Religion of Jainism

The religion of Jainism is an ancient religion that is indigenous to India and dates back to the 5th century BC. It basically teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live a life of harmlessness and renunciation. 

The aim of the Jain is to achieve liberation of the soul. This religion was traditionally known as the Jina sāsana or Jain dharma and this is one of the oldest of the various Indian religions. 

The word "Jain" derives from the Sanskrit word jina (which means "victor"); any human being who has conquered all their inner passions and has achieved enlightenment is called a "jina". 

The Jain inherents can trace their history through a succession of twenty-four jinas who were teachers and revivers of the Jain path known as "tirthankaras", starting with Rishabha (the founder of Jainism) and concluding with Mahāvīra (also known as Vardhamana), who was known to be a contemporary of Gautama Buddha (founder of Buddhism). 

Statue of Mahāvīra

Sometime between the 5th and 6th century BC, Mahāvīra became one of the most influential teachers of Jainism. Jains revere him as the 24th tirthankara and regard him as the last of the great tīrthankaras of this era. He appears in the tradition as one who, from the beginning, had followed a religion established long ago. 

The Jain Agamas, canonical texts of Jainism, were based on Mahāvīra's teachings and are comprised of forty-six [46] works: [12] angās, [12] upanga āgamas, [6] chedasūtras, [4] mūlasūtras, [10] prakīrnaka sūtras and [2] cūlikasūtras. 

There are two major denominations of Jainism, the Śvētāmbara ("white-clad", who wear white garments) and Digambara ("Sky-clad", who eschew clothing altogether). 

1. The Śvētāmbara sect was divided into different panths with the forming of the Lonka faction in 1474 AD, which [in turn] led to the forming of Sthānakavāsī in 1653 AD; 13 Saints started their own panth called Terapanth in 1760 AD. The Sthānakavāsī and Terapanth sects believe in praying to Saints rather than to an idol in the temple.
2. The Digambara sect of Jainism maintains that the Agamas were lost during the same famine that the purvas were lost in. In the absence of scriptures, Digambaras use about twenty-five scriptures written for their religious practice by great acharyas. These include two main texts, four Pratham-Anuyog, three charn-anuyoga, four karan-anuyoga and twelve dravya-anuyoga.

The three main principles of Jainism are 1) non-violence (ahimsa), 2) non-absolutism (anekantavada), and 3) non-possessiveness (aparigraha). Practitioners of this faith believe non-violence and self-control are the means to liberation. Jainism emboldens spiritual development through the cultivation of personal wisdom and self-control through five major vows: 

1. Ahimsa (non-violence) - cause no harm to living beings by actions, speech or thought. This vow is considered the foremost among the 'Five Vows of Jainism'. 
2. Satya (not lying) - always speak the truth; given the fact that non-violence has priority, sometimes other principles yield to it whenever they conflict: in a situation where speaking the truth could lead to violence, silence may be observed. 
3. Asteya (not stealing) - a Jain should never take anything that is not willingly offered. Fair value should be given for all products and services. 
4. Brahmacharya (chastity) - simply means chastity for laymen and celibacy for the Jain monks and nuns. This vow requires the exercise of self-control over the senses to control indulgence in sexual activity. 
5. Aparigraha (non-attachment) - means non-possessiveness, which includes non-materialism and non-attachment to objects, places and people. The monks and nuns completely renounce property and social relations. 

Therefore, the Jain leads a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures, which is a major focus of the religion. Additionally, Jainism identifies four passions of the mind: Anger, pride, deceitfulness, and greed. It recommends conquering anger by forgiveness, pride by humility, deceitfulness by straight-forwardness and greed by contentment. 

The 24 Tīrthankaras

Jainism rejects the idea of a supreme being, creator or destroyer god. This religion, sometimes described as transtheistic, believes every soul has the potential for salvation and to become god-like. In Jainism, perfect souls with body are called victors (Arihantas) and perfect souls without the body are called liberated souls (Siddhas). Tirthankara is an Arihanta who help others in achieving liberation. Jainism prescribes no dependency on any supreme being for enlightenment. The tirthankara is an instructor who points the way to enlightenment, but the struggle for enlightenment is one's own. The belief of the Jain postulates that the universe was never created, nor will it ever cease to exist. It is independent and self-sufficient, and does not require any superior or omni-potent power to govern it. 

Jainism is relatively small compared to major world religions. The majority of Jains currently reside in India, with the largest populations concentrated in the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Outside India, large Jain communities can be found in the United States and Europe; several smaller Jain localities also exist in Kenya and Canada. 

With 6 million followers, this religion has contributed to the culture and language in the Indian states, such as Maharashtra, and developed a system of philosophy and ethics that had a great impact on Indian culture as a whole. 

The origins of Jainism are obscure, but the Jain's philosophy of eternity has remained a steadfast testament for thousands of years.