As i recall, there may be a sentence or two of jain scripture in the entire book. It is a fascinating and splendid work of constructive scholarship, and an authentic source of information about jaina philosophy and religion that will serve as a good reference book for many years to come. A glance at its contents will reveal the fact that glasenapp has covered almost all the salient features of jainism. Jains trace their spiritual ideas and history through a succession of twentyfour leaders or tirthankaras, with the first being rishabhanatha, who according to jain tradition lived millions. The godless religion pennsylvania state university. He wrote nearly thirty works in sanskrit, the more noteworthy among them being nyayakusumanjali, adhyatmatattvaloka and kalyanabharati. Saman suttam saman suttam is the religious text created in 1974 by a committee consisting of representatives of each of the major. Jains see these texts, which are the transcriptions of lord mahavirs sermons, as sacred documents. It developed a path of renunciation and purification designed to liberate one from the shackles of karma, allowing one to enter into a state of eternal liberation from rebirth, or kevala, which is roughly equivalent to the buddhist concept of nirvana. The religion of bharatvarsh sanatan dharm or hinduism is the direct descension of the grace of god which is manifested in the form of the divine bhartiya hindu scriptures. Of the major indian religions, jainism has had the strongest ascetic tradition.
India has a long history of religious and spiritual wealth. For many, but not all religions, this is given some form of agency and. The jain texts explain the anekantvada concept using the parable of blind men and elephant, in a. Agams are the jain texts which are based on the discourse. Jain philosophy deals with reality, cosmology, epistemology study of knowledge and vitalism. Jain religion is unique in that, during its existence of over 5000 years, it has never compromised on the concept of nonviolence either in principle or practice. Jainism, indian religion teaching a path to spiritual purity and enlightenment through disciplined nonviolence ahimsa, literally noninjury to all living creatures overview.
Bibliography jainism religion yale forum on religion. The oldest jain literature is in shauraseni and ardhamagadhi prakrit agamas, agamatulya, siddhanta texts, etc. Along with hinduism and buddhism, jainism is one of the three most ancient indian. The faith is named for the jinas, spiritual conquerors who have achieved liberation and perfection. Jane religion synonyms, jane religion pronunciation, jane religion translation, english dictionary definition of jane religion. It was translated with an introduction by nathmal tatia, includes a foreword by l. Matthews, mary evelyn tucker, and philip hefner, 283292. That a country which has been recognised in all ages the world over as the mother of all religions and the cradle of civilisation should be considered as pagan, shows how much ignorance prevails. It attempts to explain the rationale of being and existence, the nature of the universe and its constituents, the nature of souls bondage with body and the means to achieve.
Jainism is an eastern religion with origins in the indus river valley. Jains believe that an immortal and indestructible soul resides within every living being. In 1974, on the auspicious 2500th anniversary of the nirvana of the last jain tirthankara, mahavira, the jain community at large collectively chose one image as an emblem to be the main identifying symbol for jainism. Sep 10, 2009 pilgrimage pilgrimage in jainism temples on the shatrunjaya hills, gujurat an important jain site. The teachings of the twenty four tirthankaras were first composed in fourteen purvas and later in twelve angpravishthaagams an ang being a limb by ganadhars themselves. Jainism traditionally known as jain dharma, is an ancient indian religion.
Centre for the study of comparative religions and civilizations, jamia millia islamia university. And indeed, his focus on hindu tradition alone blinds him to the presence. Jain prateek chihna the official symbol of jainism is the jain prateek chihna. Jane religion definition of jane religion by the free. The first jina is traditionally believed to have been a giant who lived 8. Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practiced in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. If you have the book i have put the page numbers at the end of the questions where you can find the answers as a reference. This insight, illustrated by the famous story of the blind men trying to describe an. Centre for the study of comparative religions and civilizations, jamia millia. Jain philosophy is the oldest indian philosophy that separates body matter from the soul consciousness completely. Instead they have a collection of holy writings and scriptures. Philosophy of religion internet encyclopedia of philosophy. By accessing different parts of the elephants body, each blind man tries to deduce what he is touching.
It includes the analyses of religious concepts, beliefs, terms, arguments, and practices of religious adherents. Jain philosophy internet encyclopedia of philosophy. The same is the case with the practices of jain religion. Pilgrimage plays an important part in jain life for digambaras and some svetambaras. The tradition presented in the materials below is one of the. The goal of the jain religion is to achieve liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Interesting jain stories jain books, jain novels, jain scripts, jain study, new jain books, stories, short stories, long stories, jain lectures. Jainism ontario consultants on religious tolerance. One of the religions that propagated early in indias history is.
The kalpasutra describes in detail the lifestory of mahavira. Followers of jainism are called jains, and there are about 4 million worldwide. Jainism is an indian religion that emphasizes complete nonviolence and asceticism. It discourages superstition and blind faith and encourages free and rational thinking. Jain fundamentals jain rituals jain scriptures jain compassion.
Followers of jainism are called jains, and there are about 4 million. The tattvarthasutra is a famous book which summarizes jain teachings. The one thing grossly lacking in this book is citation of scripture. However, the early svetambara scriptures prevented pregnant women, young women or those who have a small child, to enter to the ranks of nun. For example, all three traditions share a notion of karma as the actions of individuals that determine their future births, yet each has attached unique connotations to the concept. Along with hinduism and buddhism, jainism is one of the three most ancient indian religious traditions still in existence and an. Scholars regard hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various indian. Jainism you should read enough of the materials presented in this section concerning the tradition of jainism in order to understand how this tradition displays the characteristics or elements that make a tradition one that would be termed a religion. Jainism, hinduism, and buddhism share many key concepts derived from the sanskrit language and dialects that have enabled them to hone their religious debates. Not only do the earliest jain monastic codebooks acknowl. Since then, this emblem is used in almost all of jain magazines, on wedding cards, on jain festival cards and in magazines with links to events related to jain society.
You will need to register to get access to the following site features. The holy book of jainism is a collection of texts known as agam literature or the agam sutras. Jun 20, 2019 jainism is an ancient indian religion that preaches complete nonviolence, peace, and kindness towards all creatures of nature. What science and religion tell us about the story of the universe and our place in it, eds. Lord mahavir, popularly regarded as the founder of jainism, was the last of the tirthankars who flourished from 599 to 527 b. Pilgrimage pilgrimage in jainism temples on the shatrunjaya hills, gujurat an important jain site. The holy teachers are called the jina, and they are the epitome of teaching for all jains, especially the jina mahavira.
Theantiquity of jainism jaina religion is the oldest religion of india, it began as a spiritual discipline for samanas. Followers of jainism are called jains, a word derived from the sanskrit word jina, meaning victor. A beautiful illustration of the concept is captured in jain literature by the story of six blind men and an elephant. The religion of jains included women in their fourfold sangha. Jains believe that jainism is an eternal dharma with the tirthankaras guiding every cycle of the jain cosmology. We hope to see you as a part of our community soon. For example, we are all familiar with the story of the eight blind men and an elephant. An ascetic religion of india, founded in the sixth century bc, that teaches the immortality and transmigration of the soul and denies the existence of a. Jul 02, 2017 some have even argued that anekantavada is a philosophical talisman to ward off dogmatic thinking or myopic fundamentalism. Jain scholars were supportive of akbar and jain texts praise his religious tolerance. Religious books have quoted the tirthankaras as saying.
This website is for the users who want to learn the basic concepts of jain religion. Jain doctrine stresses spiritual development through attainment of wisdom, purification, nonviolence, selfcontrol, truthfulness, and nonmaterialism. Jains trace their history through twentyfour tirthankara and revere rishabhanatha as the first tirthankara in the present timecycle. Many classical texts are in sanskrit tatvartha sutra, puranas, koshas, shravakacharas, mathematics, nighantus etc. The book renders each verse into an easy to understand commentary and provides an excellent overview of the jain philosophy and religion. The acharangasutra deals chiefly with the ethical conduct and discipline of monks. According to jain tradition, lord rishabh was the first interpreter of ahinsa nonviolence. Lord mahavir was the twentyfourth and last tirthankara of the jain religion of this era. Saman suttam saman suttam is the religious text created in 1974 by a committee consisting of representatives of each of the major sects of jainism to reconcile the teachings of the sects. Unlike most common monotheistic religions, jainism does not have one holy book that characterizes their faith. One of the religions that propagated early in indias history is called jainism. Is there any one principle above all which characterizes jainism. Sep 25, 2014 india has a long history of religious and spiritual wealth. The saints of jaina religion presented the solutions for various problems of the world.
They decided, even though we would not be able to see it, let us. The principles of jaina religion can contribute to positive mental health. Philosophy of religion is the philosophical study of the meaning and nature of religion. The scope of much of the work done in philosophy of religion has been limited to the various theistic religions. The lord mahavira, who died in 527 bc, was the last of a long series of prophets tirthankara. One day the villagers told them, hey, there is an elephant in the village today. The texts had to be memorised since jain monks and nuns were not allowed to possess religious books as part of their vow of nonacquisition, nor were they allowed to write. Singhvi and an introduction to the jaina faith by padmanabh s. Mar 17, 2015 jainism is an indian religion that emphasizes complete nonviolence and asceticism. The texts containing the teachings of mahavira are called the agamas, and are the canonical literature the scriptures of. So, after attaining the ultimate height, the nirvan according to both, the jain and buddh religions, the practitioner has to adopt the guidelines of the scriptures sanatan dharm and do bhakti to a personal form of god. An introduction, is a thoroughly researched overview of the jain tradition, a religion and set of philosophical constructs that have influenced indian thought for over 2500 years. They do not believe in the existence of a god or gods that will aid the human race.
Jains believe that their religion is extremely ancient. Jainism dont have any specific holy book like the bhagavad geeta,the quran or the bible. The world of conquerors volume 1 natubhai shah, dr natubhai shah. Christian missions to india imply that india is a land of heathens, and, therefore, stands on the same level with the andaman or the fiji islands. Interesting jain stories jain books, jain novels, jain. The jain scriptures are the source books of jain ethics, yoga, religion, philosophy and mythology. These texts are collectively known as agams, the sacred books of the jain religion. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or the eternal way, beyond human history.
The jain religion originated more than twentyfive hundred years ago in india. Popular jainism books meet your next favorite book. Jainism is properly the name of one of the religious traditions that have their origin in the indian subcontinent. So he could be called a reformer of the jain religion or rejunevator of the faith which was already. This book is the first comprehensive study of jainism to be published in the west. Jainism, indian religion teaching a path to spiritual purity and enlightenment through disciplined nonviolence ahimsa, literally noninjury to all living creatures. Jainism traces its roots to a succession of 24 jinas those who overcome, or conqueror in ancient east india. Scholars regard hinduism as a fusion or synthesis 6 note 4. Some artifacts found in the indus valley civilization have been suggested as a link to. Lord mahavirs preaching was methodically compiled by his followers into many texts.
Jainism introduction yale forum on religion and ecology. It deals with all the main topics of jaina metaphysics, ethics, epistemology and logic. If i have anything wrong or any thing i should add, tell me and i will correct them. Elephant and the blind men once upon a time, there lived six blind men in a village. Sep 11, 2009 the texts had to be memorised since jain monks and nuns were not allowed to possess religious books as part of their vow of nonacquisition, nor were they allowed to write. The subject matter of the answers ranges from the jain doctrine to rules of ascetic behaviour. Jainism beliefs a process of enlightenment similar to hinduism, jainism beliefs also maintain various principles and practices related to meditation, karma, and reincarnation. It has long been my belief that the best way to learn about the beliefs of any religion is through its own source texts. I believe that the prophetic scriptures from the books of daniel, revelation and others in the old. Our goal is to upload his discourses on various aspects of jainism. Jainism emerged in 6thcentury bce india, the same time buddhism was developing. His forte was his spiritual and philosophical thinking, and his contribution in the field is both substantial and distinctive. The religious scripture of the jains are known as agama. Welcome to religious forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.
The jain doctrine since it is very old religion, it has a well developed doctrinal basis comprising of a metaphysics and ontology, b cosmology and cosmography, c theology and mythology, and d ethics, etc. Jain texts such as acaranga sutra and tattvarthasutra state that one must renounce all killing of living beings, whether tiny or large, movable or. Note how the jain meaning of swastika is fundamentally different from modern day interpretation. It attempts to explain the rationale of being and existence, the nature of the universe and its constituents, the nature of souls. The present book is one of the best and stimulating books ever written by scholars on jainism. This religion is unique in comparison to other religions because there is no belief in a deity or greater power. Basic concepts of jainism and its applications can be learned from chandrakantbhais easy and unique teaching skills and indepth knowledge of the subject. It is a pattern of reinterpretation and reinvention to rebrand and reposition that is found in many religions, states scholz. He followed an existing religion, which jains believe was established by rishabhdev, who lived countless centuries before. Under the influence of passions such as greed and hatred, the soul comes under a complex web of karma, or the past deeds of the soul, and suffers repeated birth and.
21 1016 784 1222 1213 1243 6 502 118 664 1487 1072 167 1014 274 1576 25 644 782 1078 769 194 1536 903 1250 1586 136 1206 83 1161 930 288 851 544 1349