What is Jainism?

rooted in the doctrines of anekantavada and syadvada, Jainism does not look upon the universe from an anthropocentric, ethnocentric or egocentric viewpoint. It takes into account the viewpoints of other species, other communities and nations and other human beings. Non Possessions or Non-acquisitiveness. Accumulation of possessions and enjoyment for personal ends should be minimized. Giving charitable donations and one's time for community projects generously is a part of a Jain householder's obligations. It is this sense of social obligation born out of religious teachings that has led the Jains to found and maintain innumerable schools, colleges, hospitals, clinics, lodging houses, hostels, orphanages, relief and rehabilitation camps for the handicapped, old, sick and disadvantaged as well as hospitals for ailing birds and animals. Wants should be reduced, desires curbed and consumption levels kept within reasonable limits. Using any resource beyond one's needs and misuse of any part of nature is considered a form of theft. Indeed, the Jain faith goes one radical step further and declares unequivocally that waste and creating pollution are acts of violence. Jainism is unique in allowing the very spiritually advanced person to hasten his own death by certain practices (principally fasting) under specified circumstances. Thus, the principles of Jainism, if properly understood in their right perspective and faithfully adhered to, will bring contentment and inner happiness and joy in the present life. This will elevate the soul in future reincarnations to a higher spiritual level, ultimately achieving Perfect Enlightenment, reaching its final destination of Eternal Bliss, ending all cycles of birth & death. DENOMINATIONS AND MAJOR SECTS: Page #4 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ Mahavir attracted people from all walks of life, rich and poor, kings and commoners, men and women, princes and priests, touchable and untouchable. Mahavir proclaimed that in the matters of spiritual advancement, both men and women are on an equal footing. Many women followed Mahavir's path and renounced the world in search of ultimate truth and happiness. The most significant contribution of Jainism in the social field was the establishment of social equality among the four classes (Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra) including untouchables prevalent in the society. He organized his followers, into a four-fold order, namely monks (Sadhu), nuns (Sadhvi), laymen (Shravak), and laywomen (Shravika). This order is known as Jain Sangh. There are about six to eight million Jains live almost exclusively in India. About 100,000 Jains live in North America and other countries. A few centuries after Mahavir's nirvana, the Jain religious order (Sangha) grew more and more complex. There established two major sects. In the Digambar sect monks wear no cloths, while the Swetambar monks wear white cloths. Fundamental views of both sects on ethics and philosophy are identical. Each major sect has many sub-sects including idol and non-idol worshiping sects. Later generations saw the introduction of ritualistic complexities, which almost made Jainism a ritualistic religion. JAIN SCRIPTURES: Bhagwan Mahavira's preaching was orally compiled by his immediate disciples in Jain scriptures known as Jain Agam or Agam Sutras, which consist of many texts. These Agam Sutras were not documented in any form but were orally passed on to the future generations. In course of time many of the Agam Sutras have been were memorized and some were modified. About one thousand years later the memorized Agam Sutras were recorded on leafy papers (Tadpatris). Swetambar Jains have accepted these Sutras as an authentic version of Bhagwan Mahavira's. The Agam Sutras teach great reverence for all forms of life, strict codes of vegetarianism, asceticism, nonviolence, and opposition to war.

Monks 8. Conqueror of their inner enemies 9. Liberated Soul 10. Spiritual leaders 11. Crescent arc on the Swastika Down 2. State of pure freedom 3. Nuns 5. Arihantas have destroyed these karmas 7. Have attained mastery of the Agams 10 THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM Jain Sucation International Page #11 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ 23 Tirthankars 1. Tirthankars are just like us. Tirthankars in each half time cycle. Name them in the correct 2. There are order. 3. They attain Tirthankar Näm karma in a certain Bhav. How many lives later do they attain Nirvana? For example, Shäntinäth attained Tirthankar Näm karma in the life of Please read the important story of his beliefs in that life. 4. The soul is immortal. From what point in the journey of the soul are the lives of a Tirthankar counted? Do all Tirthankars have the same number of lives before they attain Nirvana? 5. What is one of the main things that Tirthankars do after they attain Keval-jnän? 6. Tirthankars are also known as and THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM 11 www.ainelibrary.org Page #12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ Samavasaran 1. Whom is the Samavasaran created for? 2. When is it created? 3. Briefly describe the Samavasaran. THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM 12 Jain Sucation International Page #13 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ Kalyänaks 1. What is a Kalyanak? How many are celebrated in a Tirthankar's life? 2. List and briefly describe each one: THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM 13 www.lainelibrary.org Page #14 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ 2.4 Jain Temple (Deräsar) 1) What kind of place is a Jain temple? 2) What do we do before entering the temple? 3) What should we say while entering the Temple? 4) Whose idol do we find in the temple? 5) What do we do in the temple? 6) How do we behave in the temple? 14 THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM Page #15 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ Idols (Murti) 1. How does each tirthankar get a symbol? 2. How do Digambar murtis look? 3. How do Shvetämbar murtis look? 4. Why do we find the idols of Tirthankars often seen in the Padmäsan posture? THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM 15 www.lainelibrary.org Page #16 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ 25 Swastika (Säthiyä) Find the hidden message HASKAT RARICAHT T TUD UID SAHADNR DEAV HASVED TOID GIAT 14 NAJN SYNHAUMA MITID RANAK GARA ASMYAN KAMASY OSYHAIT SODKADHALI TI I PAAT RAYTAHCIN RAYTAHCIN TITU D VTSAIANPA TIIIII FLU TIIN E 16 THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM Jain Saldication liternational Page #17 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ 2.6 Soul 1. What is a Soul? How do you know it exists? Give an example. 2. What are the qualities of a Soul? Explain. 3. Learn the song "Ätmä, Ätmä, Inner Star" THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM €17 www.ainelibran.org Page #18 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ Jain Classification 1. According to Jain classification, life forms are divided into how many broad categories? What are they called? 2. On what basis are the mobile (Trasa) Jiva divided? Into how many categories? What are they called? 3. One-sensed (Ekendriya) Jiva is further divided into: 18 THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM Jain Saldication laternational Page #19 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ 4. Place the following life forms into the correct column: Plants, shells, water, flies, moths and insects in wheat and other grains, spiders, worms, insects, birds, microbes in stale food, human beings, termites, air, crickets, bugs, lice, earth, white ants, centipedes, animals, scorpions, crickets, beetles, locusts, heavenly beings, hellish beings, fish, fire Ekendriya Beindriya Treindriya Chaurindriya Panchendriya 5. In trying to minimize Himsä, what is important - number of souls, or consciousness (senses) of souls? Why? Is any Himsä permissible for Jains? When would any Himsä be permissible? THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM 19 www.lainelibrary.org Page #20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ 2.7 Karma 1. What is karma? Are they in your control or do things just happen? 2. How many kinds of karma are there? Which one do you have more control over? Why? 3. Write the different kinds of karma. Ghäti Karma 4. Is the saying, "What you sow, so shall you reap", appropriate for karma? Why? 5. When do your actions bear results? 20 Aghäti Karma 6. Please read the poem, "The Power of One" and see if you can adopt it in your daily life - that you are responsible for what happens to you. THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM Page #21

Parsvanatha, the twenty-third Tīrthankara, that the time then needed the fifth vow of celibacy to be explicitly taken rather than implicitly understood. All of them appreciated the need and accepted the five-vowed faith of Mahāvīra. No wonder, then, that His creed found followers in large numbers amongst all classes of the society and kings and knaves alike became His followers. Śrenika Bimbisāra, the king emperor of Magadha, the most potent potentate of the time, became His follower and many more followed. His monastic order was open to all the four castes of noble Brahmins and Ksatriyas and not so noble Vaisyas and Śūdras. He had the courage to accept the untouchable eaters of carrion, like Harikeśibala, into His fold and convert them into highly accomplished monks that became venerated by gods, demigods, kings and laymen alike. 20 JAINISM: THE CREED FOR ALL TIMES Page #49 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ Liberated Mahāvīra - Mahāvīra preached His gospel for thirty years for the benefit of the humanity, divinity, animal kingdom and the rest of the living world. His message of universal love and non--violence reverberated in the four corners of the country as well as in the heavens above. At seventy-two, He was still spreading His gospel far and wide but time now came for His departure from the mundane existence, the event for which all living beings crave - liberation. He was staying for the rainy season at Pāvā, when His four non-destructive types of karma were also exhausted and His spirit was ready to leave behind the confines of a body and was knocking at the doors of perfectly pure incorporeal existence. It wanted to go and make an abode on the Siddhaśila in the uppermost part of the universe beyond which there is nothing but the infinite expanse of the non-universal space. At midnight on the fifteenth of the dark half of the lunar month of Kārtika, in the year 527 BC, the nirvāṇa call came and leaving the order established by Him in the able hands of His able principal disciple, Sudharma, He breathed His last to be one amongst the supremely accomplished, perfectly pure souls the Siddhas. The Jains celebrate this day as Dīpavalī till date. The following verse candidly sums up His supreme accomplishment: - "Vīraḥ sarva suarāsurendra mahitah, Vīrami budhā samisrtā / Vīrenābhihatah svakarmanicayah, Śrī Vīrāya nityami namah|l” (Meaning – “Daily obeisance to Vīra by whom His own karmic accumulation has been completely annihilated and so He MAHAVIRA: THE MESSIAH OF MERCY :21 Page #50 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ has become venerated by all the gods and their kings and whose praise is sung by the learned.") What follows in this work is a brief exposition of the precious precepts preached by such enlightened and omniscient Lord Prophet Bhagvān Vardhamān Mahāvīra. 22: JAINISM: THE CREED FOR ALL TIMES Page #51 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ JAINISM : AN INTRODUCTION Jaina Dharma - Jaina dharma is the faith propounded and preached by the enlightened Jina (the spiritual conqueror), on attaining omniscience. Universal Character Of Jainism - Jainism, though practised by a minuscule minority of the people of the world, has all the qualities of a universal faith. A religion or faith becomes confined to a particular region or a set of people by virtue of its lack of liberality imposed by its absolutist view--point or dogma. It is this lack of liberality that brings it in conflict with other religions and faiths. Jainism is, possibly, the only faith that has not come into any conflict with any other faith because of its non-absolutist heritage. Universal character is ingrained in its very nomenclature, its outlook, and its actions as well as in its key prayer-verse that we have already cited as BENEDICTION'. The name Jainism is derived from the word Jina', which means conqueror (of the spiritual foes like delusion, passions, etc.) and anyone who attains this accomplishment is a Jina irrespective of one's religious denomination. Its outlook is the most liberal as it maintains that there is a grain of truth in every view - presented by the believers of any philosophies - how-so Page #52 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ ever limited in scope it may be. Therefore, there is no need to refute any view-point as false. It is this liberal outlook that keeps Jainas out of conflicts that rage between various other faiths and gives it its universal character. The Jaina activities or ethics are, again, not in conflict with any other faith as they are based on the principle of universal non-violence and aim at spiritual upliftment and plead a life-style of restraint and penance for its followers - both the clerics and the laymen. The key-prayer incorporates only bowing to five paragons of

who are not intelligent enough, may consider my words as being partial to Jainism. Lesson 97: Jain Fundamentals, Part 16 Those, who contend that the immaculate Jain philosophy is atheist, try to prove it by pointing out that Jainism does not believe in Creator of the universe, and that those, who do not believe in Creator, are evidently atheists. That argument immediately penetrates the minds of simple people, because they do not have the capacity to think properly. If one applies his mind, he would consider, "If Jainism is atheist, what is its rationale for treating the universe as without beginning or end? What is the reason for its refusal to admit the existence of Creator?' By pondering over such questions they can arrive at the purity of Jain thinking. 'What was the necessity for God to create the universe? If created, why did he arrange for happiness and unhappiness? After creating why did he provide for death? To whom did he intend to demonstrate such playful modes? If he created, by virtue of which Karma did he do it? Why did he not feel inclined to create it earlier? What is the concept of God? What are the components of universe? What does inclination mean? If he created, he should have arranged for only one religion in the universe; what was the necessity of creating illusions? Suppose that the poor guy committed a mistake! Let us forgive him! But what was the sense in giving birth to the people like Mahävir, who could root out the very concept of Creator? Why did he allow their philosophy to prevail in the world? What was the necessity of striking the axe on own foot?' One needs to think about these questions. Moreover, did Jain thinkers have any acrimony for him? Had there been the Creator, were they going to lose anything by admitting it? Were they going to gain anything by saying that there is no Creator and that the universe is without beginning or end? By pondering over such questions, it would be seen that those immaculate persons have presented the concept of universe as it is. They had absolutely no reason to present it differently. They have urged for protecting the minutest living beings and have presented everything from a particle to the universe with all their divisions. It is pitiful to think about the destiny of those, who accuse the philosophy of such immaculate Lords as being atheist! Lesson 98: Jain Fundamentals, Part 17 Page #73 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________ When one does not succeed in his point, he starts abusing. When Shankarächärya, Dayanand Saraswati and others could not refute the sound and immaculate principles of Jainism, they started conveying that Jainism is atheist; it arises from the theory of Chärväk (The ancient Indian atheist). One should, however ask them: "You may better talk of such aspects later on; no knowledge, discernment or time is required for making use of such words. Will you please point out in what respects Jainism is inferior to the philosophy of Veds? What about knowledge, the significant teaching, right conduct etc. that Jainism conveys? In what respects are the concepts of Ved superior to those of Jainism?' When the talks thus turn to the core, they would have no alternative but to remain mum. Truth, compassion, virtuous conduct and spiritual philosophy arise in the universe by virtue of the ambrosial words and ascetic force of saintly beings. How could they be treated as lower than those, who relish embellishment, who do not know even the common basics, and whose conduct is far from being perfect? To consider the latter as godly and to denigrate the truthful, to call those who have attained the supreme state as atheist, indicates a very high impact of Karma! But the world stays deluded; differing from truth constitutes darkness; there is no truth where the sense of belonging or attachment prevails. The main thing that I am telling is judicious and without any sense of attachment. You may subscribe to any philosophy; call Jainism the way you like. Please examine it the same way you examine others and adopt whatever you find right in your independent judgment. You may not immediately believe me or anyone else, but think over the basics. Lesson 99: Importance of Society If one inquires about the reasons of British people's success in various worldly arts and crafts, he can make out that it is due to their zealous nature and community spirit. By virtue of their enthusiasm and collective approach they have gained wealth, fame as well as authority. I do not advocate here to go for seeking those arts and expertise. The essence of what the omniscient Lords have said is lying in dark. In order to publicize the same, to collate the great books composed by the earlier Achäryas (Heads of Order), to remove differences among the various denominations, and to foster religious learning, it is essential for the wealthy and intellectuals to come together and to establish a great society wedded to