Jainism
Founder / Major Figures- Lord Mahavir, founder and teacher, who lived in Hindu India in the sixth century BCE.
Major Beliefs
Mahavir taught his followers that they can attain a state of perfect enlightenment if they follow the discipline that he set forth.
Human beings find themselves in a universe that is eternal, uncreated, and they, destined to be born, to live and to die, are a part of the never ending process of growth, development, death and rebirth.
At each stage of rebirth Jains may grow closer to perfection until they break free of the ongoing cycle of cause and effect, or the laws of nature. Then they achieve an indescribable state of perfect bliss.
There is a close affinity between the Jain religion and Hinduism. However, Jains do not believe in God or gods. It is a system in which the human being is capable alone of achieving a good life.
To do this they must follow certain rules or principles:
- Non-violence: Jains consider this to be so important as to call it "the supreme religion". Nonviolence is extended to thought, words and deeds, and involves the protection of the life of all living creatures. Nonviolence includes:
- A strict vegetarian diet
- Restraining the consumption of earth's resources
- Abstaining from quarreling, fighting, criticizing, backbiting and dishonesty in financial matters.
- Nonviolence in Jain practice is not, however, an absolute law. It is accepted that people must defend themselves in cases of aggression.
- Speaking the truth
- Sexual purity
- Abstaining from theft
- Detachment from worldly possessions
These principles were laid down for all adherents of the religion, men and women receiving equal status.
There is no clergy in Jainism, but for those who go more deeply into the religion there exist orders of monks and nuns. These individuals pursue the life of righteousness with great strictness, even to the point of ascetic self-denial.
Scripture / Sacred Writings
Jain scriptures, a vast literature of oral stories, poetry, biographies and teachings, were gathered at various times in early history and codified and written down in definitive form about 450 CE.
They were written in a dialect of the Sanskrit language but now exist in translation.
Worship and Spiritual Practice
When Jains worship they examine themselves, reflect on their progress in spiritual development, and contemplate the example of Mahavir.
They pray in the sense of expressing their aspirations for a better life and voicing their regret for failure.
The images of the teachers in the place of worship remind those who pray of the examples that are set before them of praiseworthy behavior. Also they are reminded of the great Jain principle of mutual dependence, or interdependence, whereby all living things are bound together for support.
In everyday life Jains often repeat the following act of obeisance, in the Hindi language, called the Universal Prayer:
I bow to the ever-perfect victors.
I bow to the liberated souls.
I bow to the leaders of the Jain order.
I bow to the learned teachers.
I bow to the saints and sages everywhere in the world.
This five-fold obeisance erases all sins.
Amongst all that is auspicious, this is the foremost.
(Adapted from a souvenir booklet of the Jain Center of Greater Hartford)In addition to visits to the sanctum in the Hindu temple. Jains often also pray and meditate in their homes and meet in a study circle each month.
History
Jains revere as their founder and teacher, Lord Mahavir, who lived in Hindu India in the sixth century BCE.
This teacher was the last in a line of twenty-four great teachers whose times stretch back thousands of years into pre-history.
Jains believe that these twenty-four individuals attained perfect knowledge and a degree of spiritual development that sets them apart from all other people.
Calendar
The Jain calendar is punctuated with several festivals, two of them commemorating first the birth of Lord Mahavir, their revered teacher, and the other remembering his achievement of release from the cycle of reincarnation.
The third and most important festival is a time of reflection on one's spiritual and moral journey. Special recitations of holy texts are heard, fasting for eight days is observed and people seek forgiveness from all whom they have offended during the previous year.
Administration and Secular Life
Jains number as many as 100,000 in the United States and have built over a hundred centers and temples. The national organization called JAINA, promotes unity and friendship among all Jains of North America.
Although Jains do not number as one of the larger religions, being from four to six million worldwide, they are one of the oldest. They live mostly in India and the languages and cultures of that land still mark the lives of Jains.
They are known to be people with a strong social consciousness. In India they are noted for maintaining hospitals for aged and injured animals.
Jains are not concerned about seeking converts to their way, and show tolerance toward other religions, since one of their main teachings is the relative nature of truth, according to which any number of different viewpoints are possible depending on where, how, and when a particular belief is expressed.
