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JAINISM

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 INDEX
 Introduction to Jainism
 Origin of Jainism
 Lord Mahavira
 Beliefs of Jainism
 Spread of Jainism
 Criticism faced by Jainism
 Conclusion
 Bibliography

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 INTRODUCTION TO JAINISM

Jainism is an ancient religion from India that teaches that the way to
liberation and bliss is to live a life of harmlessness and renunciation.
The aim of Jain life is to achieve liberation of the soul
It is an Indian religion teaching a path to spiritual purity and
enlightenment through disciplined nonviolence to all living creatures.
Jainism is one of the three most ancient Indian religious traditions still in
existence and an integral part of South Asian religious belief and
practice. While often employing concepts shared with Hinduism and
Buddhism, the result of a common cultural and linguistic background,
the Jain tradition must be regarded as an independent phenomenon
rather than as a Hindu sect or a Buddhist heresy, as some earlier Western
scholars believed.
The name Jainism derives from the Sanskrit verb “ji” meaning “to
conquer.” It refers to the ascetic battle that, it is believed, Jain
renunciants must fight against the passions and bodily senses to gain
enlightenment, or omniscience and purity of soul. The most illustrious of
those few individuals who have achieved enlightenment are called Jina
and the traditions monastic and lay adherents are called Jain or Jaina.
This term came to replace a more ancient designation, Nirgrantha
originally applied to renunciants only.

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 ORIGIN OF JAINISM
Jainism is an ancient religion from India that teaches that the way to
The origin of Jainism is shrouded in obscurity. It was established by
Mahavira (c. 599 - 527 BC) in about 500 B. C. He was born near Patna
in what is now Bihar state. Mahavira belonged to the warrior caste.
Mahavira was called ‘Jina’ meaning the big winner and from this name
was derived the name of the religion.

Jainism developed as a dissension to the Brahmanic philosophy that was

dominant during that period in north-east India.

The followers of Jainism believe that their religion is as old as the Vedic
religion. In fact, we have reference to Rishabha and Arishtanemi, two of
the Jain Tirthankaras in the Vedic literature. In the Vishnu and Bhagvata
Puranas also Rishabha is depicted as an incarnation of Narayana.

On the basis of these references it can be said that the Jain religion is as
old as Vedic religion. According to the followers of Jainism the
teachings of their religion are the work of twenty-four Tirthankaras and
as Mahavira was their last Tirthanakara. However, they accept only
Parsva Nath and Mahavira as true historical figures.

Parsva Nath was the real founder of Jainism and has been described in
the Puranic texts as one of the twenty-four incarnations of God. Parsva
Nath was the son of Asvasena, the King of Kashi.

He became an ascetic at the age of 30.. Parsva Nath was not in favour of
Yojnas or worship of gods and goddesses. He was also opposed to caste
system and animal sacrifices and held that every person could attain
salvation in spite of his caste.

He stood for an equal status for women in the religious sphere. In the
main he insisted on four vows, non-injury to the living beings,
truthfulness, non-stealing, and non-possession. He also established an
organisation for preaching principles.
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 LORD MAHAVIRA

For a Jain, Lord Mahavira is no less than God and his philosophy is like
the Bible. Born as Vardhamana Mahavir, he later came to be known as
Bhagvan Mahaveer. At the age of 30, Vardhamana left his home in
pursuit of spiritual awakening, and for the next twelve-and-a-half years,
he practiced severe meditation and penance, after which he became
omniscient. After achieving Kevala Jnana, he travelled throughout the
Indian subcontinent to teach Jain philosophy for the next 30 years. He
gave away his possessions, put on a single piece of cloth and uttered
“Namo Siddhanam” (I bow down to the liberated souls) and left all his
worldly attachments behind. During his twelve years of penance he
travelled through Bihar, western and north Bengal, parts of Orissa and
Uttar Pradesh. After experiencing 12 years of hard penance, a tired
Mahaveera is said to have fallen asleep for a few moments when he
experienced a series of 10 strange dreams. These dreams and their
significance have been explained in Jain Scriptures as follows:

1. Defeating a Lion – signifies destruction of ‘moha’ or worldly

attachment
2. A bird with white feathers following him – signifies attainment of
purity of mind
3. A bird with multicolored feathers – signifies attainment and
propagation of multifaceted knowledge
4. Two gem strings appear in front – symbolizes preaching a dual
religion, an amalgamation of principles from a monk’s life and duties
of a common man.

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5. A herd of white cows – symbolizes a group of devoted followers
who will serve
6. A pond with open lotuses – symbolizes presence of celestial spirits
who will propagate the cause
7. Crossed a waxy ocean swimming – symbolizes freedom from the
cycles of death and rebirths
8. Sun rays spreading in all directions – symbolizes attainment of
Kevala Jnana (Omniscience)
9. Encircling the mountain with your bluish intestines – symbolizes the
universe will be privy to the knowledge
10. Sitting on a throne placed on summit of the Mount Meru –
symbolizes people revering the knowledge being taught and placing
Mahaveer in a place of respect.
On the tenth day of the rising moon during the month of Vaisakh, 557
B.C., Mahavira sat under a Sal tree on the banks of river Rijuvaluka
(modern day river Barakar), and attained the Kevala Jnana or
omniscience. He finally experienced perfect perception, perfect
knowledge, perfect conduct, unlimited energy, and unobstructed bliss.
He became a Jina, the one who is victorious over attachment.
Mahavir devoted his life towards spreading his Keval Jnana among
people and gave discourses in local languages as opposed to in elite
Sanskrit. His final discourse was at Pavapuri which lasted for 48 hours.
He attained moksha shortly after his final discourse, finally liberated
from the cycle of life, death and rebirth during 527 B.C. at the age of
72.

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 BELIEFS OF JAINISM
Jainism considered men and women to be spiritual equal and that they
both may renounce the world in search of Moksha. It encouraged
participation of people from all social standings, rich and poor, men and
women, touchable and untouchable. Jainism does not favour of Yojnas
or worship of gods and goddesses. He was also opposed to caste system
and animal sacrifices and held that every person could attain salvation in
spite of his caste. . In the main it insisted on four vows, non-injury to the
living beings, truthfulness, non-stealing, and non-possession.

These scriptures prescribe 5 basic vows that should be observed by

monks and common disciples alike. These five basic vows are
1. Nonviolence (Ahimsa) - not to cause harm to any living beings
2. Truthfulness (Satya) - to speak the harmless truth only
3. Non-stealing (Asteya) - not to take anything not properly given
4. Chastity (Brahmacharya) - not to indulge in sensual pleasure
5. Non-possession/Non-attachment (Aparigraha) - complete
detachment from people, places, and material things.
Jains believe in the eternal existence of the Universe - neither it was
created and nor can it be destroyed. Mahavira thought that the Universe
is made up of six eternal substances – Souls, Space, Time, Material
Atoms, Medium of Motion and Medium of Rest. These independent
components undergo changes to create the multifaceted reality that
mortals exist in.

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 SPREAD OF JAINISM
Jainism spread to different parts of India during the life time of
Mahavira and also after his death. Several factors are responsible for its
rise and spread.

Responsibility of Mahavira:

He moved from place to place and preached his teachings. His simple
way of life, penance and austerity attracted people towards him.

Use of Simple Dialect:

Mahavira preached his religion through the language of the common

people like Magadhi, Prakrit and colloquial languages. So the people
were drawn towards it and accepted the religion.
Royal Patronage:

The Kshatriya kings were displeased with the Brahmana supremacy. So

they embraced Jainism. The rulers of Eastern India patronized Jainism.
The rulers of Magadha, Ajatasatru and his successor Udayin patronized
Jainism. Due to the efforts of Chandragupta Maurya Jainism spread
rapidly in Karnataka. In the fourth century B.C. and 1st century B.C.,
Jainism spread to Kalinga. The southern dynasties like the Chaluleyas,
Rastrakuta, Ganga etc. patronized Jainism. In later centuries it
penetrated Malwa, Gujarat and Rajasthan.

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Role of Jain Monks:

By visiting several places, holding scholastic discussions exhibiting

their personal examples of simplicity could exert great influence upon
the people. In 4th century B.C. in South India, Jain saint Bhadrabahu
spread Jainism. He had accompanied Emperor Chandragupta Maurya to
Sravanvelgola in South, where the latter breathed his last. The Jain
assembly at Pataliputra, convened by Sthulabhadra in 300 B.C. after
Bhadrabahu’s departure for the south, compiled the teachings of
Mahavira into twelve “Angas”. In 512 B.C. another assembly was
convened under the chairmanship of Nagarjuna which codified all
principles and “Angamas” of Jainism into Anga, Upanga, Mula and
Sutra.

Role of Jain Writers:

Lastly, the Jain writers also played a very significant role in popularizing
this religion. The writings of Gunabhadra, Haribhadra, Hemachandra
and Ravikirti could win the hearts of people for accepting Jainism.

These factors were responsible for the spread of Jainism in India.

Jainism was confined only to the four walls of India. In India, Ujjain,
Mathura, Malwa, Gujarat, Rajputana, and some districts of South
became the great centres of Jainism.

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 CRITICISM FACED BY JAINISM
The word “Jain” itself comes from the Sanskrit word for “victor” and
signifies a Jain’s ethical and spiritual journey through life and a
continuous number of rebirths.

Most criticism of Jainism is levied intellectually and is based on whether

or not the religion’s beliefs and practices remain consistent with those
who teach them.

The Jain theory of Karma supposes that karma is a physical substance

found everywhere and that the substance is attracted to a person’s soul
dependent on the actions of the person. In other words, the more
harmonious someone is with the civilization or natural world around
them, the more karma he or she would attract. Critics often question the
lack of oversight by a god. How can the fate of your soul be governed
entirely by your own actions without any connection to a Supreme
Being? Critics believe that at the very least, that which you receive for
your good actions must be administered by a Supreme Being, and not by
the supposedly tangible substance they call karma.

The ideas fuelling any religion thrive because they offer solutions, but
critics of Jainism suggest that certain Jain doctrines promote hesitancy
or uncertainty among followers, and therefore create new problems over
solutions.

Other critics believe that the very idea of Jainism undoes itself because
Jain epistemology can’t deny doctrines that contradict its own. Jainism
posits a complex reality that cannot possibly be described or
comprehended by a single doctrine, and therefore its own must not
adequately articulate that which it must articulate in order to make
universal sense. The Jain doctrine itself would prefer to reconcile rather
than contradict or refute, but perhaps this is a reason for the religion’s
popularity, to begin with.
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Other Jain practices are more heavily criticized, and by a larger swath of
the population where Jains thrive. Minors are often inducted into Jain
monastic orders, Jains routinely fast to a purposeful death, and women
seem to be capable of less authoritative positions than men. Some sects
of Jainism believe that women must be reborn as men before they can
achieve these higher positions or true liberation. Naturally, some people
in the 21st century take issue with these practices–but really, they aren’t
too dissimilar from the practices of religions all over the world, nor are
they more radical.

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 CONCLUSION
Jainism is an ancient Indian religion prescribing a path of non-
violence for all forms of living beings in this world. Its
philosophy and practice relies mainly on self effort to progress
one's soul on the spiritual ladder to God consciousness. Any soul
that has conquered its inner enemies and achieved the state of
supreme being is called jina (Conqueror or Victor). Jainism is
the path to achieve this state. Jainism is commonly referred to as
Jain Dharma or Shraman Dharma or the religion of Nirgantha by
ancient texts.

Jainism was revived by a lineage of 24 enlightened ascetics

known as Tirthankaras culminating with Parsva (9th century
BCE) and Mahavira (6th century BCE). In the modern world, it
is a small but very influential religious minority with as many as
4 million followers in India, and successful growing immigrant
communities in North America, Western Europe, the Far East,
Australia and other countries. Jains have sustained the ancient
Shraman or ascetic religion and have significantly influenced
other religious, ethical, political and economic spheres lying in
India.
Jains have an tradition of scholarship and have the highest
degree of literacy in all of India. Jain libraries are the oldest
libraries in the country.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.www.britannica.com
2.www.historydiscussion.net
3.www.qcc.cuny.edu
4.www.culturalindia.net
5.enacademic.com
6.wikivisually.com
7.www.religionresourcesonline.org
8.www.yourarticlelibrary.com
9.jainworld.com
10. www.ancient.eu

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