FOUNDED:
Jainism is one of the oldest living religions.  It has no beginning. 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 years 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 Digambar 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 texts) written by great Acharyas (scholars) from 100 to 800 AD

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 millions almost exclusively in India.

GOALS:
The primary goal of Jainism is to become a perfected soul, known as Siddha, Paramatma, 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 Jnana), 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 involve the 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 his own death by certain practices (principally fasting) under specified circumstances.

BELIEFS:

The spiritual lineage of the twenty-four Tirthankaras (Jain Gods) of whom the ascetic sage Mahavir 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 observances.

The principle governing the successions of life is Karma.  Our actions of body, mind, and speech bind us.  One can get rid of Karmas by proper knowledge of the nine fundamental truths (nine Tattvas), and 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.

SYMBOLS:
The comprehensive Jain symbol is adopted by Jain community in the year 1974, the year in which Jains celebrated the twenty fifth hundred years nirvan (liberation) anniversary of Lord Mahavir. It consists of a digit of the Moon, three dots, the Swastika or Om, and the palm of a hand with the Chakra (wheel) inset.  Each individual symbol is frequently used in Jainism.

• Palm:
  The Palm of the hand signifies this assurance, 'do not be afraid' indicating that human being, which are suffering due to karmic bondage, do not need to be disheartened.
• Wheel:
  The Wheel of Dharma (Chakra) with 24 spokes represents the religion consisting of nonviolence (Ahimsa) and other virtues taught by the 24 Tirthankaras.
• A digit of the Moon and Three Dots:
  The three Dots represent the Jain trinity:  right perception (Samyak Darshan), right knowledge (Samyak Jnana), and right conduct (Samyak Charitra), together they lead to liberation.
  The three Dots also represent the three worlds:  nether region (hell), middle region (place for humans and animals), and upper region (heaven) where all non‑liberated souls live and suffer.
  The digit of the Moon represents the region beyond the three worlds wherein reside the perfected beings or liberated souls.
• Swastika:
  The Swastika signifies the cycles of births and deaths due to karma, in any of the four regions of the non‑liberated soul.  The non‑liberated soul takes birth in heaven, human, animal, and hell and suffers.  It reminds that one should follow the true religion and be liberated to get out of this suffering.
• Om:
  Om is made up of five letters a, a, aa, u, and m. The first letter "a" represents Arihant (living God), the second "a" represents Ashariry (Siddha or perfected being), the letters "aa" represent Aacharya (head of congregation), the letter "u" represents Upadhyay (monk teacher), and the letter "m" represents Muni (Sadhu or monks).  Hence Om represents the salutation of five revered personalities of Jain religion (same as the Navakar Mantra).

The overall symbol means that the living beings of the three worlds suffer from the miseries of transmigratory existence, can have recourse to the path of dharma shown by the Tirthankaras, thereby bringing about auspiciousness for themselves, and after obtaining perfection, will live forever in the world of perfected beings.

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Essence of World Religions
By: Pravin K. Shah
Chairperson  ‑ Education Committee, Federation of Jaina
Director ‑ Jain Study Center of North Carolina  (Raleigh)