JAINISM IN INDIA

The name Jainism derives from the Sanskrit verb ji, “to conquer.” It refers to the ascetic battle that it is believed Jain renunciants (monks and nuns), must fight against the bodily senses and passions to gain omniscience and purity of soul or enlightenment. The most illustrious of those few individuals who have achieved enlightenment are called Jina “Conqueror”, and the tradition's monastic and lay adherents are called Jain “Follower of the Conquerors”, or Jaina. This term came to replace a more ancient designation, Nirgrantha (“Bondless”), originally applied to renunciants only. 

Jainism is a religion that teaches a path to spiritual purity and enlightenment through a disciplined mode of life founded upon the principle of Ahimsa (“non-injury”), which is the fundamental ethical virtue of the Jains. In Jainism, ahimsa is the standard by which all actions are judged. For a Jain lay person observing the small vows (the anuvrata), the practice of ahimsa requires that he not kill any animal life, but for an ascetic (a strict adherent) observing the great vows (the mahavrata), ahimsa entails the greatest care to prevent him from knowingly or unknowingly being the cause of injury to any living substance. 

To the Jain, living matter (jiva) includes not only human beings and animals, but insects, plants, and atoms as well, and the same law governs the entire cosmos. Thus the interruption of another jiva's spiritual progress increases one's own karma and delays one's liberation from the cycle of rebirths. Many common Jainist practices, such as not eating or drinking after dark or the wearing of cloth mouth covers (mukhavastrika) by monks, are based on the principle of ahimsa. In modern times, Mahatma Gandhi, the famous spiritual and political leader, developed his theory of passive resistance as a means of bringing about political change based on the principle of ahimsa.

Jainism originated in about 400-500 B.C. in the Ganges basin of eastern India, which was the scene of intense religious speculation and activity at that time. Buddhism also appeared in this region, as did other belief systems that renounced the world and opposed the ritualistic Arian/Hindu Brahmanic religious schools; that apparently had usurped indigenous religious beliefs and melded them with Arian beliefs to form a new religious system. The prestige of these new schools derived from their claim of purity, and their ability to perform the traditional rituals and sacrifices properly, and to interpret the meanings of resultant omens and occurrences. {The nature of the conquest of northern India by the Arians is not well understood, the same holds for social and civic machinations of this early post-conquest period}.

These new religious perspectives of India’s original people, promoted asceticism, the abandonment of ritual, domestic and social action, and the attainment of gnosis (knowledge and illumination), in an attempt to win, through one's own efforts, freedom from repeated rebirth. Though the Hindus and Buddhists never required so strict an observance of ahimsa as the Jains, vegetarianism and tolerance toward all forms of life became widespread in India. Ahimsa is also one of the first disciplines learned by the student of yoga and is required to be mastered in the preparatory stage (yama), the first of the eight stages that lead to perfect concentration.

JAINISM PRINCIPLES

Karma

Like all Indian religions, Jainism upholds the universal law of Karma. According to this law, every action - thought, word or deed - produces an effect, which in turn serves as the cause of another action, and so on. This chain of cause and effect is known as `Karmic Bondage’ or simply, Karma. Jainism upholds the existence of an infinite number of animate and inanimate substances (Jivas or Souls), and Ajivas or non-souls, representing the mind / matter dichotomy, each of which possesses an infinite number of individual characteristics of its own. Moreover, all substances exist independently of our perceptions or awareness of them.

Samsara (Rebirth)

Because the number of souls inhabiting the universe is infinite, most of them will be compelled to transmigrate eternally in samsara, the world of birth, death and rebirth. And this world is itself subject to a process of growth and decline. It is part of a universe; which without beginning and without end, passes through an infinite number of cosmic cycles, each divided into phases of ascent and descent during which civilization rises and falls.

Moksha

The soul, once entered upon a bodily existence, remains trapped in a chain of successive rebirths (samsara) until it has reached perfection or the enlightenment that allows it release, or moksha.

• Claims lineage of 24 Tirthankaras
• Mahavira was the last Trithankara (6th century BCE)
• Parshavantha is claimed to be the 23rd Trithankara (9th century BCE)

IMPORTANT PEOPLE OF JAINISM

Parshvanatha

• He was the 23rd Tirthankara
• Lives in Varanasi around 800 BCE
• Son of king Ashvasena and queen Vama of Varanasi
• Attained nirvana atop mountain Sammet Shikar, now known as Parasnath Hills

Vardhamana Mahavira

• He was the 24th and last Tirthankara
• Born 599 BCE in Kshatriyakunda in Bihar
• Father was king Siddharta and mother Queen Tishala
• At age 30 gave up wordly possessions and wandered as an ascetic for 12 years
• Attained nirvana 527 BCE at Pawapuri near Rajgir at age 72

Acharya Bhadrabahu

• Influential Jain monk who lived 433 BCE – 357 BCE
• He was the spiritual teacher of Changradgupta Maurya
• Led Chandragupta Maurya and other followers to Karnataka to avoid famine in the north
• The Digambara sect of Jainism follows his teachings
• Composed important Jaina texts like Upsargahara Stotra and Kalpasutra

THE COUNCILS OF JAINISM

First Council

• Held at Pataliputra
• supervised by Stulabhadra (disciple of Bhadrabahu)
• Established the Jain canon Siddhanta, from which the teachings of Svetambaras derived

Second Council

• Held at Vallabhi (Gujarat)
• Supervised by Devardhi Kshama-sramana
• Objective was to collect all Jain sacred texts and compile them in books

THE SECTS OF JAINISM

Digambara

• Implies sky-clad
• Digambara monks do not wear clothes
• Digambara ascetics have only two possessions: a peacock feather broom and a water gourd
• Believe women cannot attain moksha

Svetambara

• Implies white-clad
• Svetambara monks wear white clothes
• Do not believe that women cannot attain moksha

IMPORTANT JAIN SITES IN INDIA

Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves

• Located near Bhubaneshwar
• Commissioned as quarters for Jain monks by Kharavela in the 2nd century BCE
• Caves are situated on two hills Udayagiri and Khandagiri that face each other
• Udayagiri caves house the famous Hathigumpha Inscription of Kharavela

Parasnath Hills

• One of the most sacred places of Jainism
• Located near Giridih in Jharkhand
• 20 out of 24 Tirthankaras attained nirvana here, including Parshvanatha

Shravanabelagola

• Houses the 57 foot statue of Gomateshwara Bahubali
• Built around 980 CE by Chamundaraya a general of Ganga king Gangaraya
• The Mahamastakabhisheka is performed every 12 years for the statue
• The last ceremony was held in 2006, next one will be held in 2018
• It is one of the largest monolith statues in the world (carved out of a single rock)

IMPORTANT JAIN TEMPLES IN INDIA

Temple	Location	Notes
Dilwara	Rajasthan	Built by Chalukyas 11-13th centuries Famous for use of marble
Ranakpur	Rajashtan	Built in the 14-15th centuries
Bawangaja	Madhya Pradesh	84 foot statue of first Tirthankara Rishabha (Adinatha) Erected 12th century CE
Sonagiri	Madhya Pradesh