything that is not willingly
given. Additionally, a Jain mendicant should ask for permission to take it if something is
being given.

4. Brahmacharya, "celibacy": Abstinence from sex and sensual pleasures is prescribed for
Jain monks and nuns. For laypersons, the vow means chastity, faithfulness to one's partner.

5. Aparigraha, "non-possessiveness": This includes non-attachment to material and

psychological possessions,
avoiding craving and greed. Jain monks and nuns completely renounce property and social
relations, own nothing and are attached to no one.

FOOD AND FASTING

The practice of non-violence towards all living beings has led to Jain culture being
vegetarian. Devout Jains practice lactovegetarianism, that is eat no eggs, but accept dairy
products if there is no violence against animals during their production. Veganism is
encouraged if there are concerns about animal welfare.[64] Jain monks and nuns do not eat
root vegetables such as potatoes, onions and garlic because tiny organisms are injured when
the plant is pulled up, and because a bulb or tuber's ability to sprout is seen as characteristic
of a higher living being.
MEDITATION
Jainism considers meditation (dhyana) a necessary practice, but its goals are very different
from those in Buddhism and Hinduism. In Jainism, meditation is concerned more with
stopping karmic attachments and activity, not as a means to transformational insights or self-
realization in other Indian religions. Meditation in early Jain literature is a form of austerity
and ascetic practice in Jainism, while in late medieval era the practice adopted ideas from
other Indian traditions. According to Paul Dundas, this lack of meditative practices in early
Jain texts may be because substantial portions of ancient Jain texts were lost.

RITUALS AND WORSHIPS

There are many rituals in Jainism's various sects. According to Dundas, the ritualistic lay path
among Śvētāmbara Jains is "heavily imbued with ascetic values", where the rituals either
revere or celebrate the ascetic life of Tirthankaras, or mendicants, or progressively get closer
to psychologically and physically living ever more like an ascetic. The ultimate ritual is
sallekhana, a religious death through ascetic abandonment of food and drinks. The
Digambara Jains follow the same theme, but the details differ from Śvētāmbaras, and
according to Dundas, the life cycle and religious rituals are closer to the liturgy found among
Hindu traditions.[82] The overlap in Jain and Hindu rituals is largely in the life cycle (ritesof-
passage) rituals, according to Padmanabh Jaini, and likely one that developed over time
because Jains and Hindus societies overlapped, and rituals were viewed as
necessary and secular ceremonies.

DIVISION OF JAINISM

The jain community is divided into two parts

1 diganbara
2 swetambara

The Jain community is divided into two major denominations, Digambara and Śvētāmbara.
Monks of the Digambara (sky-clad) tradition do not wear clothes. Female monastics of the
Digambara sect wear unstitched plain white sarees and are referred to as Aryikas. Śvētāmbara
(white-clad) monastics, on the other hand, wear seamless white clothes. Other than rejecting
or accepting diferent ancient Jain texts, Digambaras and Śvētāmbara differ in other
significant ways such as:

1 Śvētāmbaras trace their practices and dress code to the teachings of Parshvanatha, the
23rtdir thankara, which they believe taught only Four restraints (a claim, scholars say are
confirmed by the ancient Buddhist texts that discuss Jaina monastic life). Mahāvīra taught
Five vows, which Digambara follow. The Digambara sect disagrees with the Śvētāmbara
interpretations[1, 48] and reject the theory of diference in Parshvanatha and Mahāvīra's
teachings.

2 Digambaras believe that both Parshvanatha and Mahāvīra remained unmarried, whereas
Śvētāmbara believe the 23rd and 24th did indeed marry. According to the Śvētāmbara
version, Parshva married Prabhavati. and
Mahāvīra married Yashoda who bore him a daughter named Priyadarshana. The two sects
also difer on the origin of Trishala, Mahāvīra's mother,[150] as well as the details of
Tirthankara's biographies such as how many auspicious dreams their mothers had when they
were in the wombs.
3 Digambara believe Rishabha, Vasupujya and Neminatha were the three tirthankaras who
reached omniscience while in sitting posture and other tirthankaras were in standing ascetic
posture. In contrast, Śvētāmbaras believe it was Rishabha, Nemi and Mahāvīra who were the
three in sitting posture.

4 Digambara monasticism rules are more rigid.

5 Digambara iconography are plain, Śvētāmbara icons are decorated and colored to be more
lifelike.

Excavations at Mathura revealed Jain statues from the time of the Kushan Empire (c. 1st
century CE). Tirthankara represented without clothes, and monks with cloth wrapped around
the left arm, are identified as the Ardhaphalaka (half-clothed) mentioned in texts. The
Yapaniyas, believed to have originated from the Ardhaphalaka, followed Digambara nudity
along with several Śvētāmbara beliefs.[155]

TEMPLES
A Jain temple, Derasar or Basadi is a place of worship for Jains. Jain temples are built with
various architectural designs,[334] but there are mainly two type of Jain temples:

1. Shikar-bandhi Jain temple (one with a dome)

2. Ghar Jain temple (Jain house temple – one without a dome).

There is always a main deity also known as moolnayak in every Jain temple placed inside a
sanctum called
"Gambhara" (Garbha Griha). A manastambha (column of honor) is a pillar that is often
constructed in front of Jain temples. There are 26 caves, 200 stone beds, 60 inscriptions, and
over 100 sculptures in and aroundM adurai. This is also the site where Jain ascetics wrote
great epics and books on grammar in Tamil.
BIBLIOGRAPHY